Peaches and Nectarines are known the world over for flavor and juiciness- a Summer treat! Our heirloom peaches are grafted to Lovell peach rootstock, which induces good cold-heartiness for the tree, produces a vigorous, full-size tree tolerant of poor soils and high rainfall, resistant to many root diseases and gophers. Trees will grow to 12′ – 15′ tall, but maybe kept smaller with June or July pruning. Peaches thrive with annual, winter pruning to balance tree growth with fruit potential. The best tasting peaches are grown in the hottest, sunniest locations. They require moderate winter chilling and are suited for growth in most locations except in very low chill sites. Due to their tendency to early blooming, they are not reliably suited to elevations above 4000′.
The following is a list of many of the best Heirloom Nectarine and Peaches we have re-discovered throughout the Gold Country region.
Sicilian Nectarine
Like nothing we’ve had before.
This Nectarine is a seedling of a Nectarine that came from Sicily a long time ago. Joe’s Father brought it over here himself back in the day. White Flesh and white skin with light red striping on the sunny side.
Babcock Peach
Wonderfully delicious. Large, Firm and Juicy – Heirloom White Peach that bears abundantly. This freestone variety was considered the best for decades and its genetics were later bred into many of the popular white peaches available today. Its a great backyard Peach since it can be used for eating fresh, canning, preserves, baking and almost anything! They do not store very long. One of our most favorite peaches. Very Little Fuzz, Pink Blossoms and Low Chill. Ripe in Late August at 2500′. Babcock was bred in California in late 1920’s and quickly became a hit! Our Peach Trees are very large 2 year trees.
Our fruit explorer friend Mark Fowler in Newcastle, Stewarts an old orchard and nursery left over from early 1900’s. Some of the trees he takes care of are original 100 year trees but he has also top grafted hundreds of varieties of heirloom fruit on his trees. Thanks Mark, You are the Best!
Susceptible to leaf curl. However, if trees are in a healthy environment peaches can live with leaf curl and produce abundantly after they shed their leaves but it can get bad if not taken care of or in a bad environment and would need to be sprayed. They often produce abundantly and need a good thinning when golfball size.
Blood Peach of the Vine
This delicious heirloom peach has been a favorite for centuries. Inside this thick and fuzzy skinned peach is marbled red and white flesh. It is firm and sweet. Appears to be resistant or immune to peach leaf curl, a destructive fungus which kills many peach and nectarine trees. Generally produces true to seed.
We can trace this amazing peach back to France, and is likely an introduction from Gillet. It was called ‘Vine Peach’ or ‘Blood peach’ because French viticulturists would plant this red peach by seed at the beginning of each row as an early indicator for powdery mildew. It was allegedly brought to the New World via the missionaries through Mexico in the 1500s. In the late 1600s new colonists were astounded when this ‘Old World’ peach was found in the ‘New World’. It seems they called it ‘Indian’s Blood peach’ not as a racial slur, but because it was the Blood peach of the indigenous population.
Green Moonshine Peach
This unique freestone peach curiously has both green flesh and green skin which may blush a bit in full sun. Medium thick skin with succulent, sweet green flesh. Ripens in August at 3200′. We are not sure if this was a seedling or a purposeful graft, but it is delicious and hardy. It appears this peach is resistant or immune to peach leaf curl, a difficult disease to manage that kills many peach trees. It has been difficult to find old peaches in the frosty Sierra foothills. It’s always amazing to find a hardy peach!
The grandmother tree lives near Camptonville but is now overgrown with fast growing invasive trees. It was planted near the remnants of both Maidu grinding rocks and the rusty fragments of a Gold Rush family homestead. The ground is still covered in Vinca, a persistent, drought resistant, purple flowered, perennial ground cover. It was popular in the 1800s and now runs wild all over California. When we see Vinca Major, as we traipse about the forests, we know we are at the site of an old homestead.
Lake City Red Flesh Peach
After discovery, we waited 7 years for this very old peach tree to bear fruit, and we are so glad we did! These unique freestone, blood peaches have a juicy, sweet and flavorful fruit, with a flesh, texture and color similar to that of a red plum. An unusual delight! In our observation, it appears to be resistant or immune to peach leaf curl, a destructive fungus which kills many peach and nectarine trees. Ripens in late August at 3300′.
This old, gnarled, grandmother peach tree has survived in drought conditions for many decades, but has been dying back each year and only has a few living branches left. She lives in Lake City which borders Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. Lake City was founded as a mining town in 1853 and quickly grew into a bustling community. Hydraulic mining techniques used large-volume, high-pressure, cast-iron, water cannons to wash huge portions of the mountainsides down river. This affected farmers and ranchers in the valley, all the way to the San Francisco Bay. In 1884, lead to the world’s first environmental law. The Sawyer decision banned the destructive practices at Malakoff Diggins and all other hydraulic mines in California, but loopholes in the law took decades to finally enforce until the last mine was closed in 1906. You can still see the destruction left behind in these mini, man-made “Grand Canyons.”
O’Henry Peach
The classic large orange peach we know and love. Juicy Sweet freestone peach with firm juicy flesh with with that huge peachy taste. Introduced 1968 From california. large, yellow, freestone peach with red skin, firm flesh and superb flavor.
This tree grows in Newcastle on old Fowler Nursery Property and taken care of by Mark and Patty. They are awesome.
NSJ Blood Peach
This old peach is probably an old ‘Indian Blood peach ‘ seedling (not a racial slur – see below). It’s is located on an old homestead in North San Juan.
Flesh is white with pink/red blush flecks throughout, especially just under the skin. Dappled deep red skin when mature. Ripe peach has a floral aroma and flavor. Very juicy and sweet, soft flesh when ripe. Best for eating out of hand. Delicious fruit ripe early June. Not prone to leaf curl. Clingstone
This old peach is probably an old ‘Indian Blood peach ‘ seedling. It’s is located on an old homestead in north San Juan.
Flesh is white with pink/red blush flecks throughout, especially just under the skin. Dappled deep red skin when mature. Ripe peach has a floral aroma and flavor. Very juicy and sweet, soft flesh when ripe. Best for eating out of hand. Delicious fruit ripe early June. Not prone to leaf curl. Clingstone.
We can trace this amazing peach back to France, and is likely an introduction from Gillet. It was called ‘Vine Peach’ or ‘Blood peach’ because French viticulturists would plant this red peach by seed at the beginning of each row as an early indicator for powdery mildew. It was allegedly brought to the New World via the missionaries through Mexico in the 1500s. In the late 1600s new colonists were astounded when this ‘Old World’ peach was found in the ‘New World’. It seems they called it ‘Indian’s Blood peach’ not as a racial slur, but because it was the Blood peach of the indigenous population.
Silver Logan Peach
A famous heirloom white peach has firm, juicy, melting, exquisite flavor and sweetness with a great acid/ sweet balance. Good backyard tree. The fruit are large and produce abundantly. Handle carefully during harvest since the fruit bruises easily. A unique heirloom fit for the peach lover with discerning tastes. It was a found seedling in California in the 1950’s and it didn’t take long for it to catch on. Our trees are large 2 year trees.
Our fruit explorer friend Mark Fowler in Newcastle, Stewarts an old orchard and nursery left over from early 1900’s. Some of the trees he takes care of are original 100 year trees but he has also top grafted hundreds of varieties of heirloom fruit on his trees. Thanks Mark, You are the Best!