Best of the Summer Fruit is here.

Seedless grapes
Nectarines
Sugar pears
Early Gold apples
White and yellow freestone peaches

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 12, 2019, we will be at the Scottsboro, Winchester, and Guntersville farmers markets. We open at the markets at 7:00 am and expect to sell out so get there early!

The orchard salesroom is open 7 days a week, 8 to 5 pm. Our address is 6236 County Road 39 Fackler, AL 35746. Visit the salesroom for larger boxes of peaches up to half bushels.

As always please call the sales room at 256.437.9254 during business hours for fruit availability. #BuyLocal #FreshFruitLikeItWasMeantToBe

We will be in the parking lot of Chow King Buffet & Grill across from Lowe’s in Fort Payne tomorrow from 7am-12pm (or sooner if we sell-out). We will have peaches and Early Gold apples.

Address: 1509 Glenn Blvd SW, Fort Payne AL 35968

A common question from customers is how to keep their peaches. I took home a half bushel of peaches for me and my husband, and am now at the end of them. I didn’t lose any. Here is how to keep them as long as possible.

Ripe peaches are very fragile, and it is impossible to keep from bruising them while picking, packing, and just regular handling. They also have a very short shelf life. That is why we (and most orchards) pick them while they are still firm requiring you to let them ripen for a couple of days. Our packers separate out any ripe peaches which are sold at a discount in case you need a few ripe peaches that day.

When you get your box of firm peaches home, store them in the refrigerator. Unless you bought them to can or freeze all at one time, remove a few peaches at a time from the refrigerator to ripen. Lay them in a single layer. In a day or two, they should be ready to eat. My husband and I rotated through a large box of peaches doing this. We always had the right number of ripe peaches ready when we wanted them, but had them last for much longer than if I had let the whole half bushel ripen at once.  Once they have ripened, they can be put back in the refrigerator.

Occasionally, a customer returns to the orchard to complain that their fruit went bad. When questioned, they admit that they had not refrigerated it, but had kept it in a garage or “cool” back bedroom. Fruit will rot fairly quickly if not kept cold, like most perishable produce. The colder the better (above freezing) and the longer your fruit will last. I have eaten ripe peaches I picked off the tree, and peaches that I stored in my refrigerator. Once ripened, they taste the same.

More important is whether the peaches are locally grown and fresh-picked, not having been shipped a thousand miles or more. When I lived in Arizona and bought peaches at the store, they more often than not rotted before they got ripe and sweet. Kind of like waiting for a store-bought tomato to taste good.

Red Haven peaches are here! They are a sweet eating semi-cling peach. We will be at the Guntersville AL, Scottsboro AL and Winchester TN farmers markets tomorrow, Saturday July 6, from 7am – sell out. We will have Red Haven peaches and Early Gold apples. The sales room at the orchard is open seven days a week from 8am – 5pm. #FreshFruit #PeachSeasonIsHere