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"  Local summer fruit is a joy worth waiting for. Late spring, early summer, there are strawberries. Then, raspberries and blueberries. And now cherries have made their appearance, both sweet and sour (for pie!). But I think I most eagerly await peaches and nectarines. When they&amp;#039;re juicy ripe, I devour chunks of them dolloped with tart creamy Greek yogurt, no extra sweetener necessary\u2014a luscious start to a warm summer day. Stone-fruit season is almost upon us in the Northeast. For about a month now, I&amp;#039;ve been dreaming about them, and a new cookbook called The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm, has been sitting on my desk reminding me of what&amp;#039;s to come. The book, written by farmer and author David Mas Masumoto, his wife Marcy, and daughter Nikiko, has a wealth of peach-based information, in addition to reminiscences about life on the farm, and of course, luscious-looking recipes. Here are a few of their expert tips on storing and ripening peaches:  First and foremost, buy ripe peaches, whether firm-ripe (with slight give when pressed), to those with more give, to those that are soft and ready to eat. Their background color (near the stem end), should have a yellow, amber, or golden hue, not a greenish tinge. Peaches that were picked very green will not ripen, and if they&amp;#039;ve been previously refrigerated, they&amp;#039;ll go from green to mealy when left out. (A very disappointing situation, in my opinion!) Once home, sort your peaches by ripeness. Peaches are ideally stored resting on their shoulders, not touching one another. If you have peaches that you&amp;#039;d like to ripen further, leave them at room temperature in a dry area, even near a window (but not baking in the hot sun). Check daily, and use or refrigerate when they&amp;#039;re ready. Refrigeration will stop the ripening process, so even very ripe peaches will last for another couple days.   Have local peaches arrived in your area? Once you&amp;#039;ve had your fill of eating them out of hand, try our Peach &amp;amp;amp; Blueberry Crumble. Want to see their savory side? They&amp;#039;re great with grilled pork or grilled salmon, as in this super summery recipe. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24735/choosing-and-storing-fresh-peaches/>