Private Peach Tour
At last, the event I have been looking forward to all summer – the Stratford Peach Festival – has arrived, and it did not disappoint! Last Saturday, I had one goal and one goal only – to eat peaches in as many ways possible. As I made my way to the peach festival, my mind was racing with numerous recipes that I have wanted to try. All I had to do was find the perfect peaches to satisfy my cravings.
This year marked the 37th annual Stratford Peach Festival. It was jam packed with activities for the young and old, including the Peach Cook-Off! The cook-off is broken down into three categories: youth, teen, and adult. There are cash prizes for the top three winners in each age division. The only guideline is that your dish’s main ingredient must, of course, be peaches.
The best news is I will be participating in it next year. Looks like I will be brushing up on my culinary skills and channeling my inner Pioneer Woman!
We all know summertime in Oklahoma is hot. The peach festival was no exception; it was a hot and sticky July afternoon. However, there were multiple ways to beat the heat – dunk booths, inflatable waterslides, and homemade ice cream. I opted for the last option—homemade peach ice cream. Even though the line was a mile long, it was totally worth the wait.
After I cooled off a little, I decided to make my way to visit with the local peach growers. I stopped at every roadside stand, talking to the people there. There was one stand that even had fried peach pies. They are a crowd favorite with Chickasaw Country fans.
Tyler Peach Farm was my last stop for the day. As I made my way to the stand I was heart-broken to find out they were all out of peaches. Reading that, you would think it was a tragedy, but it was a blessing in disguise. As I was talking to the family, they offered to give me a private peach orchard tour. I even had Grandpa as a special tour guide!
Grandpa has overseen the family peach growing business for the past 30 years. As he showed me all of the peaches, we talked about the good and the bad—nothing was off limits. Their operation has over 200 peach trees. That's a lot of peaches! However, compared to previous years, “It’s worse this year,” he said. While they have replanted some of the trees that died due to old age and the recent Oklahoma droughts, the unpredictable Oklahoma weather is hard on everything.
“This year our crop is a little low due to the late frost we had this year,” he said.
Before I left, Grandma told me to come back in two weeks because a new variety of peaches will be ready. The kind of peaches that are perfect for peach cobbler. Looks like I have another road trip ahead of me.
The Tyler family was so warm and inviting. This is what Chickasaw Country is all about—hard-working people, doing what they love, and treating people like they are family.
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