Flamin’ Fury has introduced five new, early season peach varieties – four of them are freestone. The peaches will be released individually throughout 2004 and 2005.
PF 5D Big will be released in 2005. PF 5D Big ripens 10 days before PF 7, Garnet Beauty season and three weeks before Red Haven. It’s very large for such an early peach, with exceptional high, dark color. I believe this to be the largest peach available for this early time frame. The unusual size, much fruit 2-3/4 inch and bigger, quality and color should make this a winner for the very early season. Flavor is excellent, and split pit’s not bad for such an early peach.
PF 7A Freestone is also new for 2005. It is an extremely freestone peach for the early season. It ripens with Garnet Beauty. It is medium-to-large for the season with most of the fruit making 2-1/2 inch and bigger. The fruit is highly colored, 90% dark red, excellent texture and flavor. Minimal amount of split pit.
Luiba Friday – my wife – took this new variety to the South Bend farmers’ market and sold them readily for $4 per quart — a dollar more than the other varieties on her display. And they sold out first at the higher price because they were freestone. This was demonstrated by peaches cut in half on the farm market table. I believe there to be pent-up demand for this variety from everyone selling to the public pre-Red Haven season.
New in 2004, PF 9A-007 starts one week before Red Haven. A large variety, brilliantly colored freestone peach. Most fruit for farm is over 2-3/4 inch and bigger and is multiple pick until Red Haven is done, with the fruit from the last picking about as large as the first. It is a real pleasure harvesting this one. Fruit remains very firm, large and freestone through the extended harvest season, rendering big yields of No. 1 fruits. Very few split pit.
“Having a peach that comes after Garnet Beauty and before Red Haven that is large, freestone and is as colorful as PF 9A-007 is something that the industry has needed for a long time. I have seen this peach, eaten them and recommended them to any grower looking for a very high-quality pre-Red Haven season peach,” Van Moore, The Nursery Connection, said.
PF 11 Peach will be released for 2005. PF 11 Peach ripens with Red Haven and are beautiful, uniform freestone peaches. Eighty percent of them are three-inches and bigger on the first two pickings in 2003 with less than 2% split pits in the first picking. Ninety percent were 2-3/4 and bigger for the harvest season.
PF Lucky 13 will be released for 2004. In my 45-year search for the perfect peach, to date the best that I have ever found are PF Lucky 13 and PF 25.
PF Lucky 13, in 2003, had huge yields of very classy, large, extremely firm fruit. Very freestone. Fruit remains on the tree more than one week very hard and keeps growing past when you originally thought it should have been picked. Almost all of the fruit from this variety is No. 1 quality.
“PF Lucky 13 is the only peach I’ve ever seen that you can pick off the tree and roll them in the box without sorting. They are a beautiful, radiant colored peach that sells itself. It’s a great, extremely firm attractive peach,” Michael Churchill, farm marketer, said.
“The new early varieties at Paul Friday’s test plots are exciting. The market is overdue for an early freestone peach and when one adds the attributes of size, color and firmness to the early harvest dates and freestone characteristics, it has to be a winner. An added bonus is flavor. These new early varieties will improve the already impressive Flamin’ Fury series,” Lee LaVanway, Benton Harbor Market manager, said.
“I am very impressed with all three new Flamin’ Fury varieties that bridge the pre-season, Red Haven and late Red Haven season. PF 9A-007, PF 11 and PF Lucky 13 are all outstanding large, well-colored, firm freestone peaches to fill this time period – eliminating Red Haven,” Adam Rodriguez, Hilltop Nursery, said.
