We picked peaches at Legend Hills in Utica, OH and came home with a half bushel (which is about 25 – 30 pounds of fresh fruit and cost $22.50). It was nice to get out of Cbus and drive out to where you can barely count all the cattle and see hand-written signs for $2 dozen fresh farm eggs and sweet corn. Our life seems to be so full of activity, it was nice to slow down and smell “the peaches.” Peaches generally run from mid-July to mid-September and are as easy to pick as apples.
Legend Hills is only about an hour drive from Columbus, and offers u-pick for peaches and apples. They have vast orchards and a general store where they sell their honey, ciders, Amish goods, and a variety of other vegetables and canned goods. The general store is where we checked in to get our box to go picking. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, and so was the little Amish girl selling pies out front. My daughter had lots of questions about her, and was pretty excited about the fact that she “drove” by way of horse and buggy. The whole visit was full of teachable moments.
Once we had our box and map of where the peaches awaited our eager little picking fingers, we drove out to the trees. Redskins were dripping off the branches and some trees still had Blushings, but those fuzzy sweet nuggets were starting to trickle off. There are many varieties of peaches, just like with apples – so before you go picking read up on the type of flavor each peach offers and choose what sounds best to you. Check out Legend Hills’ list: Homegrown Peaches. I love them all, but have found they each have a unique flavor. The Blushings we picked were white peaches and had a dramatically different taste than the orange-fleshed
Redskins. Both were sweet and sweetened more as they softened up, but the white peaches almost had a more “full-bodied” flavor…if that makes any sense.
The staff will tell you what to look for in regards to ripeness of the fruit. We decided to pick a 1/2 bushel, but you can pick a peck (quarter bushel) or a bushel. For reference, one pound of peaches is about 3 medium or 2 large. Another little ditty of advice, it is okay to fill your box to the brim. You are paying for a the box no matter what, so fill it up! When you pick up your box at the general store, look at how their boxes are filled up and model that.
What to do with peaches, besides eat yourself into a sticky fruit coma? They turn quickly! Check out Home Canning Peaches Peach Pieces from Hounds in the Kitchen or search her site for other delish peach ideas! Please note: if you decide to make jam, please do not do what I did last year thinking it was a good idea, and that is to puree your peaches thinking you’d make a “smooth” peach jam. It doesn’t work, just takes the flavor away from the fruit and doesn’t set up.
Legend Hills Orchard and Country Store
11155 Reynolds Rd.
Utica, OH 43080
www.legendhillsorchard.com
Get to picking:
- Don’t forget, orchards are in full sun. It doesn’t take long to pick, but make sure little ones have sunscreen and hats if it is a sunny day.
- Bring water and snack.
- They have a restroom inside the Country Store.
- The trees have branches that hang low which makes it easy for little hands to pick from the tree.
- Peaches have fuzzy skin and children shouldn’t rub their eyes after picking, because those little fuzzies can cause eye irritation.
Thanks for linking to my post about canning.
Do you recall what the price is?
Yep – it was $22.50 for the 1/2 bushel. I’ll put that in my post.