[gardeners] Peaches
asidv@fbg.net (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 30 Jun 1998 08:33:24 +0000
Catharine wrote
> Ma, send her peanuts. Tell her about F'burg peaches.
Long story: F'bg has a big old warehouse called "The Peanut Factory"
-- lots of peanuts used to be grown hereabouts and could be again,
except our productive land is getting so expensive it
wouldn't be economically feasible. ( And more-or-less
non-productive land is generally used for hunting leases. . . or as
one neighbor is fond of saying, "I make big bucks from my big
bucks.")
Which leaves F'bg's other big crop: peaches. Now Georgia is
known for its peaches, and they are good, but Fbg peaches are better.
Usually smaller because we have less rain, but their flavor knocks
your socks off. Picking starts in late May with the clingstones
(Regal, Gold Prrince, Sentinel, Gala) and works its way through the
semi's and freestones (Harvester, Topaz, Cary Mac, Redglobe, Loring,
Majestic, Denman, Redskin, Dixiland, Jefferson and Fayette) through
the first half of August. During that period the roadside stands and
"Pick Your Own" signs proliferate and the whole county smells of
peaches. Stonewall, our neighbor a bit east of here, has an annual
Peach Festival complete with floats, Queen and Her Court, some
serious judging, a rodeo and dance, and peaches: in cobbler, pies,
bread, preserves, out-of-hand (on onto chin), and peach icecream,
peach slurpies, peach leather (and peach stains; a big business
here is Clorox).
Peaches don't ship well but peanuts do. The closest real peanut
producing is in Gorham, north of here. We'll visit there during the
season and send you some Liz.
Cheers. Mapat