13 Fun Facts About Peaches

1. The ancient Chinese considered peach a symbol of longevity and immortality.
2. These "Persian apples" actually had their beginning in China, but were developed in Persia and went from there to Europe and then to America with the colonists.
3. The nectarine and the peach are so similar that there is only one gene that separates the two to make them distinct. The nectarine has one recessive gene- the one with the fuzz.
4. There are over 200 varieties of peaches. Cling or clingstone peaches have a pit to which the flesh ‘clings’; freestone peaches have a pit from which the flesh is easily pulled away.
5. The peach blossom is Delaware’s official state flower. Johnston, South Carolina is known as the ‘Peach Capital of the World’.
6. “You’re a real peach” originated from the tradition of giving a peaches to your loved friends.
7. Peaches were mentioned as early as 79 A.D. in literature.
8. Most peaches are cultivated by grafting different combinations of rootstocks to scions.
9. There are over 700 varieties of peaches. Some Chinese varieties even resemble the flat hockey pucks!
10. 1565 is the foundation year of the first peach orchard in Florida.
11. “Free-stone” peach just refers to how the flesh of the peach separates from the pit.
12. Peaches are sometimes referred to as “stone” fruit due to their pits.
13. Peaches do not gain flavor with cooking.