General Information
Peaches are believed to be native to China. They are cultivated throughout warm temperate and subtropical regions of the world. In the peach fruit, the stone is covered with a fleshy substance that is juicy, melting, and of fine flavor when matured and mellowed.
The popular division of fruit varieties into clingstones and freestones-referring to the relative tendency of the flesh to cling to the stone is by no means accurate. These two classes merge in different varieties, and even the same variety may be freestone and clingstone in different seasons. The nearly 300 varieties of peaches grown in America have been classified into five races, each with outstanding characteristics, ripening season, and uses. The nectarine is a variety of peach.
The principal peach-growing state is California. World production totaled about 5.5 million metric tons annually; the United States and Italy were the leading producers.
History
All peaches are native to China, where the only wild peaches still grow today. Documentation of the first cultivated peach was recorded in Chinese manuscripts as early as the 10th Century BC. Peaches were then brought via the Silk Road to the Fertile Crescent, which is now modern day Iran. The emergence of White peach varieties in the global market is a response to consumer demand for low-acid white-fleshed fruit, which has been favored for centuries in Asia. White peach tree cultivation now exists in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres which experience opposite summers and winters allowing for year round availability. Regions and seasons also determine peach production. White peach trees require wet winters for optimal bud production and hot dry summers for prolific, quality fruit. White peaches will not flourish in Oceanic climates.
