August is the time for fresh, delicious yellow peaches here in New Jersey. There are plenty of farms to pick your own!
I went peach picking with my wife this past weekend and we found some amazing fruits at the farm we stopped at. According to Rutgers University, (and the sign in the orchard), the variety of peaches we picked was one of the most popular NJ peaches.
The Loring – A large to very large, ovate to globose, 40-60% scarlet red over yellow ground color yellow-fleshed, freestone peach ripening August 7-10. The flesh is firm and of very good flavor. The tree is very vigorous and moderately productive, with medium susceptibility to bacterial spots.
I actually saw some of those spots on a few of the peaches, and now I know what it was. Science! Did you know there are over SEVENTY different varieties of yellow and white peaches grown in New Jersey? You can find out more at the Rutgers University Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1201/
Picking was fun and EASY!
Firstly, we decided to forgo two of the more popular places in Monmouth County, which we’ve enjoyed for years. Instead, we made a day trip out of it and drove about an hour west and hit a small farm called Strawberry Hill, out past New Egypt. It was a pretty cool trip, with a lot of farmland scenery and winding country roads.
Meanwhile, I knew from scoping the place out on social media and their website, that they didn’t have a lot of the bells and whistles that our favorite places have. However, they had plenty of peach trees and a very low price of just $1.50 per pound! That’s better than just about any grocery store I’ve seen this year.
We pulled up to the front of the farm, where we were greeted by a gentleman who handed us a round plastic laundry basket with a clear plastic bag inside. Then, we drove down a dirt road to the orchard, grabbed a wagon, and were on our way!
Moreover, the peaches were easy to grab. Some low, some high, all just a few days from being totally ripe! However, we were lucky enough to find a few trees with fully ripe peaches. My wife, a total peach monster, wolfed one down right off the tree! Incidentally, the State suggests you wash your peaches before consuming them.
We got a ton of peaches for a great price!
By the time we were through, we had an overflowing basket! The farmer weighed our take, and I totally nailed my guess, as to how much our bounty was! 30 pounds! He was nice enough to round the price off to 40 bucks, and 2 twenties later we were on our way through the countryside with 65 friggin’ peaches!
Lastly, here are some great places you can have your own peach-picking adventures this weekend in Central New Jersey!!! Just a heads up – some of these places are cash only. Check their websites and socials for that, as well as hours of operation as times may change due to weather.
