At the Farmer's Market: Peaches (Maybe)

Dave Lieberman

'Tis the last peach of summer left rip'ning alone...

​That's right, peaches--maybe.

Yes, it's mid-November. Yes, it's already snowing all over the purple mountains' majesty and the fruited plains east of here. People in New York are settling in for a long winter of imported Israeli produce, and even here in the fruit basket of the United States, the farmer's markets are full of hard squashes and fall fruits like pomegranate and quince.

But the Tenerellis, who own a farm in Littlerock that happens to be situated in the most perfect microclimate for peaches in all the Southland, still have peaches, or they did this past weekend. They are the last fresh local peaches available anywhere, a variety called Autumn Lady. While they're not "sink peaches" (the kind you get in August that are so juicy you have to eat them over the sink), these firm, yellow, freestone peaches would be perfect for pie or a beautiful galette, or just to have one more taste of summer before the long seven months' dry spell.

The sooner you can get to the market, the sooner you can partake, and the better your chances that they'll still have some.

Tenerelli Orchards sells at nearly every good-sized Southland farmer's market, including Costa Mesa (Thursdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the OC Fairgrounds), Laguna Hills (Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laguna Hills Mall) and Irvine (Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon at Campus Dr. and Bridge St.)