Why are Peaches Softer than Nectarines?

Question:
Why are peaches softer than nectarines?


Answer:
Is this a trick question? We did say we'd answer anything, though, so we're glad you asked!


We were going to say that comparing nectarines to peaches is like comparing apples to oranges. But to our great surprise, it's not. Beyond the whole citrus versus non-citrus thing making apples and oranges a good contrasting metaphor, peaches and nectarines are almost the same thing. The difference is in a recessive gene that gives a peach the fuzz and the nectarine the smooth shaved feel.


Like most fruit, peaches and nectarines have several different varieties, some of which are softer or firmer than others. Different varieties have fruit that clings to the pit and others have fruit that is free of the pit, which is called freestone. The varieties that are freestone tend to be softer than the cling varieties.


Most of us get our fruit from the grocery store, and more grocery stores carry freestone peaches which tend to be softer than the cling peaches. Nectarines are more prone to blight and other crop hazards, and the cling varieties tend to be most hearty, so that's what the grocery stores tend to carry, hence the impression that peaches are softer than nectarines.


Something we found during our extensive and intensive research is that once the fruit is picked it no longer ripens. It's actually getting softer because the flesh is breaking down (ie- it is rotting). Keeping the fruit in the refrigerator will slow down this process.

Peach

Nectarine

(Images courtesy of Photobucket.com)