Just Peachy: Princess Crowned at Farmers Market

Catherine Melick Bryan may just be 6 years old, but she knows her peaches.

After all, her family has grown the fruit and other produce for more than 100 years.

Melick Bryan was crowned Peach Princess Saturday at the Chatham Farmers Market.

Her mother, Rebecca Melick Bryan, is one of the owners of the Melick's Town Farm, which provided the peaches to the farmers market. 

Rebecca Melick Bryan represents the 10th generation of the Melick bloodline of farmers.

“In the Peach Counsel, there are titles awarded to people ranging from king to queen,” Melick Bryan said. “I inquired about my daughter and suggested the title of 'princess.' I said to myself, if there's a king and a queen, why not a princess?”

“Catherine is practically royalty,” said John Ball, volunteer at the festival. “The Melick family is considered to be the king of farms in New Jersey. They've been growing peaches for over 100 years, and we're pleased to have a descendant of the Melick family here in Chatham.”

Sponsored by the New Jersey Peach Promotion Counsel, the Peach Festival was a way to spread awareness for farmers who produce peaches throughout the state.

Janice R. Piccolo, head volunteer and administrative assistant of the Borough of Chatham, showed her support for the Peach Counsel, also serving as one of the festival's planners.

“We wanted to get the word out about Jersey peaches,” Piccolo said. “We also saw this as an opportunity to promote the idea of eating locally. Why eat peaches from places like Georgia when you can eat them right here at the Chatham Farmers Market.”

According to Melick Bryan, her family has grown peaches and other produce for more than 10 generations, spanning 100 years. In fact, the start of Melick's Town Farm dates back to 1734.

Melick's Town Farm, with locations in Oldwick, Califon and Bridgewater, has more than 10,000 apple trees and 5,000 peach trees. 

The farms are generally open to the public, allowing people to wander the orchards and pick their own peaches by hand.

Although Melick Bryan's family has transcended 100 years of growing peaches, there are many challenges in producing a successful harvest.

“Growing peaches takes many years of advanced planning,” Melick Bryan said. “It usually takes an average of three years to grow a peach tree. And I guess the reason why there aren't many fruit growers in New Jersey, is because of the amount time that's required.”

According to Melick Bryan, there are many factors that define the quality of their peaches. For example, in order for each tree to bear fruit, they must be positioned directly under full sunlight to ensure sweetness.

Each tree is supplemented by drip irrigation, which supplies ample nutrients to the plant during the growing season. Trimming is also a big factor in growing peaches, as it determines how much fruit develop on each tree.

The peach trees, however, are not personally grown at the Melick Towne Farm, but rather purchased from a nursery in Pennsylvania. Every other year, some of the trees are dug up and replaced. This is done to preserve quality.

“We have more than 17 varieties of peaches, predominantly with yellow and white,” Melick Bryan said. “We begin our harvest from late July to September, so ideally, today was the perfect day to sell peaches.”