I Want Peaches

I’ve told you before, I love stories that follow the quest story line. I love the story of the travel, of the meeting of new people in new lands, and especially of spots where the hero rests and rejuvenates: an inn, an oasis, a familiar way-stop.  Think of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring: the house of Tom Bombadil, The Prancing Pony, Weathertop, Rivendell, Lothlorien.  Each of these is a (most of the time) familiar place of rest on The Journey.

Well, I’ve been journeying between Nashville and the panhandle of Florida for well over 40 years.  For me, one of the sweetest parts of the long journey is stopping at Durbin Farms in Clanton, Alabama.  Nestled halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery, and consequently, at around the halfway point between Nashville and Destin, the open-air farmers market is truly like an oasis on I-65.

I know what you’re thinking: produce is produce.  Buy local!  Maybe you’re right.  But everything is better on the road, I say. 

And, what is REALLY special at Durbin Farms, what they specialize in, is peaches.  The peaches are just wonderful there, especially in season. 

I had forgotten how much I miss stopping in Clanton, AL, till this last trip to drop off the kids.  I’ll be stopping there again this weekend.  I can’t wait.