A sweet-smelling aroma can indicate that a peach is ripe, but it's not always the best measure. Neither is its reddish hue, as the red parts are caused by sunlight exposure.

The ripest peaches have a dark golden-yellow color, especially around the stems, which the leaves shade against the sun. Underripe ones will be green or yellow with hints of green.

You may be tempted to snag a few of those underripe peaches, assuming they will ripen over time, but note that peaches can only do so if they aren’t picked too soon.

While unripe peaches are ovular, ripe ones will be rounder and plumper. Peaches get juicier as they ripen, so a ripe one will feel soft between the fingertips when squeezed gently.

A peach will feel hard or firm if it's underripe and feel mushy or squishy if it's overripe. That said, grasping peaches too tightly can cause their delicate fuzzy skin to bruise.