Random Thoughts from Backyard Peach Orchard

I love the smells of central California farmland (yes, even manure), but this smell, the fragrance that surrounds me when my head is up in a peach tree, is now one of my favorite smells.  Oh, Sweetness! 

A peach tastes best when it's warm and juicy and straight off the tree.

After afternoon naps we'd send the kids out into the orchard to pick peaches for dinner.  In the end they would just wander through the shade and point at the peach they wanted most.  The orchard is surrounded by a fence to keep the cows out (because they like peaches, too) and the kids in.  The kids would emerge from their chore with smiles, full tummies, and peach juice stains down their shirts.

One day while supervising said children I picked nine dozen peaches from four different trees.  And only about a quarter of the trees had ripe peaches--some of them are done for the summer and some have peaches that are still ripening.  My dad's orchard is a labor of love and a lab experiment all in one.

Planting a tree to save the earth is so nineteen ninety.  I say "Save the World and Stop World Hunger by Planting a Peach Tree."