Friday, the hubby and I traveled about 35 miles north on I85/I985 to the Gainesville/Cleveland area of Georgia, above Lula. Our day trip destination – Jaemor Farms in Commerce off US Hwy 441. Our objective – Georgia peaches in a year when 80% of the peach crop has been decimated by this past winter’s weather. Peach trees need a cold snap to “set” the blooms for the coming season. Georgia’s, and for that matter, South Carolina’s, weather never got cold enough this past year to set the blooms. Some distributors are not opening at all, much less shipping out of state.
Not a problem at Jaemor Farms. Open year round, Jaemor has peaches, lots of them and several different kinds. My husband has an affinity for the “freestone” type. Those usually come in in July, but arrived early this year.
Jaemor Farms has over 500 acres in productive farmland, much of that in peaches. But, they also have other seasonal crops, like strawberries in Spring; peaches, blackberries, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon and more in Summer; apples, cider(year round) Fall squash, pumpkins, honey, gourds, etc. for Fall; and finally, apples oranges, grapefruit, nuts and fruit trees, bushes and vines, for Winter.All of these seasonal products are joined by jellies, pickles, preserves, boiled peanuts, salad dressings, salsas, homemade baked goods and birdhouses. Most items are available for shipping.
Lest I sound like an ad for Jaemor, we were genuinely impressed by the number of items available and the high quality of those crops. We came home with three types of peaches, blackberries, pole beans(hard to find now-a-days), pickled peaches(also hard to find), watermelon rind pickles and fried pies. My mother-in-law used to make the best watermelon rind pickles and my Mother would swipe them from my pantry or fridge whenever she could. I would have shared, but these pickles take a lot of effort and time.
This week I can make Peach Sangria and/or homemade ice cream. I have two electric ice cream makers and also a small ice cream attachment for my Kitchenade mixer. I use the latter for small amounts. In case you have one of these attachments, here’s how I make the ice cream mix:
- 1 qt. Half and Half
- 2 cups fruit (peaches, strawberries, cherries, crushed pineapple or 1 cup ripe bananas
- 1 to 2 cups sugar, to taste
- 2 eggs ( pasteurized for safety)
Mix in blender, leaving somewhat chunky. Pour into frozen mixer attachment bowl and mix on low until thickened and partially frozen. Transfer to freezer containers to finish hardening in your refrigerator.
This was a great day trip, although it din’t take the whole day, but why rush? North Georgia is lovely in all seasons and there’s always something to see along the way. And not to diss Central Georgia, there are two(that I’ve been to) in the Fort Valley area of Georgia also, Pearson and Lane Orchards. Their peaches are delicious and as an extra bonus, they are in the middle of pecan country.
On the way home, we decided to stop for a late lunch in Gainesville, a fast growing town just above Atlanta. Gainesville is home to Brenau College and has become quite the place for a day trip also. More about where we had lunch in a following post.
