By Beatrice Hawkins
I have been enjoying the proliferation of wonderful stone fruit available lately. I have made plum jam, apricot jam and mixed berry jam with many jars having been given to friends or donated for sale to worthy causes. There will be a supply as usual at the Autumn flower show in March, fig jam and marmalade included. I have never made peach jam but with fruit so affordable at the moment maybe the time has come!
My apricots came from Stanthorpe so I thought it might be time to find out a little about what is grown in our region.
As with information about apples I sought the help of Stephen Tancred and found to my surprise that not a real lot of stone fruit is grown in the granite belt any more. It appears that apples are king and that while each orchard probably has some stone fruit it is certainly not the main source of income.
Stone fruit came to the Stanthorpe area about 100 years ago and a range of varieties from plums to peaches, apricots and nectarines were grown with success. Stephen pointed out to me that a nectarine is only a peach bred to have no fuzz on the skin – then of course we went one step further and developed the peacherine that doesn’t seem to be promoted any more.
Cherries came at a later date and with the cold winters and warm summers all these do well in the area. Rain at harvest time can be very detrimental especially to cherries and apricots. Frosts at blossom time can stop fruit set so a fruit grower’s life as with most agricultural pursuits is not an easy one. Farmers are very reliant on the seasons and climate. Too much rain at the wrong time can be just as detrimental as not enough.
There are dozens of varieties of each type of fruit and while the customers might not realise the change, there is usually a new variety ripe and ready for the shelves about every week or 10 days.
Once upon a time there was not the huge range of varieties that we enjoy now and the season was much shorter as a result.
I remember going to the Newcastle markets with my father, a real treat that only happened during school holidays and was taken in turns with my brothers as we all loved it, and buying cases of beautiful J.H. Hale peaches. One particular time I remember they were very large and looked so beautiful with the red flush on the skin. Mum and I preserved them whole, skins and all, in the large Fowler Vacola jars. They looked so pretty in the pantry cupboard and were enjoyed through the winter with custard, rice pudding, or on rare occasions, home-made ice cream.
In the orchard, on the farm at Mudgee, when I was first married there were several trees of these beautiful peaches that were enjoyed fresh in season and preserved through the winter. I haven’t eaten one in many years but still remember the exquisite flavour as one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
John Howard Hale, after whom this peach was named, was born in Connecticut on November 25th 1853 and died in 1917. He showed an interest, from a very early age, in the variety of produce that was grown on the family farm and particularly in developing new varieties. He also showed an entrepreneurial flair and a talent for advertising and self-promotion. John found some hardy trees on his grandfather’s farm and developed a peach that was better suited to the harsh New England climate. When he first offered these new peaches for sale they were “a beautiful and rare sight in the state.”
He was also among the first to pre-cool and transport them in specially designed rail cars that contained bunkers filled with ice to keep the fruit cool during transport. By the end of the 19th century Hale was successfully shipping peaches all over the United States and to Europe.
The peach that bears his name is still popular and still admired for the same qualities that led to his commercial success at the turn of the century.
One of the success stories of our local area is the development of the Queen Garnet plum. It is 100% Australian developed by our own Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries at the Applethorpe research station in the 1990’s and first grown commercially in the traprock country to the west of Stanthorpe. It is proclaimed as the “queen of antioxidants” and is now grown all over Australia. Antioxidants are found in red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables. Queen Garnet plums contain up to 20 times more than other plums.
Antioxidants are implicated as beneficial in the control of a growing list of medical conditions.
There will be more bout stone fruit in another column
The Warwick Horticultural Society annual Autumn Flower Show will be held this year on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th March in St Mary’s Hall in Wood Street. There will be a Covid plan in place so feel assured that you can bring your entries with safety and confidence. Entries will, as usual, be accepted from 8am until 10am on the Wednesday. Judging will then take place and the doors will be opened to the public to see the display from midday. Trophies will be available for collection at 4.00pm on Thursday 11th March. Schedules available from Brysons Place in Palmerin Street.
So keep an eye on your garden and see what you can pick and bring along to help provide a special display.
*This is an old article that has been digitised so our readers have access to our full catalogue.
