Citrus and Peach trees

[PeakOiler]

I haven't weighed nor counted the two baskets of peaches I just harvested, but I had to share the view as I was picking them:



If I sell some of the peaches at the end of my driveway this Saturday (right about at the end of the rainbow shown above), then there will be gold there...

Reminder: These peaches have have not been sprayed with any pesticides.



OK. Break is over. Time to go harvest some more.

btw, Pops was right. A few of the branches did break from the weight of the fruit.

[PeakOiler]

I've taken hundreds of peaches to work to share among my coworkers, and a few of them have actually paid me some money. I think I've made about $20. Many of them have given me high praise for the taste and quality of the fruit compared to the local grocery. I was very flattered...

Tomorrow I'm going to try to sell some by the side of the road.

Regarding the broken peach tree branches from the weight of the fruit, this was the first season that has happened here. A good pruning of most of the peach trees is needed.

[PeakOiler]

I decided not to sell any peaches by the roadside today. I wasn't feeling 100% for one thing, and after the recent rains and with standing water and soaked grass along the roadside, the mosquitoes are fierce. Wearing long pants and long sleeves with 80-90+ F temps is not very comfortable...

So I decided to process more of the peaches indoors. I froze another two gallons of sliced, pitted, and skinned fruit.

These are some of the peaches picked yesterday right before weighing and counting them:


I think I need a larger scale!

A recipe for peach wine:

http://www.homebrewit.com/recpeach

Recipe #1 only calls for 10-12 peaches.

I'm going to harvest more peaches this evening. A lot of peaches are just falling off the trees now they're so ripe. The rabbits are feasting!

YTD: 1,347 peaches harvested weighing 146 kg (321 lb).

[PeakOiler]

I sure am glad there are a lot of peach lovers at work, otherwise I would have had to compost most of the fruit. One lady brought her electric ice cream maker to work and made us peach ice cream! Yum!

YTD peaches harvested: 1,771 weighing ca. 193 kg (425 lb).

I'm still not finished picking peaches...

[frankthetank]

Peach ice cream.... yum... I'm a big ice cream fan!

Had a peach tree snap in half with last nights 60mph winds... also had a few fruit get blown off. I ended up digging the tree out and replacing with my never ending supply of seedling peaches. The tree was a little odd (seedling) to begin with (fruit was green/nectarine type)...

I'm going to add a "Saturn" peach to the collection next year.

[PeakOiler]

Sorry to read that one of your peach trees was wind damaged. As you know, frankthetank, wind knocked a lot of peaches off my trees in June 2009 which I related earlier in this thread.

This evening I plan on removing most of the remaining overripe peaches from the trees. Most will be composted or used to mulch around the base of the trees. I was not able to harvest (save or process) all the peaches. I just didn't have the time. My solar-powered chest freezer is full--mainly with containers of peaches. I'm well stocked for a lot of peach ice cream! lol

[PeakOiler]

YTD: 2,021 peaches harvested weighing 224 kg (494 lb). I took nearly 200 more to work today and my coworkers are starting to tease me, such as saying: "Hope you have a peachy weekend", or "James & the Giant Peach", or just "the peach man". LOL But everyone has been enjoying them and thanking me. A good feeling... I was glad to share...

The coworker (that advised me on the peach wine preparation and supplier) took another bunch of peaches for his second batch of wine. In a year, we'll have the wine tasting party!

[jdmartin]

Hey PeachOiler - I mean Peakoiler - how do I know when my peaches are ready to pick? I've only got 3 but they look like they're getting to be the right color. They still feel kind of firm, they're a mix of yellow orange and red streaks.

I don't want to force it, but I don't want to lose them to birds or bugs either. If I pick a peach too early, will it still continue to ripen, or am I screwed?

[jdmartin]

500 pounds of peaches - I am literally in shock. That's unbelievable. I don't usually get sick of any fruit, but that might be enough to make me not want peaches for a while

[frankthetank]

I picked a peach yesterday that was getting soft. It was smaller, but it tasted great.

If they give a little when you put pressure on the fruit, then i'd say its ripe. If you let them go too long, they'll just fall.

I bought some peaches from Illinois tonite at 1.29/lb ...Georgia peaches (so so) are selling for .69/lb. IL peaches tasted almost exactly like the peaches off my tree. Going to save the fruit for seedling renewal
.
Too much of a good thing? Its tough with fruit. They sit there for so long, and then when they ripen, they go FAST! Have the same problem almost every year with tomatoes. They just come all at once and then its usually hot and i get lazy and next thing you know the fruit flies are taking over the kitchen.

I'm freezing everything. I just think canning is too much work. I still have frozen peaches from last summer! Plus canning when its 90F and humidity just blows if u have to do it inside. I have a big chest freezer now.

[PeakOiler]

Hey PeachOiler - I mean Peakoiler - how do I know when my peaches are ready to pick? I've only got 3 but they look like they're getting to be the right color. They still feel kind of firm, they're a mix of yellow orange and red streaks.

I don't want to force it, but I don't want to lose them to birds or bugs either. If I pick a peach too early, will it still continue to ripen, or am I screwed?

PeachOiler--lol--that's good, jdmartin. The longer you can leave the peach on the tree, the sweeter it'll get. You may want to get some bird netting for protection. If you let them ripen too long on the tree, they will have a shorter "shelf life" after picking of course. That would be a concern if you have dozens or hundreds.

[PeakOiler]

I just finished processing 22 peaches for the peach wine. I'm making a double batch. Shown below are the crushed peaches in a nylon strainer bag in the primary fermenter. The recipe also called for about 6.5 quarts water, four pounds of sugar, 2 campden tablets (potassium metabisulphite), acid blend (citric, malic, and tataric acid), pectic enzyme powder (pectinase, maltodextrin), yeast energizer, and tannin.

The recipe says to cover and let the slurry sit for 24 hrs before adding the yeast.

[jdmartin]

I picked my first peaches from my tree on Sunday~! They were just starting to have a little give to them. I probably could have left them for a few more days, but we had some bad storms rolling through so I figured why chance it?

They came off the tree pretty easy - I didn't have to do anything more than give a little twist. They smell delicious! So there's only 3 of them this year, but hey you gotta start somewhere :D .

I will post a picture of my three princesses sometime later

[PeakOiler]

@ jdmartin: Glad to read you saved your peaches. With proper care, your harvest will hopefully increase as the trees get older, and you'll be trying to figure out what to do with all of them!

[PeakOiler]

I picked the last peach of the season (168 g) today.
YTD (final): 2,021 peaches weighing 224 kg (494 lb).

Meanwhile, over a dozen limes are forming nicely, a few oranges, a few lemons, and one grapefruit. Satsuma, nil. The aphids really took a toll on the citrus production this year. I need to learn how to raise ladybugs. My battle with aphids has begun...

[PrestonSturges]

peaches will ripen some off the tree, and still be better than supermarket peaches.

[jdmartin]

OK, still haven't posted a picture (yeah, like anyone really wants to see 3 peaches :D ) but I will say this: my peaches were delicious! So juicy that the first bite spilled all over my shirt. Nice, meaty flesh but incredibly juicy. How I did it, I don't know, but I picked them at just the right time apparently.

Can't wait for next year....in the meantime, I've got a bunch of cantaloupe that'll keep me occupied...

[PeakOiler]

jdmartin, glad to read your peaches were awesome! Weather permitting, I'm sure your next harvests will be better as the trees get older. From this season's experience, you now know what they look and feel like when they're ready to pick.

I mentioned in the "Today I M/B/L" thread that I bought some ladybugs and a ladybug house in an attempt to help control the aphids on the citrus.

[jdmartin]

Next year I may try some citrus in the house...haven't quite worked out the logistics of that yet.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my 3 peaches

[PeakOiler]

Yesterday I harvested the first of about two dozen limes from one of two young potted trees this season. Great taste. I drank one small shot of tequila to celebrate the harvest with a quartered section of the lime.


I also like lime in iced and/or hot tea.

A few oranges, lemons, and one grapefruit are still forming. I expect them to be ready to harvest late this Fall.