Highly instructive! Too bad it's winter right now.

How to pick a peach
The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

by Russ Parsons

Reading this makes me want to get a copy of How to Read a French Fry.  It was fun and incredibly instructive. Even want to know whether the "new" potatoes at the farmer's market were secretly bought at the grocery store? Even want to know which fruits need to be picked dead ripe and which are better ripened on the kitchen counter?  Is the best tasting peach the one with a reddish blush?

Maturity is another matter entirely. Although peaches and nectarines do soften and become juicier and more aromatic after harvest, they don't get any sweeter. That requires picking the fruit at the highest possible maturity....The best hint is the color of the fruit. That doesn't mean picking the peach that is the reddest--remember that blush is a genetic variation that has nothing to do with either ripeness or maturity. Instead, it means paying attention to the quality of the background color of the fruit. ...Peaches and nectarines that have the most sugar and are the most mature have a background color (yellow) with a golden, almost orange cast. When you see a piece of fruit like this, pick it no matter what the variety is.

I'm assuming he did the research and really knew what he was talking about. But enough of his information gibes with what I already knew, from observation or research, that I trust it.  I only wish he'd write a companion volume that deals with imported fruit, like the papaya or the Korean plum.

If you're thinking to buy this book, note that it includes a few recipes fro each fruit category. I haven't tried any of them, and oddly, I didn't feel the desire to try any of them.  They were either too cheffy or they included meat or cheese that wouldn't have been easy to omit. I might try Garlicky Braised Cauliflower with Capers or Plum Cornbread Buckle.

Other than that, the real value of this book would be if the "how to choose" sections were pulled out into a quick-reference guide. If I ever do that, I'll post it here. Wonder if I'd need to get permission from the author? Yes, of course.