RALEIGH — State agriculture official say the peach crop has improved over several hit or miss years.

Steve Troxler, the agriculture commissioner, said in a news release, “Consumers can expect peaches to be in good quantity and quality this year. Many growers began picking in early June with plans to continue through the end of August.”

Peach orchards are in about two-thirds of the state’s 100 counties, including Bladen, with most growers selling at farmers markets and roadside stands. About 800 acres of North Carolina farmland has peaches, a $2.7 million part of the state’s economy.

The farmers market in Raleigh and near Greensboro in Colfax will have Peach Day events Thursday and Friday of next week, respectively. Each is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with recipe contests, samples of peach ice cream and the N.C. Peach Queen. Candor, a community off U.S. 74 about halfway between Rockingham and Asheboro, hosts the N.C. Peach Festival on July 19-20, complete with parade, music, carnival rides, food vendors and plenty of local peaches.

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Bladen Journal