The Juicy Debate Over the Peach State
It is a delicious time to live in the south as it is peak peach season. The peaches on the trees are larger and the freestones will soon grace the shelves for anxious peach enthusiasts waiting to bake and can to save their sweet taste for a reminder of summer come fall and winter. This time of year brings fresh peach snacks, peach ice cream, peach cobbler, and a question that brings up much debate: Why is Georgia The Peach State and not South Carolina?
South Carolinians will boast that they produce three times the amount of peaches as Georgia so they should have the title of “The Peach State.” Visit our Market and you will see signs that say, “South Carolina Grown Peaches, the Tastier Peach State.” Edgefield county is located right here in the CSRA and produces 60% of the state’s peaches. The fields are vast and create a stunning backdrop when in bloom for photographers.
Producing three times the amount of peaches does not give South Carolina the clout it would need to denounce Georgia of its title of “The Peach State.” Why, you may ask? Well, if we are going by production logic, then California would take the crown. In 2022, California grew an impressive 475,000 tons of peaches, more than seven times what South Carolina produced. They lead the country in production of both clingstone and freestone peaches.
This brings us back to the question: Why is Georgia known as The Peach State?
Georgia is the top peanut producing state, but “The Peanut State” leaves much to be desired. It is also the only state to produce Vidalia onions, but again, the connotation of “The Onion State” is not one Georgia residents want to be associated with. Were peaches picked out of desperation?
The answer is layered in history with opinions, slavery, horticultural science, the Civil War, and the railroad system. Louis and Prosper Berckmans purchased an orchard in Augusta in 1856. It would become the orchard known as Fruitland, which is now the home of The Augusta National where the Masters Tournament is held. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, between the abolishment of slavery, repetitive cotton production depleting the soil, and the desire for a low maintenance crop, peach production began to increase. Thanks to the Georgia State Horticultural Society, which was founded in 1876 outside of Augusta, Georgia now produces over 40 varieties of peaches. At one time the society was led by Prosper Berckmans who used his orchard to test and create new varieties of peaches. Berckmans developed peaches that were more suited to the Southern climate and was known as “The Father of Peach Culture.” One of the new varieties he created was perfected in 1870 by Samual Rumph who named it after his wife, Elberta. The Elberta peach was the highest produced peach in Georgia until 1960. Rumph played an instrumental role in the development of refrigerated box trucks used to transport peaches to the North on a significantly larger scale.
Opinions come into play when a taste test is discussed. Some peach enthusiasts say the clay soil of Georgia homes the perfect nutrients for the sweetest, most delicious peaches. Georgia’s deep history with peaches is how it became known as The Peach State.
One item we can all agree on, The Vidalia Onion State doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as The Peach State.
