Not all fruit is created equal. The balance of sugar and acid, texture, and aroma all contribute to what makes a piece of fruit legendary. While our taste buds remain the ultimate judge of what’s exceptional, there’s another tool we use to measure the quality of our fruit: Brix.

If you’ve followed Frog Hollow Farm over the years, you’ve likely heard the term before. Brix, measured in degrees (°Bx), refers to the ratio of Total Soluble Solids (TSS) to water in a solution. While it’s often associated with sugar content, particularly sucrose, it actually measures a more complex mix that includes fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and plant hormones. In short, a higher Brix value doesn’t just mean sweeter fruit: it often means more nutrient-dense fruit as well.

The fruit we grow typically measures much higher in Brix than what you’ll find through most conventional channels. That means a Frog Hollow peach or apricot is more flavorful and satisfying.

Two of the most important factors that influence a fruit’s Brix are soil quality and ripeness.

It All Starts with the Soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of healthy fruit. Our regenerative farming practices focus on building living, microbially-rich soil that supports the total health of our orchard ecosystem. Trees grown in this kind of soil are not only more resilient to pests and disease, but they also produce fruit with higher Brix levels. That’s because a biologically active soil microbiome enables better nutrient uptake, which translates into more complex sugars and is thought to contribute to higher nutritional value in the fruit.

Ripeness is Key

The longer a piece of fruit is allowed to hang on the tree, the more sugars and nutrients it develops. Fully ripe fruit doesn’t just taste better, it is better, with more concentrated vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. That’s why we don’t harvest on a strict calendar. Instead, we let the fruit—and the Brix—tell us when it’s ready.

Over the years, we’ve established variety-specific minimum Brix thresholds for every fruit we grow. That’s because no two varieties are quite the same in their capacity to develop sugars and soluble solids. Take peaches, for example: our beloved Cal Red variety regularly Brix higher than the heirloom Suncrest, even though both are incredibly sweet and flavorful in their own right. This difference doesn’t make one better than the other;  it simply reflects the natural variation between varieties.

A Snapshot from This Season

In late June, we tested 24 Suncrest Peaches from this season’s harvest. The range was remarkable, between 10.8 and 23 degrees Brix with an average of 16.9°Bx. To put that in perspective:

• Medium Brix: 10.01 – 12.00 °Bx
• High Brix: 12.01 – 14.00 °Bx
• Very High Brix: 14.01 °Bx and above

With an average well into the “very high” category, our Suncrests are delivering a standout flavor experience this year.

Brix and Beyond

In the broader industry, Brix is often treated as the definitive metric for sweetness, flavor, and quality. But in our experience, Brix is only one part of the story. It’s a valuable tool, especially when paired with intuition, experience, and a lot of taste testing.

At Frog Hollow, we value data. But we value flavor even more. We know that behind every number is a tree, a farmer, a patch of living soil, and a piece of fruit grown with care and intention. That’s what makes it taste so good.

Explore all the flavors our legendary fruit has to offer!