Peach ice cream and conversation are a way of life enjoyed by locals and out of state visitors alike.
When most people think of the month of May, they think of Mothers’ Day, the Kentucky Derby and Memorial Day Weekend. Ask someone from South Georgia, however, and they’ll add that May means the beginning of Peach Season! Georgia’s peach industry had eight to ten growers. Now, Brooks Burton Orchards, Lawson’s Peaches, and Luck & Moody Peaches are carrying on the peach farming tradition. In addition to providing peaches to retail markets, the farmers sell their peaches and peach-inspired products at their own sheds from May 1st through the fall. They also work with local produce and nut growers to offer a wide variety of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, from the farmers to the consumers. Barbara Lawson, of Lawson’s Peaches, puts it this way, “We appreciate our entire community and we extend all that we have to help it thrive.” Peach farmers, like other farmers, are at the mercy of both the weather and the market. Decades of experience have taught them which varieties of peaches will grow best, which ones to plant to extend the season, and which peach products keep people coming back year after year. They love what they do, but it isn’t easy. Lynn Abbott, who operates Burton Brooks Orchards along with her husband, Mike, is pragmatic about the business of running a farm. “You grow what will pay your bills. With the changes in weather and agriculture, it’s tough, no matter what you grow.” South Georgia’s weather, while a blessing compared to other parts of the country, doesn’t always cooperate in terms of the
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Brooks County Living
“chill hours” necessary for peaches. “Chill hours are the number of hours between 32° and 45° Farenheit. Winter hours above 60° are subtracted from the totals.”1 As Lou Jean Luck, of Luck and Moody Peaches explains, “We need 250-300 chill hours for the early varieties (of peaches) and 850 hours for the late varieties. And then, we have to hope that we don’t get a hard frost that will kill off the blossoms.” These challenges have led to innovations and diversification. The University of Georgia has developed peach cultivars that require fewer and fewer chill hours, which help our farmers to compete with the Middle Georgia growers. The farmers have developed relationships, not only at the local level, but at the state and national levels, too. All three growers are recognized as Georgia Certified Farm Markets, for the excellence of the produce that they grow and sell. In response to customer demand, they’ve introduced peach ice cream, peach pound cake, and peach lemonade. “So, which one should I visit?” you ask. All three families run wonderful peach sheds, and each one offers something unique. Make a point to visit them all! 1
Raintree Nursery, raintreenursery.com