Keep in mind, not all areas of a state have nectarines orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
These are the areas of the state that have nectarine orchards to pick nectarines. Click on the area closet you!
Nectarines typically peak during early summer: In the U.S., that's late June through July in the South, and July and August in the North. In order to produce good local Nectarines, producers depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions, and no late frosts. If you want to know which are the best varieties of nectarines for home canning, see this page!
Before you leave to go to the farm:
When you get home
A nectarine is softer than most fruit, so it is important to pick a nectarine gently, with little pressure. Using the sides of your fingers rather your fingertips helps to avoid bruising. Grab the nectarine firmly and pull it straight off the branch. DON'T drop the nectarine into the basket, but set it in gently!
Marks on the Nectarines: Bugs (particularly squash bugs and stink bugs) bite fruit during development and this results in some imperfections in the nectarine. This is especially the case with organically raised fruit. These look like dents in the nectarines if the nectarines were bitten by a bug when they were young. This causes a spot that does not grow properly and makes a wrinkle in the nectarine. There's nothing wrong with these nectarines. They may look funny, but they will taste just as good as blemish-free nectarines, and it's better not to have the pesticides!
Raw measures:
Process yields (Raw amounts to processed amounts)
And a visitor contributes this: 6-7 nectarines makes about 4 cups puree, so 2-3 nectarines make about 2 cups puree. 1 nectarine equals about 1 cup puree.
Form | Average retail price *3 | Preparation yield factor | Size of a cup equivalent | Unit | Average price per cup equivalent | |
Fresh *1 | $1.72 | per pound | 0.96 | 0.342 | pounds | $0.61 |
Canned | ||||||
Packed in juice *2 | $2.02 | per pound | 1 | 0.540 | pounds | $1.09 |
Packed in syrup or water *3 | $1.81 | per pound | 0.65 | 0.441 | pounds | $1.23 |
Frozen | $3.39 | per pound | 1 | 0.331 | pounds | $1.12 |
Note 1 - The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) reports that the inedible pit of a nectarine accounts for 4 percent of the retail weight, implying a preparation yield of 96 percent, when eaten raw. | ||||||
Note 2 - Consumers are assumed to eat the solid fruit and drink the juice. All contents of the can are edible and count towards an individual's recommended fruit consumption. | ||||||
Note 3 - The syrup (or water) is discarded prior to consumption. Based on the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED), ERS assumes that 65 percent of the can's gross weight is solid and 35 percent is liquid. The FPED cup equivalent weight for canned fruit is the weight of the solids and not of the liquid medium in which it is packed. The preparation yield factor for canned nectarines in the above table does not account for any further preparation that occurs prior to consumption. | ||||||
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations from 2020 Circana (formerly Information Resources, Inc. [IRI]) OmniMarket Core Outlets (formerly InfoScan) data; the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR), Legacy Release; and the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED) 2017–18 as well as the FPED's accompanying Methodology and User Guide. |
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It's best to remove nectarine pits before you cook the nectarines. Cherry, nectarine, peach, and apricot pits also contain amygdalin; the latter two, in potentially harmful amounts. Fortunately, nectarine, peach and apricot pits are sufficiently large and hard that few people intentionally swallow or chew them. (The unapproved anti-cancer drug See this page for more information&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/cam/laetrile">Laetrile is a semisynthetic derivative of amygdalin; a cheaper version of laetrile produced in Mexico came from crushed apricot pits.) See this page for more information.
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