Varieties

The early harvest of Colorado peaches has started. Above is a picture of organic Regina peaches from Palisade, Colorado. In my humble opinion, Palisade is the peach capital of the world. Early season peaches are good but I prefer late season peaches like J.H. Hales and Alberta. I think they are sweeter.

Last year I was in Palisade during the late harvest picking up a couple boxes of J.H. Hales for canning. When talking to one of the local growers I discovered they are now creating different varieties of peaches for their looks rather than their taste. "Why would anyone want to do that," I asked. He handed me a pretty ugly peach and told me to taste it. It was without a doubt the juiciest, best tasting peach I have ever had. He also told me they were ripping the trees that produced that particular type of peach out of the orchard to plant a better looking variety. When I told him I thought that was a big mistake he laughed. Then he got serious and said, "Ralph, when it comes to peaches people tend to buy with their eyes." He explained that a lot of people, mainly from large towns and cities, buy peaches and produce based on how it looks rather than taste.

Every time I drive through Palisade, it serves as a reminder that we should judge people, projects, and other things in life on their substance not their appearance.