People have strong feelings about their peaches. Just ask Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm. Earlier this season, he decided to add his voice to what he exaggeratingly called the “age-old debate” by blogging about which peaches are sweeter, white or yellow.

Linda Lewis of Lewis Orchards in Dickerson said that she thinks most people like the type of peach that they ate growing up. She equated it to the rivalry between Coke and Pepsi: although Coke and Pepsi are both sweet and tasty, some people prefer one to the other, but others can drink both.

Whatever your preference, some of the best peaches of the season can still be found at your local farm stand or farmers’ market.

“Every variety gets better as the season continues,” Lewis said.  Lewis Orchards grows 25 different varieties of peaches she said, starting at the end of June when school gets out and continuing until about Labor Day.

“You can easily tell the difference between a yellow peach that ripens in July and one that ripens in the middle of August,” said Mike Heyser, of Heyser Farms in Colesville.

“Usually there’s much higher sugar content in the ones that are in August," he added. 

Heyser said that his favorite peach comes out in mid-August.  It’s the Sun High peach and he considers it the best one for canning and freezing. “It’s not all that pretty,” he said. “But the flavor of it is just fantastic!”

“The yellow peaches are better for cooking,”  Heyser recommended.

Heyser should know. Heyser Farms sells their own baked peach pies (which I’ve tried and can attest to their tastiness!).

If you're not up to canning your own peaches, Wenk will sell you his.  Three Spring Farms cans their own peaches and sells them at the Silver Spring Farmers Market. 

And yes, he’s blogged about that, too, noting “a renewed interest” in canning at the farmers’ markets, an interest so high that it’s termed “canvolution” on twitter.

So what’s the best way to eat these delicious peaches?

Wenk’s blog provides some great recipes.

Peach cobbler with homemade whip cream is Lewis' favorite peach dessert. 

“It’s delicious and quite fattening, but a couple of times a summer, it’s not going to hurt you," Lewis, of Lewis Orchards, said. "Life’s too short, you have to enjoy it.”

To Wenk, there’s nothing wrong with a good peach cobbler or pie, but the best way to eat peaches is plain.

“I hold one in my fist, lean slightly forward and dive in!” Wenk exclaimed.

Heyser agreed. When he is out in the orchard picking and sees a peach that’s soft and ready to eat, sometimes he can’t help himself.

“All I do is stand there and eat them as I’m picking,” Heyser said.

Steve Knopps, of Knopps Farms and Greenhouses in Severn, who supplies fruit to the Briggs Chaney-Greencastle Farmers’ and Artisans' Market, sums it up: “There’s no bad way to eat a peach.”