The Harvest Games have officially begun here at the farm. Translation: We’ve started picking peaches. With no cherries this year due to the crop being frozen out by spring frosts, peaches are the first crop that we’re picking. The variety we’re picking now is called “Risingstar”. This is a relatively new variety for us as we planted these trees nine years ago, knowing that we’d want an early season peach to sell at the farmers markets. It’s true that nine years doesn’t some seem “new”. When it comes to growing tree fruit, planning ahead (sometimes a decade out) is essential.
It does feel a little strange picking peaches in July~not unlike going into the grocery store the day after Christmas and see Cadbury’s Easter candy. Nonetheless, as I do enjoy a Cadbury’s Easter egg in January, I really enjoy a peach in July. As we pick these early variety of peaches, we have one to two more weeks before the madness of harvest will envelop us. That means several more evenings of entertaining friends, going out for a hike or two and possibly even camping on the weekend. Once we get into full-fledged harvest, those activities are off the table until November. The flip side is that we’ll have a bounty of peaches, heirloom tomatoes, apples and pears for a good long while.
So here’s to peaches in July. We’ll see what the Games bring this year!
