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Sweet Georgia Peaches

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Pictured Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin with Grilled Peach Salsa

Healthy Peach Recipes

When I was in high school, my school breaks were dictated by picking season as many of my classmates were the sons and daughters of farmers. Peaches are big business here; Georgia produces over 85 million pounds of peaches a year. Although Georgia doesn’t grow as many peaches as some other states, including South Carolina and California, it is deservedly known as “The Peach State,” in honor of a farmer in Marshallville who bred the Elberta peach from the seed of a Chinese Cling peach in the late 1800s. The peach industry took off from there, the state was tagged with the flavorful nickname, and the rest is sweet history.

I’m certainly biased toward Georgia peaches, but it seems to me that the red clay soil and hot sun here create a taste like no other. My favorite peach farmers, and a family that has been integral to our peach industry for generations, are the Pearsons, who have farmed peaches around Fort Valley for over a century. Al and Mary Pearson were recently joined at Pearson Farm by their son Lawton, who is the fifth generation to work on this family farm. Though farming peaches is tough work—they lost most of their crop last year due to a combination of a late spring freeze and severe drought last summer—they are dedicated to making it work.

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Healthy Peach Recipes & Articles

• Peach Freezer Jam
• Pork Chops with Peach Barbecue Sauce
• Pecan-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin with Grilled Peach Salsa
• Arugula Salad with Honey-Drizzled Peaches
• Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
• Chunky Peach Popsicles
• Healthy Peach Recipes and Cooking Tips
• Peach Buyer's Guide