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cjgw

Where can I buy nectarines that are ACTUALLY ripe? (East SF Bay, CA)

cjgw
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

This is a serious question. This goes for stone fruit in general, but I'm specifically looking for yellow nectarines. The stuff at the supermarket is always rock hard and scentless and will never have any flavor no matter what I try to do to "ripen" it. People always say farmers markets are where you find good quality, ripe fruit but my experience there has not been much better than at the supermarket. The samples usually taste pretty bland or at best tart (nectarines should at least have some sweetness, right?). Often times, the sample slices are totally unripe and as crisp as apples.

I go to inspect the fruit they're selling and it's almost all rock hard as well with no scent to it. I've been going to numerous farmers markets in the East Bay every week and I can maybe recall only 1 or 2 yellow nectarines that actually smelled like fruit. This is not a good sign! This must mean they're purposely picking it unripe because they're traveling a good distance to get there, right? Or maybe it's for some other reason I don't know about. But the fruit is never ripe, even at farmer's markets. Cheaper regular stuff or expensive organic, it doesn't matter. It's all the same unripe junk. They tell me I just need to let it sit and ripen for a couple days but I know from experience that doesn't work.

So where can I go to buy ripe yellow nectarines? Do I really need to travel 50 miles to Brentwood for U-Pick? I'm concerned that there will be nothing ripe to pick on the trees there either and I'll just be wasting gas money. What the heck is going on? Is truly ripe and flavorful fruit a myth?

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