Red Haven Peaches

The red haven peach - the peach that all other peaches are judged against. In fact, other peach varieties are often listed by how many days before or after they are ready to pick in regards to when red havens are ready. Red havens are ready for picking around the end of July to beginning of August. This is the classic peach that you will find all over the place. It's a heavy producer which farmers love. They also love it's long shelf life. It's the most popular peach planted in Michigan and much of the Midwest. It is one of the few peaches that people know by name. In most years it is the first freestone peach of the season. A freestone peach is a peach that you should be able to remove the inner pit easily. You don't take half the peach with the pit.

Click below to find out when Red Haven peaches ripen in your state.

Red Haven History

The Red Haven peach was first introduced in 1940. It was created by Dr. Stanley Johnston of Michigan State University. It was first grown in South Haven, Michigan. There is a park in South Haven, Michigan that bears Stanley's name. His "Haven" series of peaches had a major effect on the peach business in the eastern part of the country.

Taste Review

My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 6
Peach Flavor: 8
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 9

Overall Feeling: This is a good quality peach. There is a reason people love these so much. I personally don't think it's the best tasting peach there is like others do, but you really can't go wrong with it. Buyer beware thought. Some retailers like to pass off other peaches as Red Haven to get more sales. Specific peach varieties are only available for 10-14 days on average. If you find them too long after the harvest began either they have been in cold storage for a while, which is not good for the flavor or you are being had.

How to Use Red Haven Peaches

It's a great peach for canning as they are easy to slice up and remove the pit. This peach also works well in cooking applications. It has the acidity that you want. It's your all around good peach ready for multiple uses! If you want some great recipe ideas, check out the book "the Perfect Peach". It actually mentions the Red Haven peach by name in it!

Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.