(NAPSA)—Everything’s peachy at this time of year when heading for South Carolina to savor and sample the harvest fresh from the field. Roadside stands and farmers’ markets abound across the Palmetto State at this time of year, and pick-your-own operations just add to the flavor as a familyfun activity. The crops begin ripening early in this Southern state, with straw- berries peaking around Memorial Day in many areas and tomatoes beginning in June in the Lowcountry, and blueberries are ready to go by the Fourth of July. And, of course, there are peaches. South Carolina grows more peaches than neighboring Georgia in orchards large and small across muchofthe state. Take A Self-Guided Tour A good way to start an exploration is self-guided tours from the S.C. National Heritage Corridor (www.sc-heritagecorridor.org). Makesure to check out the Heritage Corridor Farmers Association on that site for updates on tours, festivals and fairs, tasting events and other opportunities to interact with farmers and producers of homegrown products. There’s also the S.C. Cotton Trail (www.sccottontrail.org) and S.C. Tobacco Trail (www.sctobacco trail.com), which offer in-depth looks at the communities thatstill produce those seminal crops in American history. The S.C. Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, maintains a Web site at www.agriculture. se.gov that includes roadside markets and other useful information for in-state residents andvisitors Sz a OO Family Fun—Roadside stands and farmers’ markets, such as Cook’s Roadside Market in Trenton, S.C., can be found throughout the Palmetto State. alike through the “Consumer” link. So does the South Carolina Farm Bureau at www.scfb.org. Also, check out www.Savor SouthCarolina.com, the culinary tourism site maintained by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “Don’t Miss” Opportunities As for some individual “don’t miss” opportunities, consider Split Creek Farm, a goat dairy and cheese-making operation near Anderson (www.splitcreek.com), the Happy Berry (www.thehappy berry.com) pick-your-own operation in the Blue Ridge foothills, and a couple of the state’s major peach operations, McLeod Farms (www.macspride.com) in the northeast sand hills and Titan Farms (www.titanfarms.com) in the Lower Piedmont on the west side of the state. Also not to be missed is Sanders Peach Farm in York County, where best-selling author Dori Sanders (“Clover” and “Her Own Place”) sells fresh fruit and vegetables, signs books and visits with customers (www.dorisanders.com).
