Farm Stand ‘Pick of the Week’: Peaches from Tabone Orchards

Peaches are always hit and miss. The ones you buy in the grocery store are either picked too early and still hard and sour by the time they hit the shelves, or they’ve spent too much time in a warehouse or truck on their way across the country, leaving them mealy and tasteless.

We can do better, and the peaches from Tabone Orchards & Vineyards are proof of that. I pass by their farm stands all the time while wandering around the Peninsula, and a few days ago, Tim and I decided to stop and check out what’s available. We stopped at their stand out by the Lighthouse (corner of Center Road and Tompkins Road), but they also have a stand at 14998 Peninsula Drive, near their winery and tasting room.

Oh my gosh! These are the fresh-picked peaches I remember as a kid. I’m not sure what variety they are, but they’re super sweet, the perfect peachy consistency, and delicious by themselves, used in recipes, or paired with something else.

Since I discovered these amazing peaches this past week, I’ve added them into oatmeal (using my favorite steel cut oats with chopped walnuts – thanks, Dad) and also sliced up into salads. I’m a big proponent of adding fruit into green salads to liven them up. Apples, blueberries and now peaches are some of my favorite salad fixins’.

Tim and I had a great chat with Mario Tabone, proprietor of Tabone Orchards & Vineyards, back in 2016. He’s super fun to talk with, and also heads up an annual opera event at the City Opera House in Traverse City, along with his pal Silvio “Tony” Ciccone, of Ciccone Vineyard & Winery in Leelanau County.

Their seventh annual event is tonight, and my brother Ward happened to have extra tickets, so I’ll be tagging along and will sneak in a photo or two for the Gazette. Stay tuned for that, and be sure and check out those peaches. You won’t be sorry.