Which state leads in peaches? 🍑

Peaches came to California early. The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom says Spanish padres (priests) found that cling peaches thrived along the mission trail, and the fruit became well established during the Gold Rush, when settlers began growing and preserving peaches to sell to miners. They are called cling peaches because the flesh of the fruit “clings” to the pit. Today California grows nearly all of the commercial cling peaches in the United States, and most cling peaches are sold canned: at the cannery they are pitted, peeled and sliced, and the fresh fruit is generally processed within a day.

Who says so: California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (fact sheet compiled by the California Cling Peach Board)↗ (opens in a new tab)

Here is the surprise: a peach tree needs a cold winter. The University of California's pest-management program explains that fruit trees need freezing or close-to-freezing temperatures in winter, and it measures that cold in chilling hours, the number of hours below 45°F. Too little chill, and the leaves come out late and the fruit develops unevenly. Peaches also bloom early, so late frosts can hurt the flowers, and summer has to be hot enough to ripen the fruit. Cool, wet climates are not usually good for high-quality peaches.

Who says so: University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC Agriculture and Natural Resources)↗ (opens in a new tab)