Peach Heat

Jul 30 2014

by Catherine Hamrick

Summer burned the peaches

We stopped to swipe

In Chilton County.

The first quivered

And fell into my open hand,

The weight of the sun,

Russet, pink, and orange,

Hazy with down.

You bit into the cleft,

And I stole a stare,

Ripening.

My mother Bunny was my Dad’s one-and-only “Georgia Peach.” But how he took to Alabama fruit once they moved to Birmingham.

Every summer he trekked to Chilton County to pick and pick, peach after peach, weekend after weekend, for the pleasure of putting up sweet jam to spread on fluffy biscuits. My memory still tastes the wonder.

Only two luscious weeks left—take your pick of Alabama’s finest.

Jim Durbin Farms

Culp Fruits

Photograph courtesy of Tobias Maschler

1 COMMENTS

Catherine Hamrick View More Blog Posts from this Author

After a few years as a copywriter for the Southern Living Advertising Department, editor and writer Catherine Hamrick learned her craft in the magazine and book divisions of media giants Time Inc. and Meredith Corporation. She taught writing, literature, public speaking, and business communication at the university level. As a freelancer, Catherine has tackled "almost every topic but porn and physics" and has managed editorial projects or co-authored branded books for imprints such as Southern Living, Oxmoor House, Meredith Books, Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Home, Country Home, Midwest Living, The Home Depot, Ortho, and Lark Publishing. Certified in social media marketing, she coaches students and professionals in writing resumes, cover letters, and online profiles. She is also a ghostwriter—that is, a professional keeper of secrets. Connect @ChamrickWriter or drop by her blogs: Random Storyteller (https://randomstoryteller.com) and Catherine Hamrick: Writer, Editor, Social Media Human (https://catherinehamrick.com).

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One response on “Peach Heat”

  1. leighannthornton

    I grew up in Birmingham, but I live in Texas now. They are proud of their Hill Country peaches here, but they don’t come close to Chilton County peaches! Wish I could have one now 🙁

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