Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2021

37 www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com | www. ReadMPM. com | www. I LoveMountPl easant . com BY ANNE TOOLE Just Peachy G eorgia may be known as “the peach state,” but in fact, South Carolina ranks second – only behind California – in terms of the amount of peaches produced in the United States, according to the South Carolina Peach Council. That means peach baskets will be overflowing in the fuzzy summer fruit’s prime months of July and August – but what will you do with all those peaches? FINDING FRESH PEACHES You’ll be hard pressed to find a u-pick opportunity in Mount Pleasant because coastal soil doesn’t provide the best conditions for peach orchard growth. “Our soil is perfect for strawberries, tomatoes, watermelons, corn — all kinds of summer fruits and vegetables,” explained Rick Benthall, director of marketing for Boone Hall Plantation. Willie McRae, its late owner, had a background in peaches and used innovative drainage and farming methods to successfully grow them for several years. “But peaches, as Willie used to say, ‘don’t like to get their feet wet,’” Benthall continued. “When the 1000-Year-Flood happened in 2015, that was the beginning of the decline for the most recent orchard. That’s why most peaches are grown on rolling hills and sandy loam, where the peach tree roots get the water they need, but it passes through and doesn’t settle around the roots.” The South Carolina peaches you’ll find in Mount Pleasant are generally sourced from inland orchards. For example, Boone Hall’s produce stand now sells freshly harvested peaches from their agricultural partner, McLeod Farms, located in McBee in the Sandhills region of the state. Bite Into the Season’s Fruit www.MPMca l endar. | . B s tOfMP