“Peaches are so undefined by their names,” said Mr. DeGise, 41, of Hillsdale, who has 11 acres of peach orchards and grows 15 varieties at Demarest, including two types of nectarines. “A serious peach person will know that white peaches are spicier and a little juicier, and yellow peaches are meatier and sweeter. But if you give them two different varieties of yellow peaches, they’re not going to know the difference.”

Still, scientists like Dr. Goffreda and Mr. Frecon, a Rutgers professor emeritus, hope to convince consumers that peaches are worthy of the same categorized bin space that specific apples, like the Macintosh and the Gala, command in stores.

Unfortunately, this could be an uphill battle. The demand for peaches is rather flat, according to Mr. Frecon. “Peaches have competition from mangoes and kiwis and pluots, and even in the summertime there’s a huge display of apples in supermarkets that used to go to peaches,” he said.

Along with Mr. DeGise and Mr. Spollen, growers like Marc Phillips, co-owner with his wife, Holly, of Phillips Farms — a 250-acre farm in Milford with 30 varieties of peaches and nectarines on 18 acres — are doing their part to bolster consumption, despite the hardships.

Image Peach soaps at Demarest Farms in Hillsdale. Credit... Susan Stava for The New York Times

“Peaches are way more difficult for us in terms of production than apples, because they have to stay on the tree longer and they’re more delicate,” Mr. Phillips said. “They’re kind of a pain. But they add to our strong agricultural sector. We like having them.”

Like the Demarest farmers, Mr. Phillips offers pick-your-own peaches. But Mr. Phillips estimates that he sells the majority of his yield at farmers’ markets, including the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan and the Summit and Hunterdon Land Trust farmers’ markets in New Jersey. Demarest sells a little less than half of its summer harvest to pick-your-own customers, and the rest at its on-site market, which also offers peach dishes like homemade pie.