Georgia Doesn't Actually Produce The Most Peaches In The US

Each summer sees the sweet arrival of stone fruit season, where local farmers markets and grocery stores source fresh peaches from around the United States. You can often get peaches year-round, but there's nothing like the juicy sweetness of a fresh peach that didn't have to travel far to get to your plate. If you've ever heard of Georgia peaches, it's easy to assume that Georgia is the peach capital of the United States. And while this state has certainly made a name for itself in the peach industry, it doesn't hold the top spot.

Believe it or not, Georgia is the third-largest peach producer in the US. The top spot belongs to California, which is the leading producer of a number of fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, due to its soil, sunshine, and size. South Carolina comes in second place, though its production is far lower than California's. And finally, Georgia rounds out the top three.

If you've ever stocked up on peaches at your local grocery store during the winter, you might have noticed two things: they're not from the United States, and they don't taste quite as good. They most likely come from the southern hemisphere, whose seasons are opposite ours; when it's winter here, it's summer there, so the peaches are ripe for the picking. But since it takes so long for the peaches to reach the US due to sheer distance, they're less sweet. During the summer months, though, California churns out fresh peaches, reporting a whopping 475,000 tons in 2022, per the USDA's peach chart. There are two main types of California peaches: clingstone and freestone. Clingstone refers to a peach with flesh attached to the pit, while freestone peaches don't have flesh attached to the pit. Freestones are generally easier to eat and slice, so clingstones are often used for processed foods like canned peaches. California produces peaches from April to October, with a bulk production of both varieties between July and September.

Georgia doesn't even come in second for the most peaches produced. As mentioned, that slot goes to South Carolina, which sees around 67,000 tons of peaches harvested each year, per the USDA. Georgia is pretty far behind in third place, harvesting only around 25,000 tons of the fruit annually.

So if that's the case, why are Georgia peaches so famous? It turns out it had a lot to do with the Civil War. Rumor has it that during the war, soldiers who hailed from different states would often pick peaches off of trees in Georgia to enjoy a midday snack while on duty. Eventually, the taste and juiciness of the peaches caught on, and Georgia became well-known to people around the US for its peach crops. Consequently, after the war ended, the South wanted to establish a new image and reputation. So, Georgia leaned into its peach crops as a way to distance itself from the slavery practices that were associated with cotton farms (though there were still many unfair practices happening on peach farms in the 1800s, too). It seems that Georgia's peach reputation has remained with the state for more than 150 years, with many still viewing it as the peach capital today.