Sharing the Harvest

That's it! The last peach has been plucked from the tree. Now I understand why the farmers kids would be let out of school to help with the harvest. There is no waiting, no putting it off until later. When it's time, its time.

Our harvest time lasts about three weeks. Beginning around the second week of April, depending on the weather, our morning ritual begins. The sun comes up, we hear the birds, we jump out of bed. Now we are all, (the birds, my husband and I), in pursuit of the softest, sweetest, juiciest peaches. This is what you call picking at the peak of flavor. It takes a gentle hand to press each peach on the tree.If you pick too early, the peach is too hard. If you pick too late,

the peach is mushy. Our life has revolved around the peach trees. Picking, sorting,cleaning, bagging, setting out the signs, keeping the cooler filled with peaches and meeting a few lovely neighbors. I know for a fact that the peaches were happily enjoyed in peach jam and peach cobbler. I have to say that the whole process of selling organic peaches, from the two trees in our own back yard, brought us great satisfaction.