During summer months, fresh peaches make their way into smoothies, salsas, cobblers and kabobs. Learn how to select and prepare this popular fruit.

When shopping for fresh peaches, look for fruit with undamaged skin and yellow near the stem. Give them a gentle squeeze, and you should feel just a smidge of softness. If you pick up peaches that aren’t quite ready to eat, put them in a paper bag on your counter for a few days to help them ripen. Cold stops the ripening process, so don’t refrigerate or freeze them until they’re perfect.

Peach prep is a breeze. You can eat one like an apple, or cut it open to slice or chop for recipes or smoothies. Use a sharp knife to cut around the seed like you’re cutting the peach in half. Then twist the two halves apart and remove the seed from one side.

If you need to peel your peach and the skin doesn’t come off easily with your fingers, just dunk the whole fruit in boiling water for 15 seconds or so. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove it from the boiling water and immediately place it in ice water. The skin should slide off, but if it doesn’t, repeat the process until the skin is free. After that, you can slice, dice or puree to meet your needs.

Now that you know how to find and prep perfect peaches, why not try a great recipe from Aprons? Find Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa and Wine-Scented Rice and other At Season’s Peak recipes at www.publix.com.

Sources: bbcgoodfood.com, fruitsandvegetablesmorematters.org, publix.com