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harvestmann

Comparing 2 early white peaches

alan haigh
10 years ago

For me to get high quality early white peaches on my site I need about 2 weeks of sunny hot weather leading into ripening. This year I've had 3 weeks of that after excessive rain mid-May to mid-June. Perfect timing, really, and a rare blessing here from the weather gods.

Manon is a recently released variety that I pay a $2 royalty on for each tree. The fruit is dark read and the flesh is firm with plenty of red running into its white flesh from the skin. I'm sure it ships well, as, like most of the new selections, it develops lots of sugar while still quite firm.

For people in love with corn fructose infused snacks it must be a perfect fruit, similar to a couple of the Zaiger selections, such as White Lady, but with remarkably solid red skin. It has no detectible acid with that sweet.

Earli-red-fre has been around quite a while, and for me, is a far superior peach to Manon for eating. It needs to get a bit soft on the tree, but the fruit has a nice acid-sugar balance, the peaches are amazingly large, extremely juicy with fibrous flesh.

Generally I prefer yellow fleshed peaches, but ERF fits my bill as a worthwhile white.

Comments (8)

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago

    Earli-red-fre sounds good! I recently secured Old Mixon Free to be delivered April 2014. so i have 2 whites now. That's probably enough! The other is Indian Free. I would like to add another yellow, but room is at a premium. I was thinking of making an espalier fan with Mixon, as again room is a problem. I don't have to decide yet.
    It will lower the yield, but I have 2 other peach trees already. It's been a good year for me in berries. A constant daily harvest. My strawberries are still producing too, even June bearing. Fall crop raspberries are right around the corner, and the summer crop just ended. So harvest should continue till November.

  • eboone_gw
    10 years ago

    Harvestman-thanks for posting your taste report! I had been considering Manon as a new peach to add, but I like the more complete peach taste; the sub-acids are ok but not as good. Do you have any knowledge of the new white Rutgers release July Rose? I am replacing my old Raritan Rose tree, and that new variety would fit my need season-wise, if the flavor was more like the older Raritan Rose. Unfortunately, the ACN web catalog does not say if it is sub-acid.

  • fireduck
    10 years ago

    H...I sadly have decided to axe my peaches...I axed 3 today. I am getting older by the minute...and need to thin the herd. Peaches (for me) took quite a bit of care compared to others. I had a Babcock (white) at my old house that was as sweet as sugar. I remember if you looked at it sideways, however...it would bruise. my "Pride's" all did OK here...albeit with oozing sap, leaf curl, thinning issues, and of course birds.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    eboone, what was it's number before they named it?- I probably grow it. I haven't been impressed with any of the whites coming out of Rutgers that I've tasted and actually prefer Rariton Rose to any of theirs that I've tried. Beautiful and easy to grow peach with decent flavor.

    I have one of there whitish donuts almost ripe now that I've yet to taste but it looks like it will be very good.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago

    "For people in love with corn fructose infused snacks it must be a perfect fruit"

    Rofl! That line is classic!

  • eboone_gw
    10 years ago

    Harvestman - I have an email sent off to ACN to ask what number that variety was tested as. They also have a "Scarlet Rose" offered in the same season, and I am asking about that one also.

    I was hoping that since they have the 'Rose' part of the name, they may be similar to or related in some way to the Raritan Rose released also by Rutgers many decades ago.

    Ed

  • eboone_gw
    10 years ago

    Fast response from Adams County Nursery (they seem very responsive to questions)
    There are 3 of these new "Rose" series white peaches. Here is the response to my questions:

    "No, they are not considered sub-acid. They actually came out of the same breeding program as Raritan Rose (we decided to continue the theme with the names). They were named very recently, but IâÂÂm not sure youâÂÂll find too much online with the test numbers either.

    H4-44 Scarlet Rose
    D88-147 July Rose
    D101-155 August Rose

    Let us know if you need anything else!"

    Do any of those test numbers sound familiar? I think I am going to order either the Scarlet Rose or July Rose (and graft from my old Raritan Rose to existing trees if I can)

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No, I haven't tried any of the rose series, and I'm surprised I haven't. I like a lot of the products of their program.