It’s been thirteen years since Stephen Rose traded his Ford Thunderbird for a 1964 Jeep Gladiator, loaded it up with peaches from his hometown in Georgia, and started selling the fuzzy fruit around Nashville. Today the Peach Truck, which he co-owns with his wife, Jessica, has grown well beyond the pickup—they now ship nationwide—but the mission remains the same: for as many people as possible to experience the bliss of a beautifully ripened peach. “My earliest peach memory takes me back to childhood in Fort Valley, being completely mesmerized at the local packing shed,” Rose says. “I’d stand there with peach ice cream dripping down my hands, taking in all the sights, sounds, and that incredible aroma filling the air.”

One of his favorite varieties is the July Prince, which offers an ideal balance of sweetness and acidity, and juicy fine-grain flesh that practically melts in your mouth. “It has this bright, complex flavor that many modern peaches have lost in the pursuit of shelf-stable fruit,” he says. “There are these beautiful floral notes up front, followed by deep honey sweetness, and finishing with just enough tartness to make your mouth water for another bite.” When fresh peaches arrive at their household, the Roses are purists at first, eating them out of hand. “But once we’ve had our fill, we branch out.” That can mean anything from peach cobbler to grilled peaches (halved, brushed with olive oil, and topped with vanilla ice cream) to working them into summer cocktails like sangria or a spritz (see recipe).
A ready-to-eat peach should yield slightly when gently pressed with your palm (not your fingertips, Rose advises, which can bruise the fruit), feel heavy for its size, and emit that unmistakable sweet aroma. And you can stash away some of that goodness. “Peaches freeze beautifully,” he says. Just toss slices with a little lemon juice, freeze on a baking sheet, and store in a ziplock bag. “There’s nothing quite like pulling out a bag of summer peaches in the middle of February. It’s like a time machine back to those perfect summer days.”