What makes western Colorado’s peaches so good?
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BOULDER, Colo. — On a recent day at the Boulder Farmer's Market, peach fans lined up to buy end-of-season “seconds,” which are fruits with bad spots or blemishes, from Morton's Organic Orchards.
Western Colorado peaches, like the ones Morton's sells, will only be available for a couple more weeks. Peach season ends when freezing temperatures return.
Any given market day could be your last opportunity to score a fresh local peach.
While peaches from southern California, South Carolina, and Georgia are piled high at grocery stores around the country, Colorado's peaches are mostly distributed through farmer’s markets, fruit stands, and mail order businesses like the Colorado Peach Company. Among peach fans, they have a reputation for excellence.
“It’s really great agricultural land,” said Topp Fruits market manager Regan Gilmore. “It just makes really sweet fruits.”
KUNC recently sat down with Colorado State University horticulture specialist Jeff Pieper to learn more about the specific conditions that create western Colorado’s peaches.
According to Pieper, it all started more than 100 years ago. That's when farmers decided to divert Colorado River water to grow crops on arid land near the mouth of De Beque Canyon east of Grand Junction. Farmers used a complex irrigation system to convert sparse high-desert plots into verdant orchards.
Although the region was arid, it also had nutrient-rich soil and plentiful sunlight. River water was all it took to turn the area into an agricultural hub.
Today, Palisade, the town that sprung up at the edge of De Beque Canyon, is synonymous with Colorado peaches.
Hot days and cold nights: Perfect for peaches
According to Pieper, western Colorado peaches benefit from the region's relatively large temperature fluctuations between day and night. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Palisade dropped to 64 degrees Fahrenheit at night and climbed to 90 degrees during the day on average over the past month.
Pieper said that the warm temperatures help the fruit produce sugars, while cold temperatures break the sugars down into other compounds. The result is a flavor that mixes sweet and tart.
“There’s a really nice balance between sugar and acid profiles in our peaches,” he told KUNC.
Aridity means peach growers use less pesticides
Palisade’s climate comes with a second benefit. Unlike the muggy peach groves of the southeast U.S., dry desert air blowing through western Colorado. The low humidity, said Pieper, reduces insects and fungi. This, in turn, allows growers to use less pesticides and fungicides.
“We don’t have to spray as much,” Pieper explained. “Colorado is a real sweet spot.”
Market fresh peaches ripen on the tree
A big part of what makes Colorado’s peaches so good is that they’re fresh. While most fruit sold in commercial grocery stores changes hands multiple times and is shipped long distances, Colorado peaches are generally available to customers within days of being picked.
Pieper said that this distribution model allows growers to leave the fruit on the tree for a longer time before picking. Many vendors advertise this as “tree ripening.”
“Our growers tend to be able to allow the fruit to hang on the tree a little bit longer, which increases the flavor profile. It also means less time in the cooler,” said Pieper. “The longer a peach sits in the fridge, the more likely it is to undergo cold storage damage.”
Peach evangelists like Pieper make a compelling argument that western Colorado has the best peaches in America. If the lines at the Boulder Farmers Market are any indication, he may be right.
However, as summer winds down and temperatures fall, the end of peach season is near. Until next summer, Coloradans will have to make do with grocery store peaches and, if they’ve planned accordingly, a few jars of the good stuff.