Should be bright and fresh in appearance, the ground (background) color of the skin is either yellowish or creamy.  Red color or blush may be present in differing degrees, depending on variety, but red alone is not a true sign of edible quality.  A green ground color suggest that the peaches were immature when picked, such peaches do not ripen well.  sound peaches are firm, or fairly firm, and are free from bruise marks.  Over-mature peaches or soft peaches should be avoided unless they are for immediate use.  Due to their highly perishable nature, peaches are most frequently picked in a mature hard stage for long distance shipping and may arrive on the market to hard for immediate use.