Summer is for PEACHES
Tastes of SummerFresh Georgia Peaches from The Peach Truck
Fresh Georgia peaches in Columbus, Ohio? Yes, please!
Few things scream "SUMMER!" like a good, juicy peach. And not all peaches are created equal; even being from Ohio, I know this. Georgia is the Peach State for a reason and if you've ever had a fresh Georgia peach, you know why. Peaches are one of those items that, even when you scour the local farmers' markets, they don't always live up to the billing.
I'm a fan of Dill's Greenhouse in Canal Winchester and follow their Facebook page; they're my local go-to greenhouse. One day, as I was non-chalantly skimming my newsfeed, I saw a post from Dill's announcing that "The Peach Truck" was coming in a few weeks. I had no idea what that meant exactly, but what I did know is that I LOVE peaches and if there was going to be a special truck that sold nothing but peaches there, you could count me in. I thought it was a little strange that this Peach Truck was only going to be there for a total of 90 minutes. I mean, come on - how many peaches can you possibly sell in 90 minutes?!
So...I put it on my calendar and decided I would go grab a few peaches. I live not far from Dill's and took the back road to get there. I knew something strange was going on right away because the road that usually has next to no traffic (literally) had a steady stream of cars going both directions. The thought crossed my mind momentarily but I quickly dismissed it. "All of these cars can't possibly be coming from Dill's. There is no way." And then I turned the corner to spot the entrance to Dill's...the parking lot was packed.
A box of peaches from The Peach Truck
I was in a bit of disbelief as I go to Dill's often and, while they do a great amount of business, I don't think I had ever seen it that busy. Not even on one of their busiest Saturdays. As I pulled in, I saw a guy rolling up a huge pallet full of boxed peaches and stacking them near the entrance. As I approached the entrance, I caught the wonderfully sweet scent of peaches. Oh my. You could smell the deliciousness in the air. I experienced a split second of sheer delight...right up until I stepped around the boxes of peaches and saw the line of people.
I couldn't believe it. The line went as far as I could see - clear to the back of the greenhouse. I started walking that direction and realized as I grew near the back that it was actually curving around the corner and stretched all the way across the back wall. I had to laugh to myself at the sheer ridiculousness of this scene. Here I thought I was just going to run over and grab a few peaches real quick. In and out. Not so much.
I wasn't going to let that stop me though. So I went and hopped in the back of the line, which quickly filled in behind me. People were coming in droves. What was this peach madness? Not long after standing there, a gentleman with a southern accent made his way along the line, passing out a brochure with a schedule and a little card that had info about the best way to store your peaches. He was asking folks how they had heard about them. Most people were responding with "Facebook" - imagine that. The people behind me were talking to him about wanting The Peach Truck to come downtown on a stop as they were from Italian Village; I heard others say they were from Westerville and Grove City. People were obviously there from all over Columbus.
The line did move fairly quickly, all in all I waited about 20-25 minutes. In that time, I was offered samples of fresh Georgia pecans (that you could buy with the peaches for a special) and one of the Dill's workers came through to give non-locals directions on how to use the backroads to exit as to not have to fight the traffic on busy Route 33. (So that explains the traffic!) They seemed to have this whole thing down to a scientific process. I couldn't believe that apparently everyone in the world knew about The Peach Truck besides me!
Homemade Peach Tea
As it turns out, apparently you can sell an incredible amount of peaches in only 90 minutes. People were buying 2, 3 and 4 boxes at 25 lbs. each. As much as I love peaches, I stuck to one box. When I told the guy I only wanted one box for now, he smiled and said "Not a problem! This can be the test box - so you can try 'em out and make sure they're legit."
Well, sir, I can now attest that those peaches are indeed LEGIT. And I will definitely be back for more. In fact, I am sipping some homemade peach tea as I type this.
The hype is real, people. If you are a fan of peaches, I highly suggest you check out thepeachtruck.com and find a place on their schedule this summer to get yourself some sweet Georgia goodness.
Summer is for peaches.
