Fall is one season that has grown on me as I’ve gotten older. In part, because I grew up in Florida and since summer lasts well into October, Fall kind of just gets by-passed; there isn’t really a harvest season, no leaves changing colors, and Key Lime Pie is usually the go-to instead of pumpkin.  Considering all this, I moved to California and have searched out Fall related activities that are close by Los Angeles. Last year we went apple picking, this year- peach picking.

I stumbled upon M&M Peach Ranch through a YouTube video where the rancher, Bill, is on his tracker and the peach tree starts talking to him. I love when inanimate objects are personified, and a talking tree was about as good as it gets! Needless to say, I looked up M&M Peach Ranch to see where exactly it was located in relationship to Los Angeles- only an hour drive away… done. We were going peach picking!

Did you know:

• Peaches actually originated in China and were the favorite fruit for many emperors.
• Peaches weren’t introduced commercially in the United States until the 19th Century.
• California now grows 65% of the peaches in the United States.
• Frozen peaches will defrost at the same ripeness as they were when you first froze them. (Incredible!)

Driving off the freeway, I couldn’t imagine how a peach farm or really any farm could exist in this dusty valley. As we continued driving down the road, Bob and I speculated about where this farm was going to be or if we were even headed in the right direction. But then, right as we crest a small hill, we saw a bunch of green trees off in the distance- that MUST be the peach farm. And, we were right.

We were greeted by Bill, who wanted to move out of the big city so he bought this farm. It was an easy transition from landscape artist to farmer and something that he very much enjoyed. He gave us the instructions (“Grab as many peaches as you want”), handed me the bucket, and pointed in the direction of the trees- “get pickin'”. And, pickin’ we did.

We wandered off through the trees, eagerly picking the first peaches we saw. After inspecting them (the peaches are organic, so some small spiders or bugs might be on them), we put them in our bucket and headed off deeper down the row. Bob picked the majority of them, because he liked to get all the peaches that were really high up, and I mainly filled and watched the bucket. One thing that was hard not to notice was how quiet, serene and beautiful it was in the rows of peach trees. I wish we had brought a picnic lunch and blanket to spread out under one of the trees. (Unless you are going to pick thousands of peaches, a picnic lunch would be a nice way to spend more time at the farm before getting back into the car for the drive home.)

We carefully selected 5 pounds of Ryan Sun peaches, only picked enough to fill the bottom of our bucket. Bill told us that some people come out and pick 30 pounds or so and then freeze them for the winter.  At the time, I wasn’t prepared or that knowledgeable about peach recipes to have a need for 30 pounds, but I should have done my research. I found dozens of incredible recipes using peaches as the side or sauce on top of pork chops, shrimp, salmon and beef. Now that I have these recipes, I can’t wait to try out more peach dishes.

After we paid, we were super thirsty and headed to a nearby grocery/gas/local hang-out to grab some water before the drive home. When we were inside, several residents asked us if we had gone peach picking and even told us about a peach salsa that another farmer had created. Now, I’m not sure if I have a glow about me that lets people know that I like Mexican food, tacos, and salsas, but this just seemed unreal. Of all the things I thought I could do with peaches, salsa wasn’t one of them- until now. And, after making it myself- I’m so happy he told me about the recipe.

Super Easy Peach Salsa Recipe:

• 1 cup Onion, cut and diced
• 3 small tomatoes, cut and diced
• 2-3 (depending on size) peaches, cut and diced (if you want your salsa to be sweeter- add another peach)
• 1 small jalapeno cut, remove seeds and dice
• 1 lime (for juice)
• garlic, salt, red pepper flakes (all to taste)
• tortilla chips, pita bread

Cut and dice the onion, jalapeno, tomatoes and peaches, and mix them together in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and taste. If you want your salsa to be sweet, add another peach and only 1/2 of the lime juice. If you want the salsa to have more of a kick, add more red pepper flakes. Serve with tortilla chips (we used black bean chips) or pita bread. Enjoy!

Have you ever been peach picking before? What season is your favorite?