That sweet, juicy bite of the first peach of the summer is one of life’s great, simple pleasures. It confirms the happy start of long, sunny days and the easy enjoyment of living more lightly and brightly over the coming months. From October onwards, South Africa is fortunate to harvest a bounty of delicious stone fruit, and the most popular among them are the fresh peaches, nectarines and plums. These are quintessential scents and flavours of summer; for many of us evoking memories of past, carefree days, when we would scale a backyard peach tree to reach for the juicy, sun-warmed fruit.
Today, locally-produced stone fruit is far more accessible in many more varieties and are an everyday part of South Africans’ healthy lifestyles. Not only delicious, but incredibly versatile, peaches, nectarines and plums add fantastic nutritional value to our family diet. Ideal as a convenient, healthy whole-food snack, stone fruit can also be included at any meal-time by adding fruity flavours to breakfast smoothies or granola bowls, enhancing salads or wraps for lunch, and roasted or grilled as signature ingredients in tasty meat, poultry and vegetable dinner dishes. Of course, there’s also no limit to including peaches, nectarines and plums in mouth-watering desserts, cakes, muffins, pies and cobblers; ice-lollies, sorbets and ice-creams; jams and preserves, sauces and toppings as well as iced teas and cocktails. These are giving fruit in so many ways.
Ranging from yellow to yellow-orange and blushed- to deep-red; and in the case of plums from yellow through to red and sumptuous purple, the abundance of South African peaches, nectarines and plums over the next six months will help your family to ‘eat a rainbow’ of fresh fruit daily. Stone fruit, each with smooth flesh packed artistically around a single pit, are low calorie, low GI and a good source of dietary fibre. They are widely regarded as safe fruit for people with Type 2 diabetes, because eaten in moderation they do not cause blood sugar spikes. Perhaps, best of all, they provide a unique fruity punch of health-protective nutrients including potassium and antioxidants such as Vitamins C, A, E, K and niacin (Vitamin B-3). Renowned for their thirst-quenching deliciousness, for active families planning summer hikes, cycles and other outdoor activities, refreshing stone fruit is perfect to sustain during, or replenish after exercising.
