A richly colored peach with many uses. Medium-sized, round fruit averages about 2-1/2” in diameter and is 80-90% red-skinned, with a sunny yellow flesh that’s virtually stringless. The flavor is well-developed and tastes like a full-on peach, unlike some other early varieties. An excellent canning, freezing and baking choice. Earlystar is a heavy producer, and requires thinning to get the maximum fruit size. Semi-freestone when firm, and freestone when fully ripe in early July. Very few split pits. Moderate cold-hardiness. Self-pollinating, but yields bigger crops when planted near a different peach variety with a similar bloom time. Introduced in the late 1990s. USPPAF. FA-101 cultivar.
