As the apple season draws to a close with the holidays, and I contemplate how far I will have to drive to get one more delicious apple pie and box of apples, I am reminded of the side trip we took as we left Colorado this summer.… all for a couple boxes of freshly harvested, organic peaches from Morton’s Orchards (#MortonsOrchards).

Palisade, Colorado boasts, for good reason, of their peach harvest each July and August. My family and I make nearly annual road trips to Colorado to visit family each summer, so as we journey home along I-70 we drive right through Palisade.  A couple summers ago as our trip drew to a close, I started looking in Boulder, my hometown, for some Colorado peaches to take home with me. Unfortunately, it seemed I had waited too long to buy them. Several of the local grocers didn’t have anymore, and weren’t expecting more for a few days. This missed opportunity resulted in our first stop in Palisade for peaches. So began our nearly annual stops in Palisade for peaches.

This past summer, I again first looked in Boulder for organic Palisade peaches. I saw them one day at Lucky’s(small local grocer), but then the day I went to buy them they were sold out… again. This stop in Palisade had to be at an organic farm stand. It turns out there aren’t that many in the area. Morton’s Orchards won our business that day after some concerted effort on our part.

First of all, to our knowledge they did not have a farm stand just off the highway – like our first trip. So we journeyed about five miles off the interstate to their farm. We found the orchards, but then wondered where to go to buy some peaches. Thankfully, as we pulled into the drive next to this building, an individual pointed us further down the road to a residence.

Once we arrived at the first residence and spoke to the farmer/owner, he asked us to follow him to another part of the property so he could get us fresh peaches out of the cooler. They had picked them earlier that morning. He grabbed two boxes out of his cooler, and explained the importance of keeping them cool. He said if kept refrigerated he said they’d keep for a couple weeks. I didn’t have a cooler large enough for the peaches, but we placed them in a cool part of our car, kept them covered, and out of the sun. Of course, before we left the property, I had to pull one out of the box to sample the deliciousness we purchased. The peach lived up to, actually, it exceeded all my expectations for it. The juicy, succulent tender flesh dazzled my taste buds, and left me filled with joy from the discovery of this new place, Morton’s Orchard. It will be a regular stop for us each time we find ourselves traveling through Palisade on I-70.

You can find Morton’s Orchards at http://www.mortonsorchards.com/. They have their market locations listed there as well as the harvest dates for cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines. You can also contact them at:

Morton’s Orchard
3651  E 1/2 Road
Palisade, Colorado 81526
Phone: 720-371-1727
Fax: 970-464-5893
Email: hburtness1@msn.com

© all images and writing by Cindy Albrecht 2014