Buying fresh peaches and nectarines

I bought some reduced price nectarines the other day and poached them. The juice that came out is a very pretty pink. I hope they taste as good as they look - it’s tomorrow’s pudding.

Isle of Wight brand tomatoes are good, you can get them in M&S and some other stores. I had a tomato salad tonight made with halved IoW cherry tomatoes, red, yellow, green, orange and ‘black’ ones.

I agree that lots of fruit and veg don’t taste as they used to. I’m also a Maid of Kent and remember the fabulous cherries that we ate until they were coming out of our ears.

We've had lovely nectarines from Tesco recently, and apricots too. Sounds as if we've just been lucky!

It's probably not your taste buds at all Magenta8, I think it's the way they mass produce fruit and the quality just doesn't cut it.
The best peaches I ever tasted were on holiday in Spain, they'd been grown locally, they were huge, juicy and delicious

Soft fruit are usually picked while unripe, and these days newer varieties are bred for shipping hardiness. Also the newer varieties of peaches have much less fuzz. It means the flavour is not a priority, which is so sad. There's nothing like a fresh juicy peach.

I always smell peaches before purchasing. If I can't smell them, then I don't buy.

I find nectarines and peaches are best from the local Turkish shop. Their tomatoes are good as well.

I got peaches from M&S the other week to make a peach, prosciutto and burrata salad and they were actually pretty good. I tend not to buy supermarket peaches because I'm usually disappointed by them, but these were nice. However, the best peaches I've ever had were years ago in Turkey, where our apartment had a peach tree which hung over the balcony - you could pick and eat them right off the branches and they were the most delicious, juicy peaches I've ever eaten.

sassenach512

Yes I've been so disappointed with summer fruits so far. I've bought nectarines from Aldi and Morrisons and they've not been very sweet at all, small and take days to soften. Strawberries haven't been great either. I read that if the strawberry has white below the stalk, it's been picked too soon. A lot of honeydew melons I've bought have been pretty tasteless too. I don't know what's happening to fruit these days, maybe I'll look for small shops and markets and see if there's a difference

I have had several similar experiences sassenach512:. I was beginning to wonder if my tastebuds were wearing out. My local greengrocer's fruit is no better.

MissAdventure

I bought some beatiful tomatoes in lidl last week.
They're still really fresh, and they've got the tomato smell.
I think they were cslled Valentinos.

Will look for those. X

I bought some beatiful tomatoes in lidl last week.
They're still really fresh, and they've got the tomato smell.
I think they were cslled Valentinos.

I also love peaches and nectarines and am constantly disappointed, they are usually rock hard and tasteless. The flat peaches are a bit better so tend to only buy those atm. I have the same trouble with tomatoes, most are tasteless unless I buy them from a once weekly market near us from a particular stall. Supermarket toms are the worst, they don’t even smell like tomatoes.

Bazza there is a PYO cherry field almost opposite my house. The cherries are just starting to come into season and are always absolutely delicious. Sadly most of the cherries in the supermarkets are not English, I won't buy them .

When people are moving to the countryside & making candles/ soap / setting up microbreweries, I wish they would plant a couple of apple, cherry or plum trees (manageable to pick without help) & bring the fruit to market with their "craft" produce.
Our climate's so good for growing these and yet we import most & they don't taste the same.

Yes I've been so disappointed with summer fruits so far. I've bought nectarines from Aldi and Morrisons and they've not been very sweet at all, small and take days to soften. Strawberries haven't been great either. I read that if the strawberry has white below the stalk, it's been picked too soon. A lot of honeydew melons I've bought have been pretty tasteless too. I don't know what's happening to fruit these days, maybe I'll look for small shops and markets and see if there's a difference

Thanks for all your postings, it seems to be luck of the draw. We’ve also been a bit disappointed with cherries, another favourite. Has flavour been bred out of fruit in favour of yield or is it my ancient taste buds? Roses don’t even often smell like they used to.

The last nectarines I bought, from the local greengrocer, went from hard as any iron to definitely squishy and off, without passing ripe and edible.

Talking of fruit, we had some fantastic, luscious, fat black U.K. cherries from (I think) M&S the other day.

M&S/Waitrose are IMO best for ripe peaches and nectarines. But you might have to leave even those for a day or two. But they won’t be bullets that wither before they’re even ripe - if they ever are.

That's what I had for lunch today "SynchroSwimmer". I bought some nectarines from Aldi and ripened on a sunny window ledge. Chopped up with prosciutto, salad and my home made spicy labneh, they were absolutely delish! I added a home made honey and mustard dressing with lots of lemon zest but I've had it with just lemon juice and some salt and it was still lovely.

I’ve found the best, ripe and juiciest in small independent fruit and veg high street shops.

My favourite meal at this time of year is just nectarines/peaches with sliced ham or prosciutto and back pepper

The 24 have been over several days not all in one go.

I have eaten 24 nectarines from Waitrose and they have all been wonderful. Juicy and ripe. In fact shortly I will eat another.
I can't wait for Victoria plum season. I am a Kent girl and can eat my own weight in Victoria plums. Or the Marjorie ones at a pinch.
I used to love cherries from Kent of course, but am always disappointed now.

Yes you’re very lucky! What a bargain!

I bought some nectarines on the market on Saturday and they were delicious. 5 for £2. Peaches were 4 for £2. I am lucky to have a market twice a week.

Yes I have tried the flat ones, perhaps they’re a little better but still not how I remember them. I think that they’re just picked too early and unripe and then viciously chilled for transit to us lucky Brits. However I do understand that they’re very fragile. The best I ever had was in Sorrento but as TerriBull said, a long way to go for a peach, but I wouldn’t t mind…

I usually buy the ripe and ready nectarines from M&S and they have been really good. I don’t mind them when they go a bit wrinkly, they’re usually very juicy then!