Ripe mellow peaches are incomparable both for health and palatability.
They are equally good both for grown people and children, though one
writer says “the ripe mellow peach is really the child’s fruit.”
A friend fold me that an old Indian came to the house when her little
brother was lying at the point of death, and said, “peach juice will
keep him alive.” The mother, anxious to leave nothing untried, began
giving him the juice of stewed peaches, from which time he began to
retain his food (the mother’s milk) and to improve in every way. When
he came to be weaned, peach juice and gradually the soft halves of
peaches were his sole diet for eight months; then other foods were
introduced sparingly, but all his life peaches have formed a large part
of his diet and he is an unusually well man.
Wash and carefully rub peaches in cold water, and rub them well with a
soft cloth in wiping to remove the down, which is irritating.
Peaches should ripen on the trees; the shipped ones are often suitable
for cooking only as they are gathered before they are ripe. Some
varieties are sour and disagreeable, while others are sweet and
luscious.
Few people know how exceedingly delightful rich juicy white peaches are.