Just Peachy

Chambersburg peaches from Shatzer’s Fruit Market.

It’s been a good year for Pennsylvania peaches.

You could argue that for eaters, every year is a good year for peaches. But for farmers, after a devastating late spring freeze in 2020, the crop is looking good this year.

Of the countless types of peaches available in Pennsylvania, Chambersburg peaches, designated not by their variety but by their growing location, are perhaps the most sought after. The flavor is rich, sweet, and unlike any other peach. It’s a flavor Dwight Mickey of Shatzer’s Fruit Market, one of the few remaining Chambersburg peach growers, says “you’ll never forget.”

The secrets lie with the soil and climate. Chambersburg, a part of Franklin County, the second-leading source of peaches in Pennsylvania, has a unique climate – hot summers and mild winters – and rich soil. According to Dwight, that’s the perfect recipe to produce high-quality peaches.

“We just grow a good peach in this area,” says the farmer. “You get away from here, and they’re just not as tasty. It’s because of the soil. Georgia grows a lot of peaches, but they’ve got such sandy soil, they don’t have the taste.”

If you want to get technical about it, Dwight says, only about three orchards remain within the Chambersburg zip code. (The Chambersburg designation often gets extended throughout the Cumberland Valley.) This is part of the reason Chambersburg peaches are so sought-after: with so few producers, they are hard to come by.

This rarity is a relatively new thing, says Brent Barnhart, of Country Creek Produce Farm, an agro-entertainment farm in Chambersburg. Brent, farming on the same land that his grandfather used in the 1960s, has seen a lot of the acreage near him, orchards that were active in his childhood, close.

Dwight agrees, saying he’s seeing orchards transition from peaches to apples. “Peaches are such a finicky crop when it comes to the weather. The last five years we’ve had two freeze-outs and a third year of hail.” The effects of climate change don’t bode well for the picky fruit; mild winters cause the trees to flower earlier, which exposes the blooms and budding fruits to erratic, late-spring frosts and hail.

“Apples, you have better or worse crops,” says Calvin McConnell of Aliquippa farm McConnell’s Farm & Market, known for their peach harvests. “But with the peaches, one cool night can crush you for an entire year. Around here, they’re not as reliable… I can’t be dependent on them because some years I’m going to have zero.”

The peach season, Dwight says, is getting shorter – but not only because of climate issues. It’s the demand. “People want good peaches earlier and earlier. Well, you don’t rush mother nature,” he says.

“Habits are changing,” he adds, something Calvin echoes, saying that as a kid, people understood the seasonality of a farm. People would “load up” on apples during apple season, drinking cider and making pies. “Now,” the Aliquippa farmer continues. “Smaller families cook less, less from scratch, with no canning or whatever. [They can get] everything and anything at the grocery store year-round.”

Whether it’s due to a changing climate, habit differences, or shifts in demand, “In general, small farms are continuing to decline,” Calvin concludes. “The older people that do the orchards, their kids aren't following behind them,” Brent agrees.

“It’s changing and changing fast. I’ve seen a lot of change in the last five years,” Dwight adds, saying he’s beginning to shift to apples because there’s a longer window to sell.

The questions remain: even though this year was a good one, what will the next bring? Is there a point when all Chambersburg peach farmers throw in the towel? Dwight doesn’t see that coming any time soon, but says, after a slight hesitation, that eventually, “it could be.”

Looking for ways to use your summer peaches? Find recipes (and where to pick up local peaches) here!