Cling Peaches and Freestone Peaches - Is One Better Than the Other?

Most people who prepare home-cooked meals, still use some processed foods. For instance, they may cook a roast plus mashed real potatoes, but use frozen green beans covered with dried "French onions" plus a can of prepared soup poured over it to form "green bean casserole", for instance. Or for breakfast, they may serve fried eggs, but then they addend the meal with prepared sausage, instant coffee, and canned fruit. So nearly everyone consumes at least some prepared foodstuffs. One of our favorites among these has to be the peach, isn't that so? Ah, the smell of a baked peach pie, or maybe you prefer the juicy taste of a fresh-picked and washed peach? Is it possible you've never eaten a fresh peach, but you only eaten them out of a can?

How are canned peaches different from most farm-market fresh peaches? Is it merely a degree of desirability, one over the other, as is the case in using canned spices instead of fresh ones?

Categorizing Peaches

Generally speaking, peaches are categorized in two ways-yellow versus white and-clingstone, or "cling," versus freestone. Yellow peaches generally have a stronger flavor, while white peaches generally are sweeter with a lower level of acidity.

As for cling versus freestone, the words refer to how strongly the flesh of the peach adheres to its centrally located stone. It might seem this is a silly way to distinguish between peach varieties, but if you bit a cling peach, then into a freestone peach, you would surely change your mind. The two types of peaches are as different as day from night.

Freestone Peaches

Depending on the season and the success of the crop, freestone peaches are generally very colorful, especially near the stone, which after eating the peach is often free of peach flesh, it is so loosely attached and easily removed. The flavor may be subtle to intense, with a delicious aroma in addition to the likewise delicious taste. Freestones are a bit messy if not carefully eaten, as they tend to have a higher moisture content than cling peaches do. They are sold canned, but do not present the neat and uniform appearance of canned cling peaches. They are also superior in pies.

Cling Peaches

It is generally difficult to remove the stone from cling peaches. It is standard procedure to cut the stone out. This is inconvenient for eating the fruit off the tree, but does not pose a problem for canning. Cling peaches are firmer, because they contain less moisture, and so are admirable for canning as halves or as slices, near perfect in form. Doubtless these properties appeal to the commercial packer. The flavor of the cling peach is generally milder-some may call them bland. For one to determine what he finds desirable in a peach, it is good to compare cling with freestone peaches. It is important to note that some hypersensitive individuals may experience a greater degree of difficulty if eating fresh, versus canned, peaches.

In Conclusion

For most of us, in winter, the convenience of the can allows us to enjoy at least in part the flavor of a peach, whether we choose freestone or cling peaches. However, for summer, the appeal of a freshly washed, freestone peach cannot be surpassed, and is a hands-on, must-try experience to be anticipated afresh each and every summer season.

Resources and References:

Strawberry Hill USA - Clingstone Peaches vs. Freestone Peaches

"Integrated pest management for stone fruits," by Larry L. Strand, page 3.

Saunders Brothers - Peach Varieties