How to ripen peaches

Ripening peaches at home is easy. Here are some effective methods:

### 1. **Room Temperature**
- **Instructions**: Place unripe peaches in a single layer on a countertop or in a paper bag. Keep them at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Check daily.

### 2. **Paper Bag Method**
- **Instructions**: Place peaches in a paper bag and fold the top to seal it. This traps ethylene gas, which speeds up ripening. Check them daily until they reach your desired softness.

### 3. **Add a Banana or Apple**
- **Instructions**: Place an unripe peach in a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple. The extra ethylene gas from the other fruit helps the peach ripen faster.

### 4. **Avoid Refrigeration**
- **Tip**: Do not refrigerate unripe peaches, as this can halt the ripening process.

### 5. **Check for Ripeness**
- **Test**: A ripe peach will yield slightly to gentle pressure and have a fragrant aroma.

Once ripe, you can store peaches in the refrigerator for a few days to slow down further ripening. Enjoy your peaches!

[VictoriaTempleton-hk]

I bought peaches - unripe from Chile - on Thursday. Put them in a little brown paper bag and closed up with clothespin. Kept in kitchen. Opened this morning, and one of the peaches has fluffy mold in the stem area. It's still very unripe. Should I toss it? Thank you, thank you !