Peaches bountiful at Taylor's Orchard

GENTRY — For the first time in three years, the trees in Taylor’s Orchard are weighted down with ripening peaches.

Extreme cold and late freezes over the past few years cut deeply into the peach crop, leaving almost no peaches one year and smaller than normal crops in others. This year’s mild winter with no late freezes is making for a bountiful crop, and Bill Taylor, the orchard’s owner, is pleased.

Trees bearing the earliest variety of peaches - Derby - are filled, and picking has already begun. Though the Derby peaches are a bit smaller than usual this year because of the extreme dry weather in May, the peaches are sweeter than ever, too, Taylor said.

“May was about the driest month in 100 years,” Taylor said, “but the peaches are so sweet, the bestand sweetest I’ve ever had,” he added.

The orchard has 12 varieties of peaches and nectarines and expects to have ripe fruit on hand up into September, Taylor said. And many of the other varieties have larger fruit.

The next variety to be ready are the Early Red Havens. The larger peaches are weighing down the branches this year.

Taylor’s Orchard opened last week, and many have already visited the orchards to pick peaches right off the trees or to buy alreadypicked fruit from the stand.

Customers may buy peaches by the bucket or the flat at the fruit stand, or they may go out into the orchard and pick their own.

Blackberries are ready for picking too, Taylor said. The berries - usually ready about the first week in July - are early this year.

Taylor’s Orchard is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but is closed on Sunday.

Taylor’s Orchard is located at 12801 Taylor Orchard Road in Gentry, and signs mark the way from Gentry and Siloam Springs.

For more information, readers may call the orchard at 736-2004 during business hours.