south carolina peaches

As a Southern girl, fresh peaches are a quintessential part of Summer. It is nearly impossible to take a road trip without passing half-a-dozen roadside stands, stacked with overflowing baskets of these delicious, juicy gems. I’m a Georgia girl, and as much as it pains me to say, the best fresh peaches come from our neighbor, South Carolina. They are quickly surpassing Georgia as the “Peach State” and for good reason. 

We bought these pretty little peaches from a roadside stand in Gaffney, South Carolina. You know, the home of the giant peach water tower? Every traveler who drives up and down I-85 is familiar with this quirky landmark. You simply can’t miss it, and you shouldn’t. Because it’s a great reminder to pull on over for a basket of ripe peaches.

I grew up eating classically southern desserts in the Summer, like peach cobbler, and homemade peach ice-cream. However, as Summer is coming to a close, so I wanted to share one of my favorite, non-traditional ways to use fresh peaches: Peach Salsa.

Peaches are sweet, and a little bit sour. But with the right ingredient combinations, they can easily move into the savory category, as in this fresh peach salsa. This recipe combines sweet peaches, bold red onion, sour limes, spicy jalapeños, herbaceous cilantro, and a touch of salt. Just enough to balance out the flavor. Enjoy this fresh peach salsa with tortilla chips, or better yet, on top Blackened Mahi-Mahi Tacos.