Driving out of town, south on highway 129, we stopped at a roadside building touting a sign for fresh peaches. Now, who can resist Georgia peaches freshly picked from the trees, setting in a bucket, just ripe for eating? We had to stop.
The large covered front porch was surrounded with annual and perennial plants, all marked down 25% during this month of August. People sat on the hanging porch swing and rocking chairs, eating dishes of ice cream. I then saw the sign, "Fresh peach ice cream, homemade daily". Oh, I made a good decision about stopping here!
Buckets of peaches sat on the middle table. I asked the young man monitoring the table for his recommendation on buying peaches. Another person overheard my inquiry as he leaned over the table and pointed to a bucket. "If I were buying, that’s the one I’d get." I had that bucket of peaches bagged and also selected a container of vine ripened tomatoes.
The far wall was lined with jars filled with goodies. I presume most of these food items were made locally as I’m not certain I had seen peach salsa before. Intrigued, I bought a jar and yes, it was very good – not overly spicy with a touch of sweetness from the peach chunks, absolutely great with salty tortilla chips.
The remaining section of the building was filled with knick knacks of all kinds, planters, plates, decorations of every color and size. Fortunately my wife’s hands were full with the sack of peaches so she could only view the various items on display. No handling and no purchasing!
We stood in the unhurried line, waiting to order ice cream and pay for our purchases. Everything was calm and slow paced in the store as each customer received full and dedicated attention with their check out. I bought homemade ice cream – 8oz in a Styrofoam cup for $2.00. Larger containers of ice cream or other flavors were available, but we wanted peach. I knew it was popular when every customer in front of us in line also ordered the peach ice cream.
This frozen treat was some of the best ice cream I’ve eaten. Peach flavor permutated each creamy bite. No wonder people lingered on the front porch to savor each bite. I wanted to close my eyes and let each spoonful melt in my mouth.
Thomas Orchards is open daily from 8am to 6pm on a seasonal basis. They close from mid-November through mid-March. On my next trip to Atlanta, during the "in season" months, I’d be willing to detour to Athens just for fresh, homemade daily, peach ice cream from Thomas Orchards.