I have long wanted to grow my favorite fruit, peaches, in my garden, but have never quite managed to do so. Now, however, I have had an encouraging sign from the horticultural deities.
I was intrigued by a New York State historical marker that I saw on my vacation that alluded to the fruit. The marker, located on a highway in central New York State, commemorated a particular site that was once home to an Iroquois village that was also home to peach trees.
I was perplexed by that, as peaches are not always hardy in central New York. Their relatives, wild plums are much less likely to be damaged by the low temperatures characteristic of the area.
Peaches originated in China, made their way along the Silk Road to Persia (a fact that eventually gave rise to the Latin species name Prunus persica) and spread throughout the southern European countries whose climates were conducive to peach culture. The fruits probably came to the Americas with Spanish colonizers and were most likely spread by both settlers and Native Americans.
The Iroquois not only had peaches, but many sources make reference to a peach-related gambling game played in the longhouses. It was known as the “peach stone” or “peach seed” game and required several dried peach stones. You can’t have stones without peaches, so the Iroquois must have had them.
Now I am inspired by the Iroquois story. Next spring I will find a peach variety that I can grow in a very large pot and give it a try.