Ep 267 - A Not-So-Peachy Gel Dilemma

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green.

Last week we spoke about sweet peas, a term of endearment, which seems like a fun way to start this week's chat.

Sweet pea has long been used affectionately for someone sweet or lovely, especially a child or loved one.

And then there's another garden variety term of endearment, calling someone a peach.

Peach became slang as an especially delightful or attractive person by the late 1800s, eventually giving us she's a real peach and peachy for something especially good or wonderful.

Funny how many of our affectionate names come from things we eat.

Honey, pumpkin, sweet pea, peach.

Maybe there's something instinctive about connecting those we love with sweetness and nourishment.

The volunteer coordinator for Karen Ann Quillen Hospice recently commented that a family member of a patient had described a fellow volunteer as a real peach.

It made me smile, and it made me wonder whether young people still use that expression.

Peaches themselves are fuzzy and tickly on the tongue, though I happen to like the skin or peel, most call it.

For those who don't, there's the fuzzless alternative, nectarines.

I had always associated nectarines with those pits that cling fiercely to the flesh, making them less cooperative for a bowl of cut fruit.

But I've since learned that it's not necessarily so.

Both peaches and nectarines come in clingstone, semi-freestone, and freestone varieties.

Freestones are, as the name suggests, much easier to separate from the pit.

For those interested in growing peaches at home, Rutgers lists several varieties suited for home orchards here in New Jersey, such as Red Haven, Coral Star, Red Kist, Madison, and Contender.

Red Haven is a longtime standard, while Contender is a productive freestone with very good flavor.

and you can check with your local Extension office for varieties that are relevant for your neck of the woods.

Several of these varieties also show low susceptibility to bacterial spot.

An important distinction between disease resistant doesn't mean resistant to every disease a peach tree may encounter.

Speaking of peaches, I'm working with a local client who has several fruit trees.

Many are planted in large barrels on the top of their deck, which we will be replacing with a natural stone patio.

I'm so excited about that, and they are as well.

Some of their fruit trees are reachables, an aptly named line of dwarf trees that produce full-sized fruit on smaller trees, making them easier to harvest without a long pole with a basket on the end.