On 9 Nov 2006 11:32:03 -0800, "Frank" wrote:

:
: Thanks. When I moved here 23.5 years ago, there were two of these dwarf
: peach trees. One simply died, don't know why. It may have been stressed
: by the large (not dwarf) plum tree whose trunk is about 6 feet from
: where that peach tree stood. The other surviving peach dwarf's trunk is
: rather further from the plum - about 12 feet, I'd guess. The fruit is
: diminutive and a bit tart, but it makes very nice canned peaches with a
: little added sugar.
:
: I should really plant some new fruit trees here. The plums are not dwarf
: and have gotten so big that they are a real problem. I intend to cut
: them down and plant new fruit trees. First, though, I'll probably get
: the foundation replaced on the house, and some other major work. It
: promises to be a very busy year.
:
: Dan
:
:My peach trees did not last anywhere near that long and I routinely
:sprayed. Only problem with peaches was I'd have a ton of them and they
:don't last. You can only eat so many and make so many pies, jams and
:cans. I was making peach wine with the excess. But, peaches are like
:tomatos in that you need to pick them dead ripe to get best flavor and
:you cannot buy as good as you grow.
:
:Frank

I've always loved peaches. Maybe partly because my birthday is beginning
of August!

I have similar problems with my plums - so many, and they only last a
few weeks. I think peaches are a lot more versatile. I don't think I've
ever tried plum pie. I have made plum conserve (quarts and quarts!),
incredible quantities of plum jam (I must have 30-40 bottles of it
presently, and it seems to have an indefinite shelf life), plum wine
once. The plum jam I have (made from a combination of the two trees,
which is far better than either alone) is just superb. I think it's the
finest jam I've ever had, commercial or homemade.

Peach pie sounds wonderful, and there's other things you can do with
peaches, of course. I really like the canned peaches I make. It's so
easy. I just pit them, add a little sugar, bring to a boil and put in
boiled jars.

Thanks for the tip about tree ripened peaches! I think I'm going to
plant at least one new dwarf peach tree pretty soon.

Dan