our pick

Biting into a juicy peach is a sure sign of summer and picking your own tree ripened peach just adds to the fun. At Laguna Gold we have 11 different varieties of peaches, both white and yellow, that ripen from early July to early September. Here are a few important tips for picking and bringing them home

General

  • Once you arrive, please come to the farm stand please check in to see what rows are ripe and to receive a picking basket (you can use your own).
  • Be careful walking out in the orchard, there are trip hazards (irrigation pipes, drainage ditches and loose rocks). No open toed shoes/sandals. In spite of our best efforts there are a few poison oak plants in the orchard.
  • When picking don’t overfill the baskets. This leads to bruised fruit.
  • A full basket contains about 10lbs of fruit. Make sure that is what you want as it is almost impossible to put peaches back on the tree.
  • No dogs (other than service dogs). We love them as much as you do, but they are hard to control around all the activity in a working orchard. And please, please, please do not leave you dogs in the car.
  • Park in designated areas.
  • There are no bathroom facilities on the orchard, so plan accordingly.

Peach Picking Tips

  • Look for the rows that are ready for picking. While other rows may look good, they may not have much ripe fruit.
  • Once you find the ripe rows, start by:
  • Looking at the color of the peach. If it has a hint of green it is not ripe. Ripe peaches are fully yellow, red or orange.
  • Touching the peach. If is firm it is not quite ripe. It should have some “give”, but don’t squeeze too hard as this will result in bruising.
  • Pulling gently on the peach. It should come off the tree with minimal effort If you have to tug on the fruit is it not ripe.
  • Larger peaches and those on the end of branches ripen first.

Peach Picking Tips

  • Look for the rows that are ready for picking. While other rows may look good, they may not have much ripe fruit.
  • Once you find the ripe rows, start by:
  • Looking at the color of the peach. If it has a hint of green it is not ripe. Ripe peaches are fully yellow, red or orange.
  • Touching the peach. If is firm it is not quite ripe. It should have some “give”, but don’t squeeze too hard as this will result in bruising.
  • Pulling gently on the peach. It should come off the tree with minimal effort If you have to tug on the fruit is it not ripe.
  • Larger peaches and those on the end of branches ripen first.

Peach Handling Tips

  • Ripe peaches have a very delicate skin so handle carefully.
  • You can leave the peaches in the paper bag or in the flat for a few days once you reach home. They should be good for 3-5 days.
  • Only put peaches in the refrigerator if you want to slow down the ripening process.
  • If you have more peaches that you can immediately use, you can slice them and put on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once partially frozen remove from the peach slices from the sheet and store fully freeze in a plastic bag. Frozen they will keep for many months.

Visit Us – “We are centrally located at 2600 Laguna Road, Santa Rosa. We are just around the corner from Forestville and a quick 5 miles from the cities of Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Windsor. We are open on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, first of July thru the end of August. Cash or Debit/Credit card are accepted. Call in advance to see what is ripe.”