NATIONAL PEACH MONTH- AUG

National Peach Month is in August each year, and it is difficult to imagine summertime without this juicy summer fruit. Peach season begins in June and lasts until the end of August, and they say that August is when peaches are at their peak. The peach is a symbol of youth and immortality, as well as fertility and union (in Chinese culture); therefore many Chinese brides carry peach blossoms on their wedding days. Peach also makes a great wedding decor color scheme for brides the world over. Overall, the peach holds a special significance in Chinese culture, and the only true wild peaches can be found there, which are sour, smaller in size, and very fuzzy. There are over 700 varieties of peaches in the world today, including nectarines, which are a variant of peaches and not a cross between peaches and plums. Peaches and nectarines only differ in their skin texture — peaches are velvety, while nectarines are smooth. The fruit is classified as a drupe, which means it has a hard stone in the center, and there are two kinds of peaches — clingstone and freestone. The names themselves give you an accurate idea of how to differentiate between the two — either way, they make our lives peachier.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL PEACH MONTH

Let peach be your theme, and may your days be just peachy as you gear up to celebrate National Peach Month this August. The tradition dates back to June 16, 1982, when President Ronald Reagan declared that August would officially be National Peach Month for health and nutritional reasons, no less, which we highly appreciate. Peaches are a rich source of Vitamin A and C and great for the gut too, so it makes perfect sense that President Reagan wanted them to be included in the American diet by promoting peaches through programs and activities all through the month; for there is much to celebrate in a month dedicated to peaches and all that is associated with them. Within this month itself, one can celebrate Eat a Peach Day on August 22 and National Peach Pie Day on August 24, and who doesn’t love a good food holiday? But before you reach for a slice of peach pie or sink your teeth into the fleshy goodness of the fruit itself, take a minute to learn something new about this mouth-watering fuzzy fruit.

The history of the peach can be traced all the way back to ancient China, in 6000 B.C. in the Zhejiang Province. Initially discovered in its wild form, the Chinese domesticated the fruit, and it became a luxury food, eaten by the emperors and served in royal circles only. Somehow, the Persians then got a hold of it, and it spread to the Persian Empire, with the Romans terming it as the Persian Apple. Thanks to Alexander the Great, Europe then got a taste of this fleshy fruit and by the 1500s, so did America, as Spanish explorers like Christopher Columbus introduced the fruit on American shores.

Today, China is actually the biggest producer of peaches globally (58%), with Italy following a close second. As for America, peaches are actually the third most popular fruit grown in the nation, and the U.S. supplies about a quarter of the world’s total supply of fresh peaches.

NATIONAL PEACH MONTH TIMELINE

6000 B.C.China Cultivates Peaches

The first domesticated cultivars of wild peaches are cultivated in China’s Zhejiang Province.

1500s Peaches Reach American Shores

Thanks to Spanish explorers, this juicy fruit lands on American soil and begins to take root.

1600s The First Peach Tree Planted in Georgia

The first peach tree is planted in Georgia, quickly earning it the nickname ‘The Peach State’ of America.

1900s The Peach Industry Booms in the U.S.

The commercial peach industry in America begins to accelerate in earnest as new varieties of peaches are created.