gld, I think ours was froze out here too but i'll check around and let you know. Clarksville has a peach festival every year and have shipped in peaches in from OK before. We do have a big peach orchard here. Clarksville is on I-40 abt 80 mi. E of Fort Smith.
vickie

Thanks vickie.

gld. I checked with the peach festival officials and they said "there would not be any peaches this year because of the late freeze. OK was wiped out and all of AR. The closest peaches were in Georgia and Alabama. I always look forward to some fresh peaches but i guess not this year.
Sorry we can't help you.
vickie

No peaches here this year. I bought California peaches at Wal Mart yesterday. I hope they will taste like peaches...

drat, drat, drat!! I was looking forward to a good drive down south. May have to think up another reason.

According to reports, the Alabama peach crop was a total loss due to the freeze also. Georgia farmers lost about 50% of their crop. Haven't seen any news about SC, but one of our local grocery stores has been advertising their peaches.
Farmers are getting up to $50 per bushel ($1 per lb.) for the large ones, $25 for small, because they are much sweeter due to spring drought conditions (less water in them).
Guess I will have to pass this year. Grocery prices are spiraling out of control due to worldwide shortage of grain and have to cut back somewhere.
Rb

We broke down and bought some California peaches at the store...tasted pretty much like cardboard. Bleah.

I bought some dandy ones at the Farmer's Market in Little Rock last weekend. They were Elbertas (Alberta?) and from the Louisiana/Arkansas border. Apparently, the freeze didn't get that far down south. They were great, and if they're out this weekend, I figure that's about it for the peach season. If anybody is down this way, Hardin's Market in the middle of the Farmer's Market building should have some.

On the bright side, any trees which lost fruit this year should have a very good growing season as all the energy that goes into making fruits will be put into the tree instead. If the Weather Gods (or Weather Goddesses) are any kinder next year we should have a very good fruit year.

This has been a sad sad year for fruit in northwest Arkansas. Essentially, there is none-- the trees and bushes got started early because of the warm spring, then got badly damaged by the freeze.

I don't think I've ever experienced a summer here without peaches from Friends' Orchard fruit stand or blueberries from one of the local u-pick places. It's quite pitiful.

Those nasty California grocery peaches are actually tasting pretty good to me right now-- but I know it's just because I'm so completely deprived of the good stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: sad sad sad.

It's in the other direction, but Michigan has some fantastic peaches. I'm about ready to drive up there myself and get some since our trees did zip this year due to that wonderful little freeze we had.

Here is a link that might be useful: pickyourown.org