Karen has been on a quest to find tasty peaches since we sampled some of Georgia’s finest on our July vacation. My attempts to buy comparable produce from the local, big-box grocers failed. Saturday (8-10-19) we hit the road in search of prime peaches.
Karen researched the peach problem and discovered South Carolina boasted better peaches than Georgia. We drove to York County to appraise the local peach purveyors.
We stopped at several peach peddling establishments that seemed more like big grocers than farm stands. Their peaches looked delicious, but we continued our quest.
We hit the jackpot at one of the oldest African-American farms in the region. Dori Sanders’ father was a sharecropper and bought the place near Filbert, SC in 1915. Dori was number eight of ten kids. She’s worked the fields all her life.
Dori is also a best selling author. She published Clover in 1990. The story is about a 10-year-old, black orphan girl raised by a white stepmother. Clover became a TV movie in 1997 and won a Lilian Smith Book Award.
Ms. Dori had a lot to tell me and I soaked it up. As a seasoned pro she shared valuable insights about publishers and agents. I learned a lot from this fascinating woman. I know you’re wondering about Dori’s peaches. They are some of the best Karen and I have ever eaten.
Ms. Dori works most days during the summer at the family’s peach stand in Filbert. Adjacent to the tasty fruits and vegetables she sells her three books. The author takes great pleasure in regaling visitors with stories about her family and growing up on a farm in South Carolina. If you are a lucky writer, she’ll share her knowledge about the business of promoting books. Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Ms. Dori. I hope we’ll meet again.