Recently I ventured out West to help a friend out and spend time with some epic wilderness and people. My good friend Logan and I were making our way to Denver from Southern Utah. The signs for Palisade Colorado started to appear right after Grand Junction. Little did I know that Palisade is host to the best peaches that I would experience to date. Living in Florida for much of my life, Georgia peaches were the once a year, road trip worthy treat. We would pack up the car and head up to get several flats for fresh enjoyment and jam making. The peaches from Georgia were no doubt better than the mealy, tart, unripe fruit coming out of California and other regions where they pick them green, never to fully develop their sweet, juicy potential. Last year, I rolled through Georgia peach country on my way to mountain bike, and bit into a terribly flavored and textured peach, picked right from the tree. Over the years the peaches coming out of Georgia fell victim to this practice as well. It was the last time I had a peach. Fast forward to Palisade, I gained hope again that not just peaches, but all fruits and vegetables could come back to a state of pure harmony in flavor, texture, and nutrition. This Palisade peach was better than any Georgia peaches I remember enjoying, certainly far beyond the peach I ate last year. I immediately messaged my good friend Wesley, and told him I found his answer to the conundrum he wrote about in our first post! What makes Palisade peaches so damn good? Warm days, cool nights, elevation, farmers who love the land, and the perfect environment for concentrating the flavors! Wesley asked me to send him a case of these morsels. However, I told him that it was not possible. They were too good in the moment. The flavor and texture would not have survived the journey.

This brings to light a very important element. In order to enjoy amazing foods, you should really experience them in the local area or region from where they are grown or raised! We have become use to convenience, and a never ending season at the grocery stores. The result? Bland imposters that keep up with the demand for mediocre foods. The solution? Support your amazing local farmers who work hard to bring the very best to the table! If there is something you can not find locally, source them from within your region and from farmers who care about what they are growing!

Thank you Wesley for inspiring this project with your passionate ideas about how we can fix the peach and other foods!

Shane Richeson