If the Memorial Day weekend got you jonesing for summer, here's some news that can actually make you salivate: The Peach Truck returns to the Chattanooga area in a little more than two weeks.
As you might expect, the coronavirus is forcing some changes in how The Peach Truck operates. This year, for the first time, you'll have to order in advance at least five days out.
To eliminate hand-to-hand contact, the company is "moving exclusively to online pre-orders for all stops," according to a news release.
The truck will pass through the area on Sunday, June 14. You can choose your pickup by time (morning through late afternoon) or place (four locations in Chattanooga, East Ridge, Ooltewah and Hixson). The truck stops for an hour at each site.
Once customers reserve peaches at ThePeachTruck.com, they'll receive a confirmation email with a specific pickup time. Then, customers arrive at their designated time and show their confirmation to receive peaches through a contactless pickup.
Peaches are sold in 25-pound, half-bushel boxes for $43. A 10-ounce bag of pecans is $10, and the 100-recipe "Peach Truck Cookbook" is $20.
Katherine Schurer, whose Vinterest Antiques store is the last stop of the day, says at least a couple hundred boxes were sold in their parking lot last year. The store hosted a Peach Party, with associates in peachy attire and some vendors serving peach cobbler, but the coronavirus means they'll have to tone down the festivities this year.
"We don't want a crowd [inside] with coronavirus," she says. "It'll probably be a little bit softer."
Staff file photo / The Peach Truck sells peaches by the 25-pound, half-bushel box. This year's price is $43.She advises potential buyers to note the amount of peaches they're buying.
"They come in these huge boxes," she says. "Unless you're a canner, you may want to split it with family or friends."
The Peach Truck has been a fleeting fixture in Chattanooga for the past several years. Stephen and Jessica Rose started the company after he moved to Nashville in 2010 and could not find the fresh, flavorful, juicy peaches he'd grown up with in Georgia. Partnering with Georgia peach growers, the Roses began a business bringing peaches straight from the farm to the consumer.
In 2012, the couple bought a '64 Jeep truck and started selling peaches out of the cab in Nashville. In five weeks, they had sold more than 10 tons of brown-bagged peaches. Since then, the Roses have spent their summers touring various states delivering the Peach State's calling card.
This year, along with Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and Florida, they're adding Louisiana to their list of pit stops.
The local stops are:
* The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th St. Place, Chattanooga, 9-10 a.m.
* East Ridge Hardware, 5337 Ringgold Road, East Ridge, 11 a.m.-noon.
* Elder's Ace Hardware, 9231 Lee Highway, Ooltewah, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
* Vinterest Antiques, 2105 Northpoint Blvd., Hixson, 4-5 p.m.
Customers who prefer home delivery can order a full-season or half-season subscription, which ships fresh peaches straight from farm to porch. Single-order peach gift boxes also are available online.
Email Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com.