What is the difference between a clingstone and a freestone peach?
Peaches and nectarines are either cling-stone (which means the fruit does not come away from the seed easily), semi-cling-stone (which means that some of the fruit will come away from the seed), or free-stone (which means the seed breaks away easily from the fruit). Generally, the earlier varieties are cling-stone. Many people like to use cling-stone peaches for pickling. For canning and freezing, most people prefer free-stone fruit, as it is much easier to work with. By late July and into August, all the varieties will be free-stone.
