Eat a peach: Officials say season will be peachy

Like peaches? Or, like the late Duane Allman, just want to eat one for peace? According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), you’re in for a treat this year.

“This has been a strange year for weather,” says Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS Commissioner, in a recent release, “and frankly, we didn’t know what to expect. But so far, it’s been a great year for peaches. With good rains followed by heat, and with no major natural disasters, Virginia growers have been able to produce a crop of large, sweet peaches with good color and great taste this year.”

The peach harvest has started about a week earlier than last year, with the peak picking season being mid-July through mid-September. You can find places that sell Virginia peaches at Virginia Grown. Of course, you can pick your own at Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet or, starting July 8, at Carter Mountain Orchard near Monticello.