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s p r i n g / s u m m e r 2 0 1 6 | 3 5 Along with peaches, our other favorite stone fruits-cherries, apricots, plums and their hybrids-lure us into summer with their sensual sugary sweetness. All these fruits are classi- fied in the genus Prunus. While almonds may seem like a very distant relative, they're not; they're also in the genus Prunus. Because of their corrugated pits, peaches and almonds are classified together in the subgenus amygdalus. If that word looks familiar, it may be because of the almond-shaped and -sized structures in the human brain called the amygdalae—we have two of them—that generate our emotional responses to stimuli like danger, food, sexual attraction and so on. e word comes from the Greek word for almond: amygdale. Peach season starts with the earli- est varieties in mid-June and con- tinues well into September, but here's a word of caution: Don't even think about buying the first peaches that show up in the stores. ey tend to be tasteless, not very sweet and impossible to ripen on a windowsill, with flesh that clings to the stone. Wait until the freestone peaches arrive in July and August. You can easily pull out the stones, and they tend to be juicy and sweet, perfect for desserts like cobblers, peach pie, peach sorbet and—swoon—peach Melba. It's too bad that so few stores sell peaches by variety name. New varieties are being introduced all the time, because peach trees are not long-lived. ey last only ten to 20 years, or less if they de- velop an illness called peach tree short life disease. ere are some varieties of superior quality that have stood the test of time: Arctic Supreme, O'Henry and Red Haven. All are freestone and ravish- ingly delicious. Seek them out if you can. While your supermarket may not sell them by name, usually growers at farmers markets or roadside stands know exactly which peaches they are growing. at's how you can tell a real grower from a vendor—vendors usu- ally won't know the variety they're selling. e best way to find the good peaches is to look for a pick-your- own orchard in your vicinity. Talk to the owner about where the tree-ripened peaches are. When peaches are actually tree-ripened, they don't ship well, bruise easily and soon develop brown rots. So only pick what you can eat fresh or put up within a day or two. e best way to store peaches is to blanch them for a minute in boiling water, remove the skins, and cut slices into a bowl with wa- ter, lemon juice and honey. en fill small freezer bags with fruit and liquid, excluding any air, and freeze. aw gently when using. And look for white peaches so you can make Bellinis to sip while you put up peaches for the wintertime. Combine one ounce of white peach juice, wrung out of puréed peach flesh in a triple- layer cheesecloth bag, one teaspoon of simple syrup, and four ounces of ice cold Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine). If you were around 75 years ago, you might have seen Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Welles knocking back Bellinis at Harry's Bar in Venice. Interestingly, folks in Asian countries tend to prefer low-acid white-fleshed peaches for fresh eating, while Europeans and North Americans like more acidic yellow peaches. Nectarines, though they are peaches, have a slightly different flavor from the fuzzy kinds. If you prefer nectarines, look for a variety called Snow Queen—it's the best. You might want to try one of the blood-red-fleshed varieties, too. In France, the variety is known as Pêche de Vigne; in California, it's called Indian Peach. It's a mid-season cling type with very tart-sweet red flesh. It's easy to tell when a peach is ripe. Just use your thumb to gently press on the rounded flesh surrounding the stem end. If it has some "give," the peach is ready to eat. Along with peaches, our other favorite stone fruits-cherries, apricots, plums and their hybrids-lure us into summer with their sensual sugary sweetness. All these fruits are classi- . While almonds may seem like a very distant relative, they're not; they're also in the . Because of their corrugated pits, peaches and almonds are classified about buying the first peaches that show up in the stores. ey tend to be tasteless, not very sweet and impossible to ripen on a windowsill, with flesh that clings to the stone. Wait until the freestone peaches arrive in July and August. You can easily pull out the stones, and they tend to be juicy and sweet, perfect for desserts like cobblers, peach pie, ■cr