Peach season begins in Oklahoma's peach capital

Porter has long been considered the peach capital of Oklahoma. Livesay Orchards is the only commercial peach orchard left in the town. Every summer the Livesay family produces nearly 50 varieties of peaches on 140 acres of land.

History of the Orchard

The first peach trees were planted in the orchard in the 1920's and the Livesay family purchased the land in 1966. "We were farmers in other parts of the state before that, but 1966 is when we got into peaches," said Kyle Livesay.

Kyle is the son of Kent Livesay and is a fourth generation orchardist. His father and uncle Steve own Livesay Orchards. "We are the last peach orchard left in Porter, really, on a commercial scale," Kyle continued saying, "We want to make sure that there are Porter peaches for years to come."

Time to Harvest

Livesay Orchards begun harvesting its first crop of peaches for this year at the end of May. Kyle said every variety is different, so it takes experience to know when the peaches are ready to pick.

"Our harvesters have to know what each cultivar should look like when it is ready, so it takes picking a couple and seeing what stage they are at," he added. Most peaches change in color from green to yellow or a red blush.

Sorting and Packaging

After the peaches are picked off the trees the team at Livesay Orchards takes them straight to the sorting room.

"We sort the peaches by which ones are ugly or soft and then the firm peaches they go on a machine and it separates them out by what size they are," Kyle said. "Then, they are getting packed and ready to go home with somebody."

Fresh, Local Taste

The Livesay Orchards peaches are sold in its farm market in Porter and at select grocery stores and farm stands in Oklahoma. Kyle said, "Since these are generally staying local, they are ending up in the store pretty quickly."

He said that makes all the difference in taste and freshness. "One's that have to be picked greener to go longer distances, they generally are not going to have the same kind of flavor as something that is going much shorter distance and can be picked a lot riper," added Kyle.

Peach Season

Livesay Orchards expects its peach season to last through mid-September. The orchard is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is just off of Highway 51B in Porter at 39232 E 231st St. S. For more information visit their website.