I keep forgetting to take a picture of the peaches I have growing in the yard, Indian Blood Peaches. I got a few comments about them a while back when I mentioned them. I have two trees, started by a neighbor years ago and given to me, each in a separate coffee can. He told me to leave them in the cans for a year and then plant them. I had a cherry tree die in the meantime so planted one where it was and the other back in a bit more shade than it would probably like. But, with 14 fruit trees in a small suburban lot, beggars don’t get to be choosers. Both trees produce, but the one in the shade actually tends to break off branches more often and produce smaller fruit. They’re tricky to time as they seem to reach perfect ripeness and then fall to the ground within about 5 minutes. But they are delicious!
The other day I made a cobbler with them. We just ate the last of it tonight. You can see the red color. In fact, I initially wrote “cherry” cobbler after looking at the picture. They are a bit tarter than a regular peach, but are a nice freestone fruit. I added a bit more sugar to the cobbler mixture to account for the tartness.
Updating September of 2010 to show the peaches:
Hmmm… somehow the link disappeared. Thanks for letting me know. I’ve updated it.
I don’t see the recipe for blood peach cobbler here, just the comments.
Alice, my comment thing was messed up and I just saw this comment. I grew up in Sonoma! I have given volunteers to several friends and now see I have some more to give away. I haven’t started them on purpose; they just start from the fallen peaches… I’ll have to try to start some. What do you do? Just bury the pit? I’ve never started a tree on purpose. I hadn’t thought to roast them but may try that with my last half dozen here.
I have an old heirloom freestone Indian/Cherokee Blood peach tree; it is situated in a narrow area that doesn’t receive enough full sun, but still is a very heavy bearer; 2 years ago, even after culling, 4 of the largest limbs broke off when I didn’t prop up the limbs in time. Lesson: cull the fruits ruthlessly when they first appear (they tend to clump in groups of 5 or 6) , then have enough tall-enough heavy-duty posts ready to hold up the branches as they grow. This is crucial, as the branches, especially in the older trees, apparently are more fragile than they appear This year, my first crop since the limb-loss, I have picked 2 bushels of fruit from the 3 remaining short limbs. New tall branches are already appearing from the old breaks.
It also sprouts readily from the seeds; I gave a foot-tall volunteer sprout to a neighbor 3 years ago, and it is already 12 feet tall and has borne its first fruit this year. Around here, in Sonoma, we treasure these heirloom peaches and , following a friend’s practice, am potting 6 seeds to give away next year.
You’ll never forget your first perfume-y taste of a Cherokee Blood Peach! In my experience, they don’t can or freeze particularly well; the unique taste gets lost. I have had great luck, however, in roasting them as you would figs. They’re a show-stopper.
Hi,
I made a pie with them last night. Very tasty. We have a single bush tree in yard and then about 5 wild trees over the fence in a open lot. With the cool summer and extra rain earlier this year they larger and loads more this year.
Bob,
If I only lived in Canada.. but I am slightly south of the border in Central California. I had a nieghbor that went in to a care facilty last year at age 92. She was a botinest. Before she left she gave me two young peach trees to plant. I have nurtured them for the last year and a half and finally my first crop will harvest this week. I know that she started them from seeds.
I was very surprized to open one today and find that they were Blood peaches. I can’t wait to harvest and try them in many recipes and jams. If I knew of a way to get you some seeds I would gladly send them.
I hope that you get this message.
My mother propagated blood peaches for fifty years at our century farm near Dublin Ont..and the new people ,who don’t even know what they are won’t let me move a couple of small ones to my new place in London..I have always valued them because they are vitually pest free and only need do be cooked and sweetened slightly to make a wonderful plum like fruit.. We always took the peel off by dipping them into boiling water ,the same as regular peaches.. I asm really eager to find a couple of live plants or even pits which I could plant here in London.. I would be grateful to anyone who could give me some..I had move 2 that where just starting to bear last year to my ex-friends place and she cut them down to let a cultivator through into the garden, not realizing what they are. They ,I believe, are the only ones that can consistantly survive hard winters even in Northern areas of Canada [Manitoba].. Please get in touch if you are in S. Ont and I would come for plants if you have any..My Mother would be pleased and it is in her memory that I wish to do this..
I thought I had found something unique and different with the peach my Aunt and Uncle had called an Indian Peach. The tree is planted right next to their concord grapes so I thought originally that the purple color of the grape mutated into the peach and somehow it turned the inside of the peach red. Now I read your articles and found this to be no so uncommon. I think I will go make a cobble now myself. That sounds very good and looks delicious.
Wow—that looks so good! Never would have known it was peach unless you said it. The rich red color is amazing. How lucky to have fruit trees in your yard too!
I just had my son and a friend pick a milk crate full of indian blood peaches. Last year I froze them with the skins, a big mistake. The skins are tough. How can I remove the skins and freeze or can these so they will last? Also, can I have you cobbler recipe? Thanks.
Harvey Baumoel hbaumoel@netzero.bet