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There are a couple of wineries in the Fennville/Saugatuck area. I bet they're in real trouble for crop this year, too. Most of the grape types they grow don't recover from frost damage very well at all. Fruit farming just gets harder and harder as the climate gets more and more unsettled.

Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

I tried some if the peaches I bought yesterday. It's another excellent crop, although not quite as sweet as last year. Still plenty good, though. The truck guys told me that they charge an additional $1/box when they sell in Illinois due to the higher sales tax. Get 'em in Wisconsin if you can.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Certainly true. I work in an agriculturally-related business and the global volatility we've seen over the past 5 years has been precedent-setting.

A farmer contact of mine once told me that in a long year, they can't price the fruit high enough to make any money and in a short year, they don't have enough fruit to make any money. I told him that given those parameters, it was amazing that they had somehow managed to stay in business for over 60 years. He laughed. But yeah, it's a monumentally tough gig.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

If the premium for buying a 1/2 bushel in IL is only $1.00, how many cases must you buy in order to pay for the gas to drive to WI?

The driving distance from Gurnee (the northernmost point of sale in IL) to Kenosha (the southernmost point of sale in WI) is ~15 miles. At 30 mpg (if you can get that) and ~$3,90 for gas, the round trip for those who live south of Gurnee is an additional $3.90.

Since the trucks go to Gurnee, McHenry and Crystal Lake on only three dates, the trip into Wisconsin is probably more convenient. It also gives you an excuse to eat and shop around Kenosha and Racine and points further north.

The Kewpie, Wells Brothers, kringles, Tenuta's, The Spot and peaches, too! An LTHer's dream of a road trip.

Hi Geo- There is a winery right down the road from our farm. Wine grapes did not suffer as much damage as juice grapes did. They have at least a third of a crop. Welch's though is hurting for grapes this season, and cherry pies are going to be scarce in the grocery store this winter.

All true. And as added incentive, I paid only $3.49 for gas in Kenosha on Saturday (just of 94 @ Hwy 50).

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

There is one winery in Fennville, and they are not in for any significant crop trouble this year. Wine grapes stay dormant longer, so they did not advance along in March like the fruit trees did. There is some reduction I hear in the Chardonnay and Riesling crop (as they do get a head start), but wine grapes in general are in much better shape than juice grapes like Concord.

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Local Beet

Sorry if I'm being obtuse Warden-style, but if this truck keeps bouncing around upper midwest towns and suburbs for weeks, does that mean that the peaches were picked weeks ago and have been sitting on the truck for all that time? Or is there a supply truck that comes up from Georgia once a week or bi-weekly to bring fresh fruit? If it's the former, then I'm confused as to why ripening for a day or so at home would be more important than how long it has sat in the truck in the first place. I'm also confused as to why they could taste better than local peaches plucked within a couple of days before a local farmers market.

I did buy some fairly decent southern Illinois peaches at a farmer's market last weekend. It was $5 for a small container, which held about 7-8 medium sized peaches. Not the greatest value.

They have several trucks (3 - 4) in the area that make different stops during the week. They are resupplied by semis that come back and fourth a couple of times/week from Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, GA. The peaches don't just sit in a hot truck for weeks at a time. They guy told me that on a good weekend, they'll go through 1 - 1.5 semi's worth of peaches, so there's quite a bit of turnover.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Now that makes sense. Thanks.

These are absolutely THE BEST peaches I have ever had.
They are like an entirely different fruit from what you get in the grocery store, which I have given up buying completely.
They are better than farmers market peaches too. IMHO.
My only regret last year was that I only bought 1 case.
Do you know where I will be Saturday??
PEACH TRUCK!
LOL

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"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

Do they sell out? I'm going to try to make it this weekend in Gurnee, but I don't think I can get there right at 1:30

I'll be hitting the truck in Tomah, WI next Tuesday. I'll have to stall a bit as I had planned on being in Tomah earlier, but that's easily done. I'll report back next week.

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Ms. Ingie
Life is too short, why skip dessert?

Thanks for this thread.
Anybody know the hours of the truck?
How early in the morning do they get to a stop?
Thanks!
Jill

http://www.tree-ripe.com/locations/illinois.html
I'll be going Sat to Gurnee, which is 1:30 to 3:00

different hours are posted for each location, and they usually do not sell out, but there is usually a line.

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"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

I've shared the peaches from the box that Stevez so kindly purchased on my behalf last weekend with everyone I know--friends, the kids on Sully's baseball team, my clients--and everyone is a huge new fan. Thanks LTH!!

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Picked up two boxes this morning!

Georgia peaches from Tree Ripe Fruit Co. by Mel Hill Photography, on Flickr


One for me and one for a friend

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my food shots

Three of us bought four boxes this past Saturday in Gurnee for the first time. The truck pulled in the Menard's parking lot about 2-3 minutes after we did, and within 5 minutes, there were ~75 people lined up. The peaches looked great upon purchase but were almost hard as an apple. The peaches were very cold as the ripened process was delayed in refrigerated trucks during their trip from Georgia. Yesterday, a couple of the peaches ripened nicely and tasted great, and this morning even more had ripened to a perfect consistency. I've got quite a few plans to use them all up.

For those interested in numbers, one of our 25lb boxes, at $36, had 61 peaches in it.

HI, we must have been in line together!
I bought 3 boxes, (one for another LTH'er)
and they are ripening nicely..
some have already been eaten regardless, and some have been stashed in the frig for slower ripening.
Visions of cobblers and jam and pies now dance in my head...

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"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

served with vanilla ice cream

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my food shots

Irisarbor kindly picked up a box for me last week & they are amazing. So amazing, I don't know if there will be many left to can, so already planning for at least one more box this season.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

Ms. Ingie picked up a case in Tomah last week, and another in Janesville on her way back to Chicago yesterday. She was told that next week will probably be their last week. The peaches that she shared with me are huge, perfectly ripe, and must be eaten while leaning over a sink.

I have maybe 10-12 peaches left out of 2 boxes.
I only made 1 cobbler...LOL (this was a great and easy recipe)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ler-102277
the rest were shared or eaten out of hand.
I did make 2 salads topped with peaches
bibb, spring mix, grape tomato, feta, basil, peaches, candied walnuts-so yummy (lemon-honey-herb vinagrette)

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"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

Picked up a box today in Sturtevant (South Racine) after a stop at Captain Porky's for lunch. The challenge begins for how many ways a household of two can eat peaches! I really want to make a pie, but hate turning on the oven when it's 100 outside. A cobbler sounds great.

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-Mary

If you macerate the peaches, then boil down the juice as in this recipe:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/latt ... h-pie.aspx
then peach pie filling freezes really well!

Cheers, Jen

Thanks, Jen. That was one of the ways I was planning to use these.

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-Mary

Made freezer jam with the peaches and it is pretty thin. Any suggestions how to thicken it?

I used the less sugar sure jell box of pectin and followed the recipe.

TIA

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my food shots

I'm really enjoying my peaches. I was a little concerned because they were so hard when I got them, but in two days, they ripened beautifully. Juicy, flavorful, everything a peach should be.

The downside of these peaches is that you have to buy them by the half bushel for $35. I prefer to enjoy peaches fresh, but I'm going to have to preserve some of them.

Why is it that hard supermarket peaches soften up into something that tastes like cotton?

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

The 1st 1/2 bushel, from last month, we ate so fast I didn't get to make a single preserve. Mr.pairs4life wasn't as elated as I was when this past weekend's 1/2 bushel was rock hard. I made 2 small batches of peach, raspberry, & cardamom preserves from Mes Confitures & tonight, everyone had fresh peaches to hand ( sometimes 2 & 3 in a sitting). I had planned on making at least 3 more batches of peach preserves(3 different recipes) but at this rate I could run out before, just like last time.

Next year I will buy one to eat & perhaps split one with another so I can do some canning for sure.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening