Recent conversations with Gillespie County fruit growers and the county agricultural agent reveal bad news for Hill Country peach lovers. A year of catastrophic weather events – prolonged drought; a warm, dry winter; a late freeze; and three serious spring hailstorms – has all but destroyed the 2006 peach crop. While there may be some fruit from the later producing varietals in July and August, it is unlikely there will be many local peaches at area fruit stands or farmers’ markets at all this summer. All is not completely lost, however. Suzanne Santos, director of the Downtown Farmers’ Market (Fourth & Guadalupe), reports that representatives of Rhew Orchards in Floresville will be selling at the market the last weekend in May and possibly the first two weekends in June, as long as their crop holds out. Pamela Boyar of Sunset Valley Farmers Market expects to have peaches from only one area grower, Caskey Orchards in eastern Hays County, for most of the summer. The area blackberry crop should have a short run starting in late May, and we’re told figs are looking good for later in the summer.
This article appears in May 26 • 2006.