A good peach should be fragrant and juicy, with enough give in the flesh to eat comfortably. A hard supermarket peach might need a couple of days to reach that point. Leave a ripe peach in a hot fruit bowl, though, and it can become bruised, leaking and unpleasant surprisingly quickly.
The important distinction is between peaches still ripening and peaches that are ready to eat. Unripe fruit can finish ripening at room temperature. Ripe fruit normally benefits from prompt refrigeration, especially if you can't eat it immediately.
Check ripeness without squeezing hard
A peach that is ready to eat generally has a pleasant aroma and yields slightly when pressed gently near the stem. Colour depends on variety, and red blush alone isn't a dependable ripeness test.
Avoid pressing the flesh repeatedly with a thumb. You can leave bruises that develop after the fruit is put away.
If the peach feels very hard and has little aroma, it may need more time. If it is leaking or smells fermented, it may be past its best.
Keep firm peaches at room temperature
Place firm unripe peaches in a shallow fruit bowl away from direct sun and intense heat. Check them daily.
A warm but not hot room may help them ripen naturally. Don't use a radiator or oven shelf to speed things up; extreme heat damages fruit.
Spread them so they aren't pressing heavily against one another. A stack of peaches becomes bruised as the lower layer supports the rest.
A paper bag can concentrate ripening gas
Peaches produce ethylene, a natural plant hormone involved in ripening. A loosely closed paper bag can trap some ethylene around firm fruit and sometimes speed ripening.
Inspect frequently, especially in warm weather. A bag is not a guarantee of evenly ripe fruit, and neglected peaches can become overripe.
Don't seal them in a wet plastic bag on a sunny windowsill. That creates a hot, moist environment rather than good ripening conditions.
Separate bruised fruit
A peach with a small surface bruise may still be useful if handled promptly and the flesh is otherwise sound.
Fruit with spreading rot, mould or leaking spoiled sections should be discarded. Remove it from the others to stop juice wetting their skins.
If you bought a tray, check the bottom where soft fruit may be hidden beneath a cardboard insert.
Refrigerate ripe peaches
Once peaches reach the texture and flavour you want, move them into the refrigerator if you won't eat them soon.
University of California postharvest guidance explains how temperature affects peach quality. Too much time under unsuitable chilling conditions can also damage texture, so refrigeration isn't a way to keep fruit indefinitely.
Use a produce drawer or suitable container and keep the peaches protected from heavier items.
Let chilled peaches warm slightly before eating
A ripe peach straight from the fridge can taste less aromatic than one served at a comfortable room temperature.
Take out the portion you intend to eat a short while before serving. Avoid leaving a whole bag in a hot room all afternoon.
Wash before cutting or eating, following produce-handling advice. Don't use soap or detergent on the skin.
Should you wash peaches before storing them?
Unless the package tells you otherwise, wash them just before use. Storing wet peaches in a closed bag can encourage deterioration.
If the fruit arrived wet, dry the outside carefully and inspect for damage.
Even if you're going to peel the peach, rinse first. A knife can carry surface dirt through the skin onto the flesh.
Avoid overcrowding the fridge drawer
Ripe peaches bruise easily when pushed beneath heavier produce. Arrange them in a shallow layer if you can.
Keep raw meat and its juices securely below ready-to-eat fruit. Cross-contamination is a separate risk from bruising.
Don't place peaches beside a freezer vent where they might become excessively cold or freeze partly.
What if peaches never soften?
Some fruit was picked too immature to develop the flavour and texture you expected. A paper bag can't replace the time a peach needed on the tree.
Other peaches may have suffered cold-storage damage and develop a mealy or woolly texture rather than becoming pleasantly juicy.
For cooking, firm fruit may still work in a suitable baked dish, but don't leave it on the counter indefinitely waiting for a miracle.
Brown spots inside
A peach may have bruised internal flesh or browning associated with storage conditions. Cut it open and inspect before serving.
A small ordinary bruise in otherwise sound fruit may be trimmed for prompt cooking, but widespread soft rot or off odours mean discard it.
If several peaches from the same batch have an abnormal texture, the problem may have arisen before you bought them.
Cut peaches need cold storage
Once cut, peaches have exposed moist flesh. Cover and refrigerate pieces promptly if they aren't eaten immediately.
Cut surfaces can turn brown through oxidation. A little lemon juice may slow browning in some recipes, but it doesn't replace refrigeration.
If making fruit salad with yoghurt or cream, follow the storage requirements of the most perishable ingredient.
Keep the stone until preparation
Whole peaches are usually easier to store than peeled slices. Don't cut the entire bag in advance unless you have a recipe or preservation plan.
Freestone and clingstone varieties differ in how easily the stone separates from the flesh. Use a stable board and sharp suitable knife.
Don't force a slippery knife towards your hand while trying to release a stubborn pit.
Make use of overripe but sound peaches
Very soft sound fruit can be useful for a cooked compote, smoothie or purée. Use it promptly before spoilage sets in.
If you won't have time to cook it, a suitable freezer method can preserve ripe peaches for later baking.
Start with sound fruit. Freezing won't reverse mould or rot.
Freezing a surplus
The National Center for Home Food Preservation provides tested methods for preparing and freezing peaches, including anti-browning treatments and suitable packs.
Peel and stone as directed, prepare useful portions and use proper freezer packaging. The thawed texture will be much softer than fresh.
For a smoothie, that usually isn't a problem. For attractive slices on a fresh tart, use fresh peaches instead.
How to stop buying too many
If peaches repeatedly spoil before you get through them, buy different stages of ripeness or purchase fewer at once.
Use ripe ones first, then move firm fruit into your daily rotation as it softens.
Storage improves the time you have, but doesn't turn a very perishable summer fruit into a winter storage crop.
The everyday plan
Leave firm peaches to ripen gently in a shallow bowl, checking daily. Refrigerate them when they are ripe and wash only before serving.
Keep them protected from crushing, and freeze surplus sound fruit if you won't use it in time.