Good Morning Ohio: Catawba Island Peaches

{Wendelyn's peach post says it all -- I couldn't agree more!}

If you've never had a Catawba peach, you've never really had a peach. Having spent this past weekend on the Lake Erie coastline (my first home), we made our regular stop at the Bergman's Orchards farm market for locally-grown peaches, bi-color sweet corn, and Ballreich's potato chips (seriously the best potato chips EVER, and they just so happen to be Ohio-based, too!.) If I could find a way to live off of those three items, I think I'd be a pretty happy girl.

Then: "The Dock, Catawba Island, O."  Now: The Miller Ferry dock, Catawba Island, OH

{Middle Bass Island}

So, back to the peaches. Did you know that Catawba Island has an agricultural history in peach orchards? Interestingly enough, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, fruits (especially grapes and peaches) were a mainstay of the area. As well as grapes grew in the rocky, hard-to-till soil, the vines produced grapes with thin skins, making it difficult to transport but perfect for wine. After the onset of Prohibition, many farmers took to planting peach trees to replace the grape vines (read article here.). Today, you can still see many of those peach trees running along Route 53. Luckily for us, the small families and local farmers are still producing these delectable fruits. Trust me; Georgia's got nothin' on a Catawba peach!

This time around, we got a quart basket of 6 peaches, two of which I ate. The rest were turned into peach cobbler. Oh my word. It is delish!


The next time you find yourself up that way, pop into the nearest fruit stand and pick up some peaches. Or even better yet...make it out to Port Clinton's 6th Annual Perch, Peach, Pierogi and Polka Festival on Labor Day weekend :)