Peach of My Dreams

By Clay Hinton

Summertime in the PNW can mean a lot of different things. To some, it’s getting outdoors after a long and rainy winter. To others, it is time to see the world with new or familiar travels. To me, it’s spending more time with friends and family. Sharing food with the people I care about is what signifies summer to me. Each day is a tour of backyard barbecues, picnics in parks, and treats on trails.

Last summer I was on my way to a friend's house for a pool party, and stopped at the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham. They had these peaches that were only sold by the case, and at a price that had me wondering: “Why?” Curiosity got the best of me, and after shuttling them to the party and cracking open the case with a handful of friends, I got my answer.

— Bliss —

We all, one by one, sat there with our mouths agape between bites. This was a level of flavor and texture none of us had ever experienced before. After a half of a year's sleuthing, I discovered that it had to have been the Sun Crest Peach from Masumoto Family Farms. David “Mas” Masumoto, being a huge figure in the organic farming world — a farmer, a writer, and an all-around joy.

I had the pleasure of visiting Masumoto while on a tour of stone fruit farms in the San Joaquin Valley in early June. While at the farm I picked fruit, touched the land, and got a sense of its deep history. I told my story to Mas, his wife Marcy, and their daughter Nikiko. Over the afternoon, we shared tears and we shared laughter, but most importantly we shared food together.

With the crisp morning air slowly warming up, and my belly increasing its capacity for peaches, I felt like I belonged on that farm.

This was summertime to me. Sharing food with my friends, and now that the Masumotos have been added to that long list of friends, I can’t wait to share our next meal together. The memories of my time on their farm will forever be in my mind. Now, every time I take that first bite of a summer peach, and the juices drip down my chin, I will thank them from the bottom of my heart.