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Peachy Party!
August is peach season in southern Illinois
and there is nothing much better than biting into a ripe, juicy, sweet, sticky fresh peach ... while visiting a road side
stand! They are picked and sold on the same day! Plan a party around that fantastic theme and make sure your menu
includes lots of peachy, yummy foods!
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My placesettings include Churchill "Victorian Orchard"
china and cute little peach shaped plates by designer, Valerie Parr Hill. I love them and frequently use them for appetizers,
as well as, desserts. The flatware has faux pink Mother of Pearl handles. Set a festive table to celebrate that
special fruit that the Chinese say will bring long life!
The peach orchards in southern Illinois date to the 1870's. Three of them are still owned by the original families!
The peaches are excellent and locals can't wait to take trips to the orchards to get those sweet, juicy peaches!
An
1866 New York Times Newspaper article that began by indicating that Illinois was a poor area to grow any kind of fruit.
The article ended, however, with accolades of the “Great Peach Crop” of southern Illinois.
In 1866, 60% of the Illinois peach crop was shipped out of DuQuoin via rail to Chicago. Since the
United States was experiencing a peach drought that year, the southern Illinois peaches were shipped all over the country.
One single southern Illinois orchard netted $30,000 that year, the equivalent of over $5 million today!
The stemmed water glass is Block and has a peach colored stem with an orchid
base. The ball wine glass is Libby and wait until you see what we're going to put in it! I've deliberately used
contemporary glassware because of the centerpiece I've chosen ... even though the china is a vintage look-alike and
the tablecloth is really vintage!
Click the picture to go to the recipe page to see our special wine dessert!
The tablecloth was made by my mother-in-law in 1959 to go on her new Duncan
Phyfe dining room table! It has a beautiful natural "tea stain", which I love. You see glimpses of the
centerpiece in this photo.
Click the photo to see more of this composed peachy focus
for our meal!
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