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Everything looks peachy for crop

By Scott Fitzgerald, The Southern

Sunday, July 6, 2008 10:47 PM CDT

ALTO PASS - The peaches are here.

In years past, the early summer observation was never given a second thought until area peach growers and producers like Ren and Betty Sirles suffered through the late 2007 spring freeze that wiped out their entire peach crop.

"The freeze was forecast a week ahead. But it was the length of the freeze that devastated us. We had five nights of it," said Betty Sirles, recalling the devastation.

In addition to losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in peach and apple profits, the challenge for the Sirles family, the latest in a long line of family ownership of the 135-year-old Rendleman Orchards, was keeping a steady work flow for their employees. The work force had shrunk from approximately 80 to 40.

"The challenge was determining what to do. We grew three crops of squash that was sold regionally and wholesale," Sirles said.

Local tourism officials are excited also about this year's peach crop.

Smiles have been restored when the talk centers on this year's peach crop, described by Russ Ward of the Murphysboro Tourism Commission as a bumper crop.

"As the peaches are harvested this month, we expect people lined up out here to get the very best peaches," said Howard Mileur, owner of Mileur Orchards, just west of Murphysboro.

The Sirles family began stocking their first harvested peaches last Tuesday in the Farm Market, the orchard's retail operation.

"There's a long history of peach growing here. We're still picking peaches the way it was done in the 1880s and 1890s. Peaches are abundant this year," Sirles said, pointing at the Flaming Fury No. 7 peach variety sitting on the store shelves that can be purchased by the peck and half-bushel.

Rendleman will offer 20 peach varieties this season for retail and wholesale purchasing through early September. The 800-acre farm has 150 acres devoted to peach growing. Workers will pick more than 50,000 peaches, Sirles said.

Rendleman Orchards is featured in the August issue of Midwest Living magazine, along with Flamm Orchards in Cobden and the Hedman Orchard & Vineyard in Alto Pass.

"Simply put, people from all over our region and all over the state come to Murphysboro to taste the best peaches you'll ever find and all of these people visit other points of interest. They usually make it a weekend trip," said Mike Jones, chairman of the Murphysboro Tourism Commission.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

351-5076