Nectarines
Nectarines are peaches without the fuzz, and in August they often hit their stride when peach season begins to wind down. The flavor is similar — sweet, aromatic, deeply summery — but the skin is thinner and doesn't need peeling. This is the last good stone fruit window before fall.
How to choose it
- Fragrant at the stem end — this is the most reliable test
- Gives slightly when gently pressed near the top
- Deep color, though variety affects this (yellow and white varieties both have peak moments)
- Avoid hard nectarines — they were picked underripe and won't improve meaningfully
Buy this much: 4–5 nectarines for the week. They don't all need to be eaten at once.
Stone fruit is still affordable in August, though supply begins to thin by late in the month. Buy them when you see good ones — the window doesn't come back.
During the week
- Sliced on Greek yogurt in the morning
- Eaten as a snack, ripe
- Sliced alongside the weekend cheese plate
On a weekend
Alongside the fig and burrata plate — or in place of figs if they weren't available. The combination of ripe stone fruit, good cheese, and cured meat holds up in either direction.
One thing worth learning
Nectarines and peaches are genetically almost identical — the difference is a single gene that determines whether the skin is fuzzy or smooth. Their flavor profiles and peak windows are nearly the same. If you're buying from a farmers market, ask which variety the grower would eat today. They usually know exactly which ones are ready.