I Thought My NYC Summers Would Be Sad and Peachless, Until…

Hilary Cadigan
...the Georgia Peach Truck rolled into town.

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Summer isn’t summer without peaches, but let’s face it: If you buy one outside Georgia or South Carolina, it’s probably going to suck. Which made moving to New York City from Atlanta last spring—right before the start of my beloved peach season—tough...and mealy, and flavorless. Lucky for me (and for you too, if you too live somewhere sad and peachless), there’s Brandon Smith and the Georgia Peach Truck.

Peaches, for Smith, began as a side hustle. The erstwhile bassist for culty ’90s indie band Rock*A*Teens used to make money between shows bagging produce at a suburban Atlanta farmers market. Then he traded band life for an MBA in finance. “I thought I'd end up an analyst working with spreadsheets and portfolios,” says Smith, “but I wound up having a lot more fun slinging peaches.” And so, he started a business doing just that.

Now, Smith spends his summers aboard the Georgia Peach Truck, hauling fuzzy globes of juicy goodness from a 120-year-old peach farm in central Georgia all up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The truck stops at farmers markets and garden centers in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, selling its wares by the half-bushel for $45 to $59, depending on sourcing and scarcity. Inventory turns over every two to five days so you know what you’re getting is fresh. I’ll have to wait ‘til July for the truck to reach Brooklyn, but my Google calendar is already marked.

Not sure what to do with 70 perfect peaches? Last year, my sister-in-law used hers to throw an entirely peach-based dinner party: peach shrub cocktails, peach salad, ribs smothered in peach barbecue sauce, and peach upside-down cake for dessert. This year, I will attempt to do the same. (Just kidding. I’m gonna go over to her house again.)

Buy some: Georgia Peach Truck

The Georgia Peach Truck embarks on its peach voyage from Atlanta on June 20, and rolls through August 5, finishing in New City, New York. For the full schedule of stops, visit georgiapeachtruck.com.

Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit