Storing, Handling and Temperature

MERCHANDISING, STORAGE AND HANDLING OF NEW JERSEY PEACHES 
                           by 
       Dan Ward PhD, Specialist in Pomology, Rutgers NJAES, Cooperative Extension

Tips for Ripening and Handling Peaches

• Minimize Handling and Stacking
• Market fruit as soon as possible
• Market ripest fruit first
• Ripe New Jersey peaches do not need to be preconditioned and will generally not get wooly or mealy
• Peach flesh firmness
  • Ready to eat - two to three pounds
  • Ready to display: six to eight pounds
  • Ready to pick: ten to sixteen pounds
• At 68F (20C) peaches lose about two pounds of firmness per day