For this year’s peach season it is now the 11th hour. Most places have sold out of their peaches for their year. The only places left with peaches are those with super late varieties. This past week, I purchased one of those super late varieties – the Rio Oso Gem peach. These peaches are named after where they were first grown, Rio Oso, California. It is not a very popular peach for commercial use as these peaches tend to drop off the tree easily and they also bruise easily. They are mostly sold by local farms.
The farmer I bought them from thought they were getting a PF27 (Flamin’ Fury) tree, but ended up with this variety instead. Which worked out well for me because it gave me another variety to try.
My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 9
Peach Flavor: 5
Sweetness: 3
Juiciness: 8
Overall Feeling: These peaches are very juicy and very acidic. The flavor is not as strong as others. I think with the high acidity these peaches will work well in pies and other baking applications. You could can them too since they are a freestone, but I think there are large peaches out there that are less work. Since they bruise easily be very careful when handling them. I ended up with some bruises on mine whenever I was being careful.
Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.