By Dustin Shipman

dshipman@joplinglobe.com

MARIONVILLE, Mo. — Murphy’s Orchard is tucked away in a location closer to Springfield than Joplin. But the orchard, located just off Highway 60 in Marionville, has seen a steady stream of customers from Joplin; Miami, Okla.; and even Pittsburg, Kan., all in search on one thing: peaches.

Peach season is in full bloom. While Georgia might get all the accolades over its famous peaches, those who have tasted Missouri’s peaches seem to agree they are a worthy rival.

“They just taste better. They are much better than the store-bought peaches,” Hollie Stapleton, of Aurora, said. “My kids love them; they eat them raw. We make pies out of them. I mean, this is what they love to eat.”

Stapleton said she makes a visit to Murphy’s Orchard about once a week or whenever she has the chance to pick up fresh produce. The orchard’s peaches are a favorite for her and her family.

Stapleton said buying directly from the orchard makes all the difference in the world when it comes to finding good-tasting peaches.

“I know which peaches I like, the sweet ones,” Stapleton said. “They taste much better than the store-bought kind. I don’t mess with those at all.”

David Murphy, owner and operator of Murphy’s Orchard, said he and his staff pick about 7,000 bushels a year. Each bushel weighs about 45 to 48 pounds, he said.

Murphy said the orchard will have several different types of peaches, which will ripen throughout the summer. That means fresh peaches are always available, but right now is one of the busiest times of year — employees are picking about 90 bushels a day.

“The soil type here is such that it is harder to grow peaches here in Missouri because of the humidity. But it also adds a little bit of flavor,” Murphy said. “Something picked in Georgia has to be picked about two weeks earlier than what we pick, so it can be packed and then ripened, so we get a better flavor and natural sugar from the starches.”

Murphy said they grow about 40 varieties of peaches at the orchard. Each variety ripens at a different time throughout the season and lasts for only about two weeks.

That means peaches are available all summer, but finding a peach to your liking requires a lot of tasting.

“There are several good varieties, I could name ten off the top of my head that people come in and say they just have to have, that that is their peach,” Murphy said. “Other people will come in and say they had a peach last year, and they aren’t sure what kind it was, and we try to find it for them. Over the years, I am always asked what my favorite peach is and my answer every year is, ‘Whatever is ripe.’”

Murphy said that some people use the peaches for baking cobblers and pies and other recipes but the majority of people seem to like them right off the tree.