Harvest has begun here in California peach country, and if you haven’t seen the fruit in your area yet, you will soon! As the season begins, here’s a quick refresher course on how to get the most out of your peaches.

When selecting, look for an even background color (golden yellow for yellow peaches, creamy yellow for white peaches) with no green around the stem and a fragrant aroma. The red blush on peaches is beautiful, but it isn’t an indicator of ripeness. Also take notice to the difference between a traditional yellow peach and increasingly popular white peaches.

Yellow peaches: These are the traditional peaches most of us are used to. They have deep yellow background color overlaid with pink or red blush color and deep yellow flesh inside. They are ready-to-eat when they give to a little bit of palm pressure and have a balance of sweet and tart flavors. These varieties are a little more tart when firm.

White peaches: These peaches have increased in popularity since the late 1980’s. They have a creamy yellow background color overlaid with pink or red blush color and creamy yellow flesh inside. They are naturally less tart and can be ready-to-eat when firm and crunchy. White peaches will ripen faster than yellow peaches and are sub-acid or less acidic. This means you can eat more of them without getting an upset stomach.