The five and five on peaches and nectarines

January is the height of stone fruit season, and we have an abundance of large, juicy peaches and nectarines in store now. They won’t last forever and the season will draw to a close in late February – so now’s the time to make the most of them! Here are five things you need to know about peaches and nectarines, and five delicious ways to use them.

Five things to know about peaches and nectarines:

Peaches are the ones with the fuzzy skin. They are genetically identical to nectarines except for the gene that dictates skin texture, giving nectarines their smooth, shiny skin and peaches their characteristic soft fuzz.
They both come in white and yellow-flesh varieties. The white varieties tend to be sweeter due to lower acidity levels, and floral scent.
Both peaches and nectarines come in clingstone and freestone varieties. As the name suggests, clingstones hold on to their stone and tend to be firmer, whereas the flesh comes away more easily with freestones.
Peaches are more delicate than nectarines due to their softer skin and don’t store as well as nectarines – so eat them soon after you buy them.
Nectarines contain slightly higher levels of vitamin C than peaches and twice the vitamin A.

Five ways to use peaches and nectarines

Embrace the season and use these delicious fruits any way you can. Here are some ideas:

1. Make jam or chutney

This is a great way to use up excess fruit and allow you to recall the tastes of summer well into the colder months.

Fresh Peach Chutney

Nectarine Jam

2. Make a salad

Nectarines and peaches make a surprisingly good addition to fresh summer salads and pair famously well with prosciutto and bitey cheeses like feta and parmesan. Lightly grill them before adding them to a salad.

Grilled Peach, Blueberry and Feta Salad

Prosciutto, Peach and Lettuce Salad

3. Make a salsa

A salsa made with peaches and nectarines gives a fresh burst of flavour to any fillet of fish.

Spice-rubbed Salmon Peach Salsa

4. Make a dessert

Peaches and nectarines come into their own in desserts and pair very well with cream, yoghurt, dessert wine, icecream, vanilla and honey in these refreshing summer desserts.

Nectarine Granita with Blueberries

Moscato-poached Nectarines with Vanilla Icecream

Grilled Summer Fruit Pavlova with Coconut Cream

Grilled Fruit with Honey Labneh and Pistachio Dukkah