The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South

Cambridge Studies on the American South

by William Thomas Okie

Imprinted on license plates, plastered on billboards, stamped on the tail side of the state quarter, and inscribed on the state map, the peach is easily Georgia's most visible symbol. Yet Prunus persica itself is surprisingly rare in Georgia, and it has never been central to the southern agricultural economy. Why, then, have southerners - and Georgians in particular - clung to the fruit? The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South shows that the peach emerged as a viable commodity at a moment when the South was desperate for a reputation makeover. This agricultural success made the fruit an enduring cultural icon despite the increasing difficulties of growing it. A delectable contribution to the renaissance in food writing, The Georgia Peach will be of great interest to connoisseurs of food, southern, environmental, rural, and agricultural history.

Genres: History

316 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2016

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. Having lived or visited many of the places discussed in this book, it gave me a better understanding of the land where I've lived most of my adult life. Sometimes I wondered where the author was going but he always brought it back to center. Expected topics like labor, race, and commerce are mixed with unexpected aspects. Namely, the influence of 'outsiders'. They ranged from European horticulturalists, Northern business, and migrant labor from Mexico. All are essential to the story of the Georgia Peach. It shows that even a seemingly insular place like central Georgia can be a melting pot of its own sort. The footnotes are extensive and I would recommend to anyone interested in Southern agricultural history.