Tips & Food Safety

At Chappell Farms, we aim to pick firm, ripe peaches. Peaches with a green base color are usually too immature to obtain maximum sugar content. When selecting peaches, try to choose those with a red or yellow color.

We do not pick soft peaches. However, sometimes day-old peaches are available at a reduced price for customers who wish to use their peaches sooner. Customers who are traveling or need peaches to last longer should purchase fresh peaches, which are always available.

Food safety is a top priority for us. It is virtually impossible to produce quality fruit without applying spray applications to control insects and disease. However, we follow strict guidelines when applying chemicals.

A report from the Alliance for Food and Farming emphasizes that the benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables far outweigh any risks, adding that a child could eat 176 servings of peaches in a single day without risking an effect from spray residue. The EPA notes that 98.5% of domestic fruit tests below tolerance levels. We encourage any concerned customers to rinse their fruit in water for 30 seconds, as a Connecticut University study found that this sufficiently removes any remaining dirt, bacteria, or residue.