www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com | 29 Peaches are one of the most nutritious stone fruits you can eat. These fuzzy powerhouses are high in vitamins B3 and E and minerals such as copper and manganese. Throw in cancer-fighting carotenoids like lutein and lycopene, and you’ve got yourself an indulgent but healthy 68-calorie snack. At about 87,000 tons a year, South Carolina is one of the nation’s top peach producers, second only to California. Fresh peaches can be found anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours’ drive away. Whether you want to pick them yourself or buy them roadside, South Carolina is rich with these juicy gems. With 10.2 pounds consumed per capita per year, fresh strawberries are another summer favorite. Packed with vitamin C, magnesium and phosphorous, they are a healthy treat. Though 90% of strawberries grown in the United States are rooted in Californian soil, South Carolina farmers offer locals ample chances to sample homegrown berries. For many of these South Carolina farms, growing strawberries is a family affair and a fight to keep traditional family farms afloat. A CENTURY OF BLACK’S PEACHES Black’s Peaches in York, South Carolina, is entering its centennial year. Arthur Black and his daughter, Beth Black White, lead this family-owned and operated peach farm that offers a “pick your own” program as well as peaches ready and waiting for you at their roadside store. Started by her great-grandfather in 1923, White takes pride in the fact that Black’s has evolved with the times to stay in business for the past 100 years. “When the farm first started, we mainly produced wholesale-shipping peaches only,” White stated. “Economy changes, crop failures and different weather patterns caused us to shift gears and open our store and bakery. We now sell directly to customers who stop by the store or by the farm to pick their own.” Making the trek to pick your produce has increased in popularity over the years for a few reasons. “People are really getting interested in knowing where their food comes from. So it’s nice to be able to get homegrown produce from a local farmer, and people seem to enjoy picking for themselves. It’s a fun thing for families to do together, and we really saw an increase during COVID-19. Picking peaches was sort of a safe but fun outdoor activity,” said White. There are benefits to picking peaches so close to home, too. “When peaches are picked for commercial packing, they’re purposely picked really hard and unripe,” White said. “When you get them from us, they’ve been on the tree a little longer. You pick them or buy them fresh from the stand. It’s just a better quality of fruit.” When White says fresh she means fresh. At the stand, Black’s has a three-day rating system: “fresh,” which are picked that very same day; “day-old,” which have spent the night on the shelf; or “three-day-old” – discounted “ice cream peaches.” “The ice cream peaches are very soft and sweet. They can be canned, used in baking or in ice cream,” White explained. “But you’ve got to use them pretty quickly.” White’s favorite way to eat peaches, other than straightfrom-the-tree in July at peak sweetness, is in her grandmother’s peach cobbler. The family is so enthusiastic about this dessert that they’ll generously share the recipe with anyone who stops in. … or a reporter who asks. So whether you use these sweet fruits as a healthy pick-meup or indulge by including them in baked goods, know that peaches are available to you from Black’s and other peach farms all over the state. There’s no need for a Carolinian to eat a California peach. GRANDMOTHER BLACK’S NO ROLL PEACH COBBLER • 2 cups sliced peaches • 1½ cups sugar • 1 stick of butter • ¾ cup plain flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • Pinch of salt • ¾ cup milk Mix sliced peaches with one cup of sugar. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. Put butter in a 2-quart baking dish. Set in oven to melt butter. Make a batter of ½ cup of the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Pour this mixture over the melted butter but do not stir. Put the sugared peaches on top of the batter but do not stir. Bake at 350 F for about an hour. The batter will rise to the top and become crisp and brown. Serve with ice cream or add more peaches. Source: Blackspeaches.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1