Harvesting 2nds Peaches

   We praise God that we did get a total of 1.0 inch of rain a few days ago.  We're praying that we'll get more rain over the next few weeks, as our farm is still 6 inches behind the amount of rain that our fruit and pecan trees need at this point in the growing season.

   Our mid-season peach varieties are now starting to ripen, but most fruit are small, and almost all fruit are 2nds with cracks, peach scab or bird pecks due to the long summer drought and high heat.  We're now harvesting my favorite peach variety, 'Intrepid', and I eat some of the 3rds of this variety 3 times each day.  (3rds have excessive fruit cracking or peach scab, so we don't sell them, but I peel them and cut them in chunks and they're delicious to eat plain or on frozen yogurt.)

We're now harvesting my favorite peach variety, 'Intrepid', but unfortunately almost all fruit are 2nds with cracks, bird pecks or peach scab, as here.

   We now have less than 12 pounds of #1 peaches, with no damage, and we sell them for $1.48 per pound + sales tax.  We sell #2 (2nds) peaches, with cracks or bird pecks, for $1.06 per pound + sales tax, and as of now we have about 30 pounds of #2 peaches for sale.

   Our later-season peach varieties will ripen in mid- to late Aug., and we hope to have more #1 fruit of those varieties.  If we get some more rain, those later varieties will also have larger fruit.  But the best-tasting variety for me is still 'Intrepid'.  

   We also still have some harvested, cracked pecans for sale, now until late Aug. or early Sept.  These are big, beautiful pecans with thin shells and great taste.  Some originated from my husband Bill's pecan breeding program on our farm, so only exist here.  We sell cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick out the pecan kernels, you get 3 pounds or more of nutmeats.  Each bag costs $18.52 + sales tax.

Our cracked pecans are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.

   These pecans keep well in the freezer for at least 6 years.  Once we sell out of these pecans from our 2021 crop, we will not have any more for sale until harvest of the 2022 pecan crop begins in mid-Nov.  Our 2022 pecan crop looks good, but we won't harvest as many tons as in 2021, and the kernels will not be as large due to  the long spell of high heat and drought.

    If you do want to come buy pecans and/or peaches in Aug., please phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message on our answering machine with your name, day and time you plan to come (during our Summer Open Hours), and what you want to buy.  The best times to come get pecans and/or peaches are late morning, 10:30 or 11 a.m., or early evening, 7 or 7:30 p.m.

   Early each morning, a worker and I harvest peaches.  Our newest peach orchard is far from our sales building, so I usually can't hear vehicles come in the driveway or the bell ring out there.  After harvesting peaches for the day, if we don't have customers, I may be working on the tractor, and again can't hear vehicles come in or the bell ring.  So I appreciate a call a day ahead so I can expect you.  Thanks.