August is Peach Month, and is the perfect time to
celebrate and enjoy the benefits and taste of these
full-of-goodness fruits while they are at the peak
of perfection.
Peaches are native to China where they have been
cultivated for centuries. Not only have they been
mentioned in Chinese writings dating back to the 10th.
Century, BC, but they have also been the subject of many
Chinese folk tales, including having been consumed by
the Immortals for their mystic powers of giving long life.
The Persians are believed to have introduced the peach
to Europe from China and Spanish explorers took them
to the Americas in the 16th century.
For decades, East Texans have enjoyed peaches grown
in orchards from Nacogdoches to the hill country of
16
East Texas Quarterly Magazine
Central Texas. For more than 20 years, major food
chains and local East Texans have gobbled up McPeak
Orchards’ highly-prized Pittsburg peaches. Another
East Texas peach orchard is Efurd Orchards, Inc., also
in Pittsburg.
Another noted peach producer is