Hi Every one,

It’s that time of the year when our special ‘Chosen Ones’ nectarines are hitting the stores.  We have spent lots of time, as always, making sure that the fruit we share is the most delicious tasting fruit around.

Remember, this summer, if you want to take the headache or disappointment out of selecting good nectarines, then look for The Chosen Ones brand.  That brand is my promise and commitment, that I’ve done the best I can to select only the best for you.  The Chosen Ones are available in leading greengrocers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

Hello everyone,

well the fresh stone fruit season is well and truly here.  Jo-Anne, myself and my beautiful children have been busy every week end getting locals to come and try our fantastic delicious fresh peaches and nectarines.  On our home block we have just started picking some jummy apricots and cherries to add to our wide selection of choice to our customers.  

We have certainly been busy picking yummy nectarines before Christmas.  Lots of hard work goes into ensuring that we only pick the best fruit for people to eat.  The pictures below are just a sample of what we have been picking in our orchards.  Our pickers love eating these Nectarines, its hard work getting everything picked  as our workers are all too busy enjoying the fruits of our labour.

At the Chosen Ones, our moto is: Perfectly picked for flavour.  We are confident to put that on our box because I know just how much hard work I do….to do exactly that, ensure only our best tasting varieties are picked perfectly.  It is not easy, but we think it’s worth it.  So look for the Chosen Ones at leading greengrocers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Here are some pictures of our new fantastic brand.  Over the last decade or more I have been travelling the world and testing 100’s and 1000’s of varieties on my property to ensure I get the right fruit just for you.

We have a saying “many are called, few are chosen”. This is exactly what we have done, we have selected the finest just for you – you can in fact call us picky for picking perfectly for flavour!

Remember, this summer, if you want to take the headache or disappointment out of selecting good nectarines, then look for The Chosen Ones brand.  That brand is my promise and commitment, that I’ve done the best I can to select only the best for you.  The Chosen Ones are available in leading greengrocers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Hello everyone who is reading this site.  below are some photos of a fantastic eating yellow nectarine that we are growing.  We are putting these in our brand ‘The Chosen one’.  This brand is dedicated to some of the new varieties that I have selected for our growers to grow.  It is large with a nice dark red colour and speckling to indicate that it is sweet.   You will see on some of the photos some white speckling.  Growers see this and know that the fruit is high in sugar.  You guys should be aware of this as well!

Sometimes the prettiest fruit is not always the sweetest or ripest.  As a grower when I go to my packing shed or the fruit bin in the orchard, I sometimes pick out the ugliest piece of fruit which may have lots of the speckling on it.  Why?  because it is always sweet and wonderful to eat.

We all know the adage, don’t judge a book by its cover.  Well in this case it can be true for fruit.   I select for flavour first!  I don’t want it to just look pretty, I want to take a bite and have the juices savour in my mouth for another bite.   Yummy!!

As a point of interest, I often get told that my fruit is too green.   Today in the modern industry there are many new varieties of fruit that customers don’t know or really understand.  Yes there is still the old style types of peaches with a nice acid background that is accentuated by the sweet sugar developed by the hot spring and summers days.  These type are usually enjoyed softened and not always as soon as you purchase them from the shop.   Peaches and nectarines are generally picked firm so that they can travel to the shop and look good.  If we picked soft and ready to eat, then the majority would never make it to the shops.

New varieties are now such that they can be eaten firm or soft.  Crunchy like an apple or soft like they used to be from your grandma’s backyard tree.   If you want to ripen firmer fruit from the store then follow these simple tips:

Selecting and Storing Stone Fruit

Select unbruised peaches or nectarines with nice colour, full shape, and heavy for their size. Look for the ground colour of the fruit, not just the blush. For white peaches or nectarines the ground colour should be creamy, not greenish. For yellow varieties, it should be golden, not pale or greenish.

Select by aroma if you intend to eat the peach in a day or so. Do not squeeze fruit, it will damage it. Be careful not to bruise the fruit on your way home. Bruised tissue begins to decompose rapidly, and decay may occur unless it is consumed immediately.

Fully ripe peaches or nectarines should be used immediately. If that is not possible, ripe fruit may be refrigerated. To reduce water loss in the refrigerator, use a plastic bag or place in the fruit bin.

Ripening Stone Fruit

Place each peach or nectarine stem side down on a flat surface so that they are not touching and place in a cool place, out of the sun. Most fruit should ripen at room temperature in one to four days.

You may also ripen peaches and nectarines in a fruit bowl with other fruit or in a paper bag, with the top loosely folded. However, separating each piece of fruit reduces the potential for decay and bruising.

The aroma will tell you when the fruit is ripe – a peach should smell like a peach! The stem side will be flattened slightly from softening and the weight of the fruit. Enjoy!