South Carolina Peaches and Southern Hospitality

Posted on by Joyful2bee

Ever since I can remember my family always loved South Carolina peaches. There is just something about their juiciness, sweet, peachy goodness, that sets them apart, for me, from all other peaches. (I have to interject here, that some parts of Georgia and at least some western parts of North Carolina grow the same peaches.) Since I grew up in South Carolina I will just talk about SC peaches.

Four unpeeled SC peaches.

Peachy history

I just found out that peaches were a delight to the Chinese emperors of the 10th century and were called Persian Apples. The Persians (now Iranians) shared them with the Romans; who shared them with Alexander the Great; who spread the word about them across Europe. They eventually came across to America in SC in the 1600’s. The Native Americans spread the seeds as they traveled, and that’s how they got here.

So what is so special about South Carolina peaches?

They have made my home state the biggest peach producer on the eastern part of our country, Georgia comes in second. But to me, that only speaks to the goodness of these fruits, so full of vitamins and flavor.  The SC peaches I found to generally be bigger, juicier, more flavorful, more enjoyable (Oops, I am prejudiced), and even according to others, they have a fruity, honey taste to some people. The outside of the peach is also a beautiful pinkish color, and the fruit itself has a marvelous aroma that tickles your mind into wanting more.

Okay, you now have the background for this story.  

Since I live in North Carolina I used to make a trip to South Carolina to see family about every 6-8 weeks. When I could schedule a trip to SC during peach season, I usually bought one half of a peck to share with my family and friends here at my home.

So, after returning from one of these trips, I was eager to share my home state’s amazing peaches to see the faces of my family and friends as they enjoyed them.

Having been raised to always offer something to drink or eat to a guest, and being loaded with a good supply of peaches, when one of my son’s friends, Chris, came over to visit, I figured he had never had the pleasure of tasting the SC juicy, wonderful peaches; so I asked if he would like a bite of one.

“Oh… no thank you Mrs. Estes.”

I figured he didn’t want to “put me out” (Southern(?) expression for “inconvenience”). So I waited a little while and told him if he wanted to try one, I would peel and cut it up.

“Oh, that’s nice of you, but no thank you.”

Perceiving his reticence as extreme politeness, I prepared a couple of peaches for myself (and whoever else might want one) and offered him one last chance to enjoy even a taste of a wonderful succulent, sweet South Carolina peach.

“No, that’s okay. I appreciate the offer but than you.”

Okay, his loss, my gain. (lol!) I didn’t pester him any more.

Later, my son came for another visit and told me that Chris related his experience with me and my peach offerings. “She was like Betty Crocker on acid!”

Somehow, this story got around to my son’s friends, and I had a reputation….for offering peaches, water, or food to anyone who came to my house. But I still wonder if that nickname is remembered by the other people in my son’s group of friends.

Sliced SC peachy goodness.
Sliced SC peachy goodness.

 

42 thoughts on “South Carolina Peaches and Southern Hospitality”

  2. When I lived in North Carolina I always looked forward to our neighbors annual visit south to visit their relatives and bring back those delicious South Carolina Peaches. A lovely post that brings back many a pleasant memory. 🐞

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    1. I always peeled them because of the possibility of insecticides. I definitely liked the insides the best. Thank you for your comment! Delighted that it brought back some memories for you.

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  4. Nice photo of a peach, I would give anything to taste that peach, it is right on the end of my tongue now, anything for the taste of summer instead of winter.
    Have a nice weekend

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  6. Many do not know that there are many varieties of peaches, and that the varieties produce fruit for maybe 10 days ortwo weeks, followed by a different variety. The freestone peaches come in around the end of June or start of July. Opinion here: the tastiest variety is the O’Henry, a peach that shows up in early August. Not to be missed. The Big Red comes shortly thereafter and is a worthy competitor. I have been told that the perfect climate for peach growth is a place where the temperature drops to 40 degrees 100 times in the calendar year. This is one of the things that makes the Spartanburg County and Cherokee County peaches in SC superior to the “Sand Hill” peaches and other area. Not too besmirch other peaches; they are all good, but some are better than others. Most know that Georgia is the “Peach State”, and some know that more peaches are grown in Spartanburg County than in the entire state of Georgia. Ditto for Cherokee County.

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  7. The best we Northerners can do is wait for August, until our tree-ripened variety are at their perfect peak. I did, however, eat a peach for lunch today, and it was so juicy, it might have come from South Carolina 😀

    Thanks for your deliciously descriptive tale!

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  10. I love learning old phrases. I’ve heard ” love you a bushel and a peck…” but had no idea that the term “peck” was meant for measuring dry goods. I had to look it up and saw that it is a unit of 2 dry gallons. A bushel and a peck means a whole lot plus a little more. Sorry for geeking out but I love learning old phrases. Great post – I’ll be back!

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      1. it was a childhood nickname given to me by my neighbors, said I was shaped like a peach, and I reclaimed it when I became a grandma. it just spread over time to others who are close to me )

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  12. I love peaches too, Vermont peaches!
    I think we love our own peaches because the local ones are the absolute freshest and the juiciest, unlike any peaches that are grown to ship. We don’t even bother buying Georgia peaches here when they are in season, they are always a disappointment. But I’ve eaten peaches while actually in Georgia, and they were delightful! Obviously not the same varieties. The best ones don’t ship well, and peaches ripen quickly.
    The problem with Vermont peaches is because of our climate, many years we have a late frost when they are blossoming and thus, no peaches or very few. Sigh!

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        1. Dorothy, you are absolutely right! I need to ship some SC peaches when they come out! Thanks for the conversation on peaches. Can’t wait for some fresh peaches. We already have fresh strawberries here. Have a great spring!

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            1. A long time ago I learned a neat thing to do with strawberries. Mix frozen or fresh strawberries with a tsp of butter,some pecans and some strawberry preserves. Defrost the strawberries if frozen, then cook them about a minute. While they are heating up, cook some waffles in the toaster hearing up. When hot, place one or two on your plate and spoon out some hot strawberry mix on the pancake(s). Yummy!

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  13. Had no idea about South Carolina and peaches, I haven’t been South Carolina actually, so never had a chance to check them out, or even hear about them. I like the honey taste idea, I have to check them out when I get back to traveling.

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