Peach growers welcome abundant crop
May 21—A cold snap in early March put a scare into some local peach growers, but one of the state's most popular products is being picked and packed at a normal pace this month, with some farms having begun harvesting in early May.
"Everything's looking good right now," said Larry Cook, co-owner of Cook's Roadside Market in Trenton. "We had a few more peaches than we thought we had."
Edgefield, Saluda and Lexington counties are among the state's top peach producers, constituting an area known to some as "The Ridge." Spartanburg and Chesterfield counties are also major players.
An upbeat report also came from Titan Farms, the biggest peach producer east of California, with about 6,000 peach-dedicated acres spread among Saluda, Edgefield and Aiken counties.
"We did have some damage early on, but we got a good crop, so we're excited, and we're going to have peaches through August," said Jason Rodgers, vice president of operations for Titan, which is based in Ridge Spring.
"We've probably been picking good for about three weeks," said Clemson University extension agent Sarah Oswald Scott, noting that the season usually hits its peak in early July and goes into early September.
"Things are looking good. We still are pretty astonished at the crop that we have despite those freeze events that we had ... It looks like we'll have really good volume, especially with the mid-season varieties. Those are the ones that are going to be the best, as far as cropload and everything, but overall, I think everybody is pleased right now," she said.
South Carolina's peach growers sometimes acknowledge a rivalry with Georgia, and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's website notes, "South Carolina averages more than three times the amount (in pounds) of peaches harvested in Georgia in a typical season. Georgia is known as the peach state because commercial peach production began in Georgia, and many known varieties were hybridized there, including 'Elberta.'"
Chris Yonce, co-owner of J.W. Yonce and Sons in Johnston, noted, "We're getting into volume now, and we should be distributing peaches from now to the end."
Yonce, who is also vice president of the South Carolina Peach Council, helps tend about 4,000 acres of peaches spread among Aiken, Edgefield and Saluda counties. He said his crew started picking about a week ago.
His company distributes under the name brand of Big Smile Peaches and reaches the eastern third of the United States.
Yonce noted that this year's challenges for farmers include a substantial hike in the price of such major factors as fertilizer and diesel fuel. "It's creating a big strain," he said, noting a bleak outlook for many farmers, due to inability to pay bills.
"All things peaches" are on the mind of Brandon Velie, one of South Carolina's most prominent culinary creators, by way of his work as chef and co-owner of Juniper, in Ridge Spring. "We're definitely thinking peach crisps, peach butter, peach creme brûlée, peach pies and we're going to do a peach gazpacho — cold peach soup," Velie said.
Freestone peaches are among the season's most popular offerings and usually are market-ready in mid-June.
Local buyers have a variety of options to consider, with one of the oldest being the Aiken County Farmers Market, at 115 Williamsburg St. S.E. Another is The Peach Pit, at 1518 Whiskey Road (in the parking lot of Tyler's Tire and Auto Center).
Some options have yet to open for the season, including the two Sara's Fresh Market locations: 2601 Columbia Highway North, Aiken (opening May 27); and 5150 Edgefield Road, Trenton (May 26). Titan's main facility, at 5 R.W. Dubose Road, in Ridge Spring, will to open for retail sales May 26.
