Peaches

I love peaches. Fresh peaches. Peaches in sugar. Peaches and cream. Peaches on short cake. Peaches eaten right out of the basket. I love peaches. And, I live in a great area for a peach lover. If one has two or three hours, one can take a ride over through Alton, Illinois, down the Great River Road, past the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and cross the free I-DOT Brussels Ferry to find oneself in Calhoun County, home of some of the best peaches around.

For whatever reason, this little county separated from Madison County, Illinois by the Illinois River and St. Charles County, Missouri by the Mississippi River is perfect for peach growing. It's beautiful, gently sloping hills display a patchwork of crops and orchards that is very much unlike the flatlands of most of Illinois (and Northern Missouri) or the steep, rugged Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri.

Anyway, to make a short story long, I made my second trek over there for the year and got some “over ripes” (which are actually the perfect ripeness to eat and are a buck or two cheaper to boot). Last week they had Glow Haven peaches, this week it was Loraine peaches (which were my grandpa's favorite).

It was a great day for the ride. I'll have to post some pictures tomorrow.