For reals. My 7 year old put this one to me and I had no clue. Any botanists wanna take a crack at it? My guess is that it’s some kind of defense against juice-sucking bugs with suckers shorter than the peach hairs. My kid would probably buy this one, but I wouldn’t feel right calling it gospel.
We used to have a peach orchard. The fuzz helps protect the peaches from bugs…aphids, in particular.
The fuzz is almost like fiberglass. If it gets in your skin, it itches and the more you scratch, the itchier it gets.
The easiest way to get rid of the fuzz, before eating one, is to pour boiling water over the peach. (It won’t hurt the peach.)