Farmers are busy picking fresh yellow peaches at Shanghai Xianfu Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative.

It's time to sink your teeth into the succulent and sweet yellow peaches grown at Baihe Town in Qingpu District.

Branches are bent low with ripened fruits, and the fragrance of yellow peaches permeates the air at the town's Shanghai Xianfu Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative.

It's the fruit's long awaited harvest season.

Yellow peaches grown in the cooperative's orchard are big, juicy and sweet. Their supreme quality is attributed to the district's favorable climate conditions.

The biggest peach is equal to the size of a fist, and workers are busy picking the crop.

"Our yellow peach is succulent, delicious and big, and its appearance is beautiful," said the cooperative's operator Tang Shan, who is called Sister Tang Shan by locals.

"It is sweet and fragrant as well," she added proudly.

There are many ways to enjoy the fruit – eat it fresh, make it into yellow peach can or put its slices on a pizza or cake. Moreover, it can be turned into a dessert.

The fruit is nutritious with rich antioxidants, dietary fiber and trace elements such as calcium.

Peaches have acquired auspicious qualities, such as longevity and love, since ancient China. It is believed that peach trees can ward off evil spirits.

Residents enjoy picking fresh yellow peaches which are big, juicy and sweet.

A picking tour of the district's orchards is also a good option.Tang and her husband Xiang Xianfu are natives of Anhui Province who ventured into Shanghai 30 years ago.

"We were farmers, and we planted 30 mu (20,000 square meters) of rice at the start," she said. "Then our family members joined us, and the paddy area has grown to 1,000 mu now."

The site of the orchard was once a fish pond.

"We also tried other crops such as lotus root, leek and wheat, but all failed. I thought several times of giving up, but I decided to persist in the end," she said.

Tang contacted experts at Qingpu District Agriculture Station and received helps.

The farm was turned into a peach orchard based on experts' suggestions according to its soil and local climate conditions.

"It revitalizes the garden," said Tang.

The couple then started learning new techniques based on Internet research and from experts. They also hired technicians from Yaozhuang Town of Jiashan County in Zhejiang Province, the hometown of the peach, to share planting techniques with orchard workers.

"Traditional experience is not enough, and we started planting fruit from scratch," said Tang. "To keep learning is important."

"Scientific planting made us confident," said her husband.

After three years, the couple welcomed the orchard's first harvest season.

Now, the cooperative's fruit planting area covers about 150 mu of land, also growing pears, grapes and loquats.

"We have three varieties of yellow peaches, and many of our fruits have won awards," said Xiang.

At the couple's office, a number of trophies and medals are displayed, reflecting their toil and efforts.

Shanghai has 79 orchards accredited by greenery authorities for excellence in safety and quality based on criteria such as environment, planting processes and test results.

There are seven in Qingpu, and Shanghai Xianfu Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative is among them.

"Green and safe grain and fruits are our pursuits and pride," said the couple.