On The Road with Gourmet Girl!
This month, we have pre-empted our regular 'Feature' in order to bring you the first of a new quarterly series "On the Road with the Gourmet Girl." The series will be a special edition of our regular "This Month's Feature."
Lane Southern Orchard/Lane Packing Co.
The Family & The History
On the way back from Atlanta, we had the pleasure of stopping by and meeting with Miss Anne Lane-Tribble and her Marketing Director, Wendy R. Barton. Southern hospitality was at its finest, as they were wonderful and we have been invited back to do a special Upclose and Personal with Anne, a true Southern Belle! Located right outside of Fort Valley, in the heart of Georgia, Lane Packing Company farms over 2,500 acres of peach trees
and 2000 acres of pecans. Currently, they grow over 30 varieties of peaches. Over the years they have continued to grow and expand. They now have a Roadside Market which includes the Peachtree Cafe, Just Peachy Gift Shop and a full service mail order department.Originally founded in 1908 by their great-grandfather John David Duke, the farm was named Diamond Fruit Farm. In addition, John David Duke owned a facility that manufactured basket liners and built a peach packinghouse in 1942 that was named J.D. Duke. In 1950 he changed the name of the business to Southern Orchard Supply Co.. The business was taken over by his son-in-law David O. Lane, and grandson, Duke Lane, Sr. The farming name remained the same but the packing portion of the business became Lane Packing Company.
Following the retirement of his father, David O. Lane, Duke Lane, Sr., became sole owner and continued to pack peaches until 1975 at the same location that his grandfather had built.Seated: Ms. Caroline Lane, Duke Lane, Sr., Anne Lane-Tribble
In 1976, Duke Lane, Sr. formed a partnership with the Russell Pearson family. Together they built a more modern packinghouse that was called Pearson & Lane. This partnership was in operation until 1989. After the 1989 season, the Lane family began construction of a packinghouse that is located on the family farm. This facility is one of the most modern of its kind and was ready just in time for the 1990 crop. It was in 1990 that Duke Lane, Sr. turned the business over to his four children--Duke, Jr., Bobby, Anne, and Steve who continue to run the business today.Says Miss Anne,
"Come visit our five acre "you pick or we pick" strawberry patch. We invite you to stop by and take home some of the best peaches, strawberries, and pecans you’ll ever taste! Ya'll come back, ya' hear!"
From flower, to young fruit, to harvest.
Southern hospitality will greet you at Lane Packing Company, where Georgia's most famous product is being harvested and processed only 5 short minutes from I-75. You'll find a visit to Lane Packing Company to be a surprisingly pleasant outing the whole family will enjoy!
And tell them, "the Gourmet Girl sent you!"
From I-75, take Exit 142 Georgia Hwy 96 and go west. Lane Packing Company is only 5 minutes away.
478-825-3362
Hours are 9:00am - 6:00pm daily and 8:00 am – 8:00 pm from May through August. www.lanepacking.com
The Buzz on Fuzz!
By M. E. Diaz, Contributing Writer
When you think about Georgia, things that immediately come to mind are hot summer days, fireflies and cool refreshing peaches. Today you can find peaches in pretty much everything you can imagine; from traditional cobbler, fun mild salsa, smooth tantalizing sorbet or zesty stir-fry. Peaches are popping up more frequently now then ever. Many are discovering just how great the soft flavors and gentle textures of a peach can compliment almost any dish.
Though Georgia is known as the peach state, in actuality, it places third in the rankings for peach production. California has the top spot, followed by South Carolina. Large peach fields can also be found in Michigan and Colorado. Places most people would never think to look for a peach farm! Today in the U.S. there are recorded commercial peach crops in a total of 29 states.
Peaches are also being put in the spotlight for their abilities to aid significantly in weight-loss programs, having low carbohydrates, cholesterol blocking abilities, high vitamin content and no sugar-added sweetness.
Origins
Peaches first appeared in literature in China as far back as 551 B.C. though it was not the peaches we enjoy today. The first peaches were much smaller and contained more pit then meat. The Chinese believed that the peach was a sacred fruit. In Taoism, the peach symbolizes immortality and receiving a peach tree on your birthday was a very common practice.Peaches made their way west on the silk trade route, becoming extremely popular in Persia, where it adopted the name prunus persica or the Persian apple. Then being passed over to Rome, where it became very popular, eventually making its way to France, Spain and England. In Victorian times, a meal was said to be incomplete with out a peach served on a white cotton linen as dessert.
The Spanish are said to be responsible for bringing the peach to America around the 16th century. The Native Americans became infatuated with the fruit, planting seeds whenever they traveled. When the English arrived, they were of the mind that the peach was a native plant due to the abundant number of peach trees growing around Native American villages.
In the mid 1800s peaches became an increasingly large exportation from the southern states, especially Georgia, where the fruit flourished and quickly rendered itself as an equal to the cotton industry. Samuel Rumph is credited as being one of the fore-runners in peach production. He invented both peach shipping refrigerators and the rigid mortised-end peach crate to improve peach exportation. He was the developer of several peach varieties including the most popular, Elberta, named for his wife.Georgia has some of the oldest commercial peach farms in the country, such as Lane Packing, which has been around for generations. Lane was started in 1908 and is currently on its 4th generation of peach farmers. Today peaches can be found worldwide.
Health Benefits
With America's focus on healthier eating, peaches are something to consider for every meal. They have a high vitamin content, are sweet without being smothered in sugar and have a low carbohydrate content. A large peach only contains 60 calories!
Peaches may stimulate metabolism, regulate digestion, provide high fiber and contain high amounts of vitamins A and C. High in antioxidants, they may also help prevent cancer and aid with detoxifying the body. The U.S. department of Agriculture shows studies that Americans on average consume about 10 pounds of peaches annually.
Selection
There are three classifications:
Cling-stone: The pit sits tightly against the meat and is tougher to remove, but the meat is sweeter, darker in color and juicier. Cling-stone peaches are more commonly grown in northern areas. It is mostly used in the making of jellies, jams and purees and is not commonly found in groceries or markets.
Free-stone: The pit sits loosely against the meat and is much easier to remove. Free-stone peaches are lighter in color, firmer in texture and sold mostly for public consumption. They tend to be much larger than cling-stone varieties and are predominately grown in southern areas. 
Semi free-stone: This is the newest variety to the industry, only recently being added to the categorization of peaches. Mostly introduced with hybrid varieties, they have a moderately firm texture and can be used for canning or fresh consumption.Peaches began as small sour fruits and have evolved into over 300 different varieties around the world! Georgia’s commercial peach production includes over 40 different varieties.
One of the newest crazes in peach-hood is the white peach, such as the Lovett’s, with a firmer texture and sweeter taste and they are growing in demand in the marketplace. The possible number of varieties is seemingly endless, and it will be exciting to see what the next couple of years bring. Currently, farmers are working to develop peaches with higher vitamin content and higher health values. Perfect for an increasingly health conscious nation.
Be sure you make fresh juicy peaches part of your regular diet and on your next trip to our northern neighbor Georgia, stop in at Lane Southern Orchards, pick up a bushel and when saying hello to Anne, let her know that 'The Gourmet Girl sent you!'