Black Peach

Orchard · Peach

Black Peach

Prunus persica, red-fleshed selection

Blood peach, crimson flesh under dusky purple skin

$77.00

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Hardiness: Zone 5 to 8
Pollination: Self-fertile
Ripens: Mid-season, late July to August. Freestone

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At a glance

Mature size: Standard peach trees reach about 15 to 20 feet (UConn Extension)
Rootstock note: Zone ratings describe the variety. Krymsk 86 has limited cold-climate trial data, so in zones 4 and 5 plant on a sheltered, well-drained site and mulch the root zone in winter.
Format: A grafted Black Peach tree in an air-pruned container. A named cultivar joined to a named rootstock.
Flavor and texture: Dense blood-red flesh, intense, with plum and red wine notes
Grown for: Fresh eating, preserves, bottling, chutney and baking. The color holds through cooking
Disease: Resistant to peach leaf curl
Also known as: Blood Peach, Black Boy, Sanguine. Related to the French Pêche de Vigne
Origin: New Zealand, from French stock imported in the early twentieth century
What is not known: Blackboy is a collective name for roughly six red-fleshed varieties brought to New Zealand from France. Which of them this is has not been established, and the route and date of the original import are undocumented

Rarity score

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About this variety

A blood peach: crimson straight through, under a dusky purple skin with a fine gray bloom. This is the line New Zealanders grew for a century under the name Black Boy, and which is now generally called Blood Peach. It came to New Zealand from France in the early twentieth century and is closely related to the French pêche de vigne, the vineyard peach.

The flavor is dense and dark, closer to plum and red wine than to a yellow peach, and the color survives cooking, which is why it was always a bottling and preserving fruit as much as a fresh one.

Origin. It is not a peach and plum hybrid, despite how often that is repeated. It is a true peach, a natural red-fleshed mutation selected in France and planted among vines as an early-warning tree for pests and disease. And it grows largely true from seed, which is how it spread through home orchards without a nursery trade carrying it.

On the name. We list this as Black Peach. In New Zealand it is now generally sold as Blood Peach.

Not a peach and plum hybrid, despite the persistent story. That is what pêche de vigne, vineyard peach, records.

Growing

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Growing guides: Choosing a rootstock Chill hours Ripening and storage Planting Winter Injury

Where it came from

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

History and sources

Red-fleshed peaches have a long history: they were grown in China under the Tang dynasty, and in France the blood peach was first described in the seventeenth century as Peche Betterave or Sanguinole. In the Coteaux du Lyonnais growers planted them among their vines as the peche de vigne. Around six red-fleshed varieties were imported, mainly from France, into New Zealand in the early twentieth century and became established there as a home-garden favorite under a single collective name, now generally replaced by Blood Peach; our Black Peach descends from that New Zealand line.

Sources. Werribee Park Heritage Orchard catalog, Blackboy. Leafland Nursery, New Zealand. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (2022) 6:820811, blood-flesh peach review, citing Hedrick, The Peaches of New York (1917).

Reported. A credible third-party source, not independently verified. How we grade our records

In the kitchen

Preserved peaches

Simmer sliced peaches in a syrup of 1 cup sugar to 2 cups water for 5 minutes. Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks, or freeze. For shelf storage, use a tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

What can you make with this?

Recipes and drinks chosen for this cultivar's own flavor and texture, each written by Provenance Nursery and labeled with how well its history is documented.

Pork tenderloin with grilled peaches Dinner · Signature · Serves 4

Grilled pork tenderloin served with charred peach halves glazed with honey and vinegar. Two peach halves per plate.

Role of the fruit. Co-star: 4 peaches for 4 servings

Prep 15 min. Cook 17 to 24 min. Total About 40 min.

Ingredients

1¼ to 1½ lb pork tenderloin
4 freestone peaches, halved and pitted
2 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cider or balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Rub the pork with 1 tbsp oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Grill over medium-high heat, turning, until it reaches 145°F, 12 to 18 min. Rest 3 min.
2. Brush the peach halves with the remaining oil and grill cut-side down until marked, 3 to 4 min; turn and grill 2 min more.
3. Warm the honey and vinegar together and brush over the peaches.
4. Slice the pork and serve with two peach halves per plate.

Why this cultivar. Freestone halves come off the pit cleanly and hold together on the grill: Redhaven, Intrepid, Madison, Wisconsin Balmer and Black Peach are all freestone. Use peaches ripe but still firm. Black Peach gives dark red halves and a sharper glaze.

Safety. USDA recommends cooking pork to 145°F with a 3-minute rest.

Evidence: D. Culinary application.

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Grilling

Peach crisp Dessert · Classic · Serves 8

A deep dish of sliced peaches under an oat and brown-sugar topping.

Role of the fruit. The filling: 3 lb of peaches

Prep 30 min. Cook 40 to 45 min at 375°F. Total About 1 hr 15 min, plus 20 min cooling.

Ingredients

3 lb peaches (8 or 9), peeled and sliced
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
Topping: 1 cup flour, ¾ cup rolled oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, ½ cup cold butter in pieces

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Toss the peaches with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and spread in a 2-quart baking dish.
3. Rub the topping ingredients together until clumpy and scatter over the fruit.
4. Bake 40 to 45 min, until the fruit bubbles at the edges and the topping is golden. Cool 20 min before serving.

Why this cultivar. Freestone peaches such as Redhaven, Intrepid and Madison twist cleanly off the pit, which makes slicing three pounds quick. White-fleshed Carman is sweet and mild. To peel, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, then plunge into ice water and slip the skins off.

Evidence: C. Classic style.

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Baking pies, crisps, tarts and breads

Canned peach pie filling (tested method) Preserve · Preservation

For shelf-stable jars of peach pie filling, use the tested USDA method only. Madison is recorded as holding its texture when processed.

Method

Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation's peach pie filling, which uses Clear Jel®. Iowa State University Extension notes that Clear Jel is the only starch recommended for canned apple, blueberry, cherry and peach pie fillings. Do not change the amount of lemon juice.

Safety. Use the tested recipe exactly. Other starches break down and are not recommended for canning.

Evidence: Tested method. Source 1: nchfp.uga.edu (opens in a new tab), Source 2: blogs.extension.iastate.edu (opens in a new tab)

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Jams, jellies and fruit preserves

More in the Provenance Kitchen and Kitchen School. Canning appears here only as links to tested methods. Evidence levels are explained on How we grade our records.