Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?

by

Food+Drink

What’s sweet, drips with juice, has a creamy texture somewhat like a mango, is harder than a banana but softer than an apple, and is “like kissing your Gramma’s cheek”?

The answer is a South Carolina peach.

Peach cultivation in South Carolina has made the state the leading producer of peaches east of the Mississippi. Only California produces more peaches than South Carolina. Although the Golden State produces about 10 percent of national production, most of its peaches are canned. Most of South Carolina’s peaches are fresh, giving it the distinction of being the top fresh-peach-producing state.

But, you might be wondering, why is Georgia, not South Carolina, called the Peach State?

Because Georgia, which actually ranks a distant third in peach production, had a savvy public relations team. South Carolina was just a little slow in branding itself.

The two neighbor states have engaged in a long-running, good-natured feud over which one produces not only the most but also the sweetest, juiciest, and tastiest peaches. South Carolina produces almost twice as many peaches as Georgia. For example, in 2015, South Carolina out-produced Georgia 69,000 tons to 39,000 tons. In recent years, however, several years of drought and late freezes hurt South Carolina producers, so the two states were almost equal in production.

“Weather can make or break you,” admits Kemp McLeod of McLeod Farms in McBee. 

Nonetheless, South Carolina still edges out the self-proclaimed Peach State, and millions across the nation enjoy those Palmetto State peaches in countless delicious beverages, appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

South Carolina's Peach Areas

Peaches are grown on more than 18,000 acres throughout the Palmetto State in three basic zones: the coastal plain, which produces about 11 percent of the state’s total; the Ridge, or south-central portion of the state, which produces 42.8 percent; and the Piedmont, the northern-most counties along the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which produces 46.2 percent. 

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An average year’s production is more than 200 million pounds with a gross value of around $50 million. With the $30 million in value added to other area industries, it’s easy to see the importance of the peach industry to the state’s economy.

Chalmers Carr of Titan Farms, the largest peach operation on the east coast and located in Ridge Spring, South Carolina, says, “South Carolina has the perfect climate for growing outstanding peaches.” He points out the “rich, acidic soils” and “the proper mixture of humidity and 70-degree summer nights” that combine to produce the perfect environment for “optimum flavor and, natural ripening.”

The Piedmont is ideal for peach growing because it has good elevation, plenty of rainfall, and good soil drainage to handle excess rainfall. It also is protected from the most severe weather—the cold of winter and the worst of the heat of summer—by the Appalachian Mountains.

Of all the Upstate counties, Spartanburg County produces the most peaches, 70 percent of the Upstate total. Within that county, the area around the town of Inman is the top producer. In fact, Inman, which is less than a dozen miles from the North Carolina border via Route 176 or Interstate 26, has been called “Peach Town, USA.” Spartanburg’s Herald-Journal newspaper once touted itself as “the Peach Paper.” 

Spartanburg County’s dominance in the state’s peach industry is flaunted by a highly visible water tank along Interstate 85 in Gaffney that is painted like a ripe peach and is referred to as the “Peachoid.” It was erected in 1981 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company and painted its distinctive ripe-peach color by macroartist Peter Freudenberg. The 135-foot-tall, 998,570-gallon tank is “the South’s most famous water tower.”

Varieties of South Carolina Peaches

South Carolina produces 40 to 50 varieties of peaches. The most popular is the Blake (9.2 percent) followed closely by the Redglobe (8.1 percent). Redhaven, Coronet, Junegold, Loring, Jefferson, Harvester, Dixired, and Rio Oso Gem round out the top ten varieties.

Peaches are divided into two broad types: clingstone and freestone. The distinction is how easily the flesh of the peach separates from the pit, or seed. Freestone peaches, which are more desirable for their ease of separation, make up all of South Carolina’s mid-to-late-season harvest.

Peaches are also divided according to the color of their flesh. Yellow-fleshed peaches are acidic and tart. They are especially good for baking the mouth-watering peach cobblers we so much enjoy. White-fleshed peaches, on the other hand, are sweet and less acidic, making them good for immediate eating. They are delicate, however, and easily bruised.

Typically, peach orchards have about 100 trees per acre. Some growers, however, practice high-density growing with as many as 400 trees per acre. The fruit is usually picked beginning in the third year of a tree’s growth, but some can be harvested in the second year. 

Peach Growers' Concerns

Peach growers have three primary concerns, any one of which can affect crop yields. One concern is diseases. These include scale, bacterial canker, and fungal diseases, such as Armillaria root rot. All of these, except the root rot, can be treated by spraying.

Another concern is insect pests, including scale insects and various borers, which attack the tree itself, and a host of insects that attack the leaves and the fruit as it is developing. These pests are handled by spraying and by pruning and destroying the affected limbs. As with other crops, it is much better to prevent problems than to deal with them after they have attacked the tree or the fruit.

A third concern is weather, especially late freezes that damage young buds and blossoms. Even a one- or two-degree difference in temperature can spell the difference between disaster and profitable yields for a peach crop. Some growers use wind machines or spray freezing water to coat and protect the developing fruit from freezing temperatures. Similarly, extended periods of drought or excessive rainfall can adversely affect production. A drought in 2016–17 dramatically reduced South Carolina’s production.

South Carolina's Peach Growers

Many of South Carolina’s top peach producers are third-, fourth-, or even fifth-generation, family-run operations. The top producers in the Upstate are Abbott Farms, Belue Farms, Cooley Farms and Fisher’s Orchards.

Abbott Farms of Gaffney is one of the “youngest” peach operations in the state, having begun operations in 1955. Although they started out as only a single peach stand on a two-lane highway, today they operate six markets located off Interstate 85, Interstate 95, and Interstate 26.

Belue Farms of Boiling Springs also has operated since 1955. Beginning with 45 acres and one packing shed, they have developed into a large peach-packing, self-sustaining farm off exit 75 on Interstate 85, offering natural and organic fruits.

Cooley Farms in Gaffney is more commonly known as Strawberry Hill because, like most farms in the region, the owners have diversified their crop production to ensure year-round income. It is a third-generation farm that began growing peaches in 1946. Although peaches remain the primary crop, it also offer strawberries and a variety of vegetables. Cooley Farms also operate a restaurant, an ice-cream shop, two produce markets and a fall corn maze.

Fisher Orchards in Greer began growing peaches during the lean years of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Like most peach growers of the day, it sold peaches to large canneries or packed them for shipment to faraway markets. But in 1968 the owners ran a newspaper ad for pick-your-own peaches. “That was something people had never been able to do before,” Carol Fisher said, and customers flocked to the orchards. The Fishers now operate not only a thriving main pick-your-own location but also two seasonal fruit and vegetable stands.

Peach producers elsewhere in South Carolina include the following.

  • Big Smile/Yonce & Sons of Johnston began on a small scale in 1932 but has become one of the largest commercial producers in the state with 3,000 acres. It ships more than one million boxes of peaches a year.
  • Chappell Farms of Barnwell is a fifth-generation farm, having operated in the same family since 1927. It features 15 different varieties.
  • Dixie Belle in Ward has been in the same family for four generations. It has acreage in parts of Aiken, Edgefield, and Saluda counties, grows more than 30 varieties of peaches, and packs about a half-million pounds a year.
  • McLeod Farms of McBee has been operating since 1916. It has approximately 650 acres that produce 22 different varieties of peaches.
  • Sease Farms of Lexington is another comparative newcomer to the industry, having begun operations in 1942 with only 20 acres. Today, however, it is a major producer. 
  • Titan Farms in Ridge Springs is the largest peach producer on the east coast with 4,000 acres in orchards, yet it continues to operate as a family farm.
  • Watsonia Farms in Monetta is another fourth-generation business, having operated since 1918. An industry forerunner, it now cultivates more than 900 acres of peach trees.

Health Benefits of Peaches

Peaches, which are more than 80 percent water, are a good source of fiber and offer many health benefits, especially for dieters. They are not only pure sweetness and tastiness but also rich sources of iron, carbohydrates, potassium, flavonoids, alpha hydroxy and phenolic acids, and vitamins A, B, and C. 

To gain the optimum benefits, one must pick peaches at the right time and condition. Although many people think the best time to pick a peach is when it is “blushing,” a deep reddish-purple, the best time actually is when it is a creamy-white or yellow. If it has a greenish tint, it is not ripe and will taste bland, lack sweetness and be less juicy. Ripe, ready-to-pick peaches will have a distinctive pleasant, “peachy” aroma. They will also have what the industry calls a “firm ripe” feel, with just a little give. 

So when selecting peaches, don’t just look; touch and smell, too. Better yet, get a taste. Sink your teeth into the luscious flesh. Let the juices flow across your tongue, retaining that memorable aftertaste of ambrosia. Most growers and sellers will encourage such sampling because they know that the proof is in the peach.

Handling and Use

Once picked, be sure to handle and store peaches properly. Peaches that are not quite ripe, showing a faint greenish tint, can be ripened by simply leaving them on a kitchen counter at room temperature for a few days. Don’t refrigerate them; that actually will stop the ripening process. Once ripe, or if they are past maturity, put them in the refrigerator, where they can remain good for seven to 10 days. You can freeze them if they won’t be used for a long period of time, although that takes some preparation. To freeze, first peel and slice them, then put them in self-sealing freezer bags, adding two tablespoons of sugar for every cup of fruit. (The sugar extracts juice.) Date the bags and put them in the freezer for enjoyment all year long.

The next time you visit South Carolina in spring or summer, look for a roadside stand offering fresh peaches. The taste will be a memorable experience.

Peaches through history

  • 2000 B.C. Earliest known peach production began in China.
  • 16th century Spanish missionaries introduced peach growing to the 
  • New World.
  • 1629 Settlers in Jamestown began growing “Indian peaches.”
  • 1670 Peaches were seen growing on St. Helena Island.
  • 1715 Indian peaches growing in South Carolina
  • 1850s Robert Fortune found peaches growing in Shanghai and sent seedlings to Charles Downing in New York, who shared them with an amateur horticulturist in Columbia, South Carolina. The “Chinese Cling” peach became the genetic forerunner for the modern commercial peach industry and the numerous varieties grown today, including such famous varieties as the Elberta and the Hale. William Ravenal recorded peaches growing in Aiken, S.C., in 1856.
  • 1872 R.B. Watson began growing peaches commercially in Ridge Springs. During the decade, J. Verne Smith planted the first commercial peach orchard in Greer. (A major four-lane parkway connecting U.S. 29 and U.S. 101 in Spartanburg County is named in Smith’s honor.) Samuel Henry Rumph developed the Elberta variety, “one of the most dominant fruit varieties of all time.”
  • 1890 Howard Hale created a peach farm that became one of the largest in the world.
  • 1910–1930 The “peach boom.” In 1924, pioneer growers and Clemson College Extension organized a peach-marketing association. Production increased from 16 train carloads in 1923 to 103 in 1928 and more than 1,000 in 1935. The first Spartanburg County Peach Festival was held in Inman in July 1939.
  • 1946 Spartanburg County had 254 peach sheds. Inman, S.C., became the largest peach-producing city with the largest loading point in the nation. For the first time, South Carolina led all states in the shipment of fresh peaches.
  • 1968 South Carolina produced a record 416 million pounds of peaches.

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