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The Georgia Peach

Kids Korner

Classroom and Summer Projects
Peachy Nutrition
Peachy Recipes
Sci4Kids
Teacher's Desk
History of the Peach

Classroom and Summer Projects

Plant a Peach Pit (K - Grade 3)

If you save the pit from your favorite peach, plum, or nectarine, you can grow a stone fruit tree.
Clean the pit after you're finished eating the peach and store it in the refrigerator until September or October.
Place the pit about 5 inches beneath the soil surface.
Be patient! Your tree will begin to grow in the Spring.
Keep your tree watered and fertilized and in 2-3 years you'll have fruit!

Seed Stratification and Germination (Grade 5 - 6)

Crack the seed out of the stone, careful not to damage the seed.
Soak the seed in water for about 30 minutes. Follow with 10 minutes in 10% bleach.
Place the moistened seed in a ziplock bag with a moist paper towel. Place the bag in the refrigerator.
Wait.
Depending on the variety, stratification will take between 5 weeks and 3 months.
When the seeds begin to sprout or germinate in the bag, they are ready to plant in a sterile, moist medium.
Use a soilless medium from a garden center.
When the seedlings have grown 5-6 leaves, they can be moved to a 1-gallon container or lined out in a field.

Propagate a Favorite Peach Tree (Grade 4 - 8)

If your neighbor has a peach tree that you are really fond of, the easiest way to get your own fruit tree just like it is to clone it.
Place the cuttings into moist sterilized soilless medium (can be purchased at a garden center) and cover in a plastic "greenhouse".
Choose current season shoots in July or early August. Cut the wood into 6" lengths, remove lower leaves, cut the other leaves in half and dip lower end of cutting into an IBA solution or rooting powder.
Place the cuttings into moist sterilized soilless medium (can be purchased at a garden center) and cover in a plastic "greenhouse".

Peachy Nutrition

Peaches are a great source of Vitamin C and fiber. One peach is a very tasty way to get 10% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C.

Slice a peach on your cereal, waffles, or yogurt.
Make a peach smoothie or a sorbet.
Add a peach to your fruit salad or dessert.

Peachy Recipes

Aunt Pinafore's Peachy Muffins

Mix together and set aside:
3 C. sifted all-purpose flour
1 C. sugar
3 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix and allow to stand for 2 minutes:
3 C. whole bran cereal
1 C. water
Add to bran mixture and beat well:
16 oz. plain yogurt
2/3 C. vegetable oil
2 eggs
Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened and add 2 C. of cubed peaches
Spoon mixture into well-greased muffin pans, filling each 2/3 full
Bake in pre-heated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes

Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Peggy's Peachy Crisp Cobbler

Ingredients:
3 C. sliced peaches
1 C. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. melted margarine or butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 C. sugar
1 egg, beaten

Place the peaches in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle peaches with lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients. Sprinkle egg mixture over flour until crumbly. Put over peaches. Drizzle with melted margarine/butter.

Bake at 375-degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Peachy Ice Creamy Float

Peel and slice 2 C. ripe peaches
Puree peaches until smooth, stir in 1 C. seltzer water and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Sweeten mixture to taste with 1/4 C. or more sugar
Place 1 scoop vanilla ice cream into 4 tall glasses. Add several raspberries or blackberries.
Pour in peach mixture over ice cream and berries
Top off glasses with additional seltzer water

Patsy's Peachy Sorbet

Combine:
2 C. pureed peaches made from fresh ripe peaches
6 C. lemon juice
3/4 C. orange juice

Stir over heat until dissolved:
1 C. sugar
3 C. water

Boil 5 minutes, covered, without stirring to avoid crystallization. Chill.

In a blender, combine with the fruit pulp and juices. Freeze the mixture in a shallow pan. Just before serving, shave the frozen mix with a large spoon and place into serving dishes.

Peter's Crunchy Peachy Peanut Butter Surprise

Finely chop and drain 1/2 C. fresh firm peaches
Mix with 1/2 C. smooth peanut butter and 1 1/2 tsp. honey
Add 1 tbsp. wheat germ
Spread onto graham crackers

History of the Peach

THE ELBERTA PEACH: The Beginning of the Southern Peach Industry
Edited for the Web by Duke Lane, Jr., President, Lane Packing Company

Mr. Samuel H. Rumph inherited from his forbears a love of horticulture. After his father's death, Samuel was reared by his mother on his grandparent's plantation. They had surrounding them almost every kind of fruit that would grow in this climate. In this orchard with his grandfather, young Rumph acquired a knowledge and love of horticulture. As a teen, he managed a plantation of his own, on a part of the land originally owned by his Grandfather Rumph. He soon began to experiment with fruit trees, and planted an orchard.

In 1857, Mr. I. C. Plant, purchased an assortment of selected varieties of budded peach trees, known as 'Chinese Cling,' 'Early Crawford,' 'Late Crawford,' 'Old Mixon Free,' 'Tillotson,' and 'Stump the World'. Mr. Plant sent these to Colonel Lewis Rumph, Samuel's grandfather. These were set out in the family orchard near Marshallville and the trees grew to be large and prolific. The 'Chinese Cling' bore particularly beautiful fruit. The seeds from it were saved by the elder Mrs. Rumph and were given to her daughter. They were planted in 1870, and from these grew one particularly beautiful tree which bore an exceptionally fine yellow freestone peach.

In 1875, when Mrs. L. E. Veal, a former college mate of Mrs. Rumph's, was visiting at Willow Lake, Mr. Rumph was exhibiting to her one specimen after another of peaches. Finally, he brought out a clear seeded peach with yellow flesh and a crimson blush on its cheek. Loud were the exclamations when it was shown. Mrs. Veal asked its name. He replied, "It has no name. It is my origination. I want you to name it." Whereupon Mrs. Veal said, "Well, let's honor your wife and call it for her. You'll never have anything to surpass it on this continent. Elberta is its name." The maiden name of Mrs. Samuel H. Rumph was Clara Elberta Moore, the daughter of Benning T. Moore, himself one of the earliest in Georgia to set out a commercial peach orchard. Thus, in 1875 Samuel H. Rumph produced his Elberta peach.

So firm was the Elberta that in a trial shipment in 1875 Samuel shipped, un-iced, the fruit from these trees, packed in several one-third-bushel crates, consigning them to Arch Deacon & Company, New York City. The fruit arrived in good condition, and brought a fancy price of fifteen dollars per bushel. The 'Elberta' was not long in finding its place in the markets, although it was not marketed in any volume until 1880, when testing and propagation by budding were complete.

Samuel had proceeded to bud the Elberta extensively into his nursery stock and soon had a large growing orchard of the new peach. The "Willow Lake Nursery," was established due to the great demand for Elberta trees. It is a peculiarity of the Elberta that it has adapted itself to all soils and climates, from the Gulf to the Great Lakes, the Atlantic to the Pacific, and there was not a commercial peach orchard in the United States where the Elberta was not largely represented.

S.H. Rumph also contributed to the success of the new peach industry with the design of a box on casters which held six crates of peaches plus ice. These were loaded in box cars, shipped to port and loaded on coastwise steamers for New York. He later conceived the idea of a railcar that would haul many crates of peaches with ice bunkers at each end. This he turned over to the railroads for development without asking a royalty. It is indicative of the unselfish character of the man that he gave these ideas to the world, never taking out patents on his models. With this development peach growing expanded rapidly in Middle Georgia. The first considerable volume of Elbertas on the New York market created a sensation with their color, size and quality. Elberta was the most widely planted of any variety ever introduced, being grown in every peach producing area of the world.

Samuel's efforts to make fruit growing a commercial industry were initially laughed at, but his success attracted others, and soon his friends and relations joined in the enterprise, to be followed later by a host of others. With the introduction of the Elberta, an "attractive peach with good carrying qualities," he'd solidified a new industry in Georgia, and in the South.

In the early 1800's, Macon County had begun its reputation as a fruit center. But certainly the innovations of Samuel H. Rumph gave the county a presence in peach production that stands today. Samuel's contribution was not to be the only one to come from the Rumph family. An uncle, Lewis A. Rumph introduced the Belle of Georgia, which he named for Mrs. Belle Hall, mother of Mrs. J. N. Neel of Macon. Both the Elberta and the Georgia Belle are reported as coming from seeds of Chinese Cling. In 1886, another Marshallville citizen, Eugene Hiley, made a contribution to the growth of the peach industry by introducing the Hiley Belle. The Elberta, Georgia Belle and Hiley Belle were heavily planted throughout the middle Georgia region for several decades.

SAMUEL H. RUMPH (Nov. 6, 1851 - Dec. 22, 1922)
Mr. Rumph was perhaps the first to ship peaches from Georgia to New York for sale. He was certainly a pioneer in shipping them under refrigeration, in a receptacle of his own invention. He was the first to plant a large commercial orchard, and the first to have faith in the growing of peaches on a large scale. It is due to his experiments, his persistence, his disregard of many prophets of failure who in the beginning laughed at him, his knowledge of the business, and his abiding belief that he would succeed, that the peach industry has brought so many millions of dollars to Georgia.

Some men are remembered because embarking on a public career they connected themselves with great political movements or filled some high office. Others achieve fame through military, or naval exploits, "amid the tumult and the shouting and the thunder of the guns." Here is one who deserves to be remembered and who will be remembered for the gift he made to his fellow man. One can scarcely ride along the highways and see the beauty of the trees in peach blossom time, or later in the season look upon long rows of them bending under the weight of their luscious fruit, without calling to mind this modest, efficient man who had a vision. His name will ever be associated with that queen of all varieties-the and the creation of a new industry.

REFERENCES
Hayes, Louise Frederick, "History of Macon County, Georgia".
Savage, E. F. , "History of The Georgia Peach Industry".
Grice, Warren, "History of Macon County, Georgia".