By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

WRENTHAM — By the time mid-June rolls around, strawberry lovers dreaming of fresh strawberry pie know it's time to get busy making plans to visit the local farm stand.

If blueberries are your thing, then wait another few weeks until the middle of July and you'll find bushels of plump berries ripe for the picking.
And for those who relish a juicy, crunchy apple plucked fresh from the tree, September to mid-October is when apple-picking season moves into full swing.
But when August rolls around it's all about one fruit — the peach.
It's peach season and that time of year when local farms like Cook’s Valley Farm in Wrentham get busy harvesting the peach crop.
This year, says farm co-owner Cynthia Cook Charpentier, the peach tree branches are laden with luscious, sweet and juicy tree-ripened peaches.
“All the pruning and hand-thinning this spring has produced an abundant crop,” says Cook Charpentier, who's family has been farming their land in the west end of Wrentham for 10 generations.
“The cool spring weather has also pushed a plentiful apricot harvest into early August. But we'll be harvesting our peach crop throughout August and into early September,” she says.
Not only peaches and apricots, but sweet corn, early apples and other farm fresh fruits and vegetables are available at Cook’s 200-year-old post and beam barn on West Street.
“The peach season turned out pretty good,” says co-owner Marilyn Cook. “The sunshine finally arrived, the blooms came through and the bees did their thing.”
Although many people think of peaches as a southern crop, primarily raised in California, Georgia and other southern states, many varieties have been developed that tolerate New England’s cold winters, says Cook Charpentier.
“Peaches are classified as either freestone or clingstone. The fruit of the freestone peach separates easily from the seed, whereas the clingstone fruit 'clings' to the stone,” she explains.The variety of peach being harvested at the moment at the farm is called Garnet Beauty, a medium-large, semi-freestone peach with red blushed, yellow skin and yellow flesh with red streaks.
The peach (Prunus persica) is known as a species of Prunus native to China. The first known peach was mentioned in Chinese literature as early as 551 B.C. The peach was a symbol of immortality to the ancient Chinese.
They placed bowls of peaches in the tombs of close family members to prevent the bodies from decaying. Giving the fruit as a gift was a sign of friendship.
The culture of peaches moved from China to Persia and eventually to Rome and then throughout Europe. Spaniards introduced the peach to North America in the 16th Century. When English settlers arrived they thought the peach was native to this country because it was found growing abundantly around Indian villages. 
According to Cook Charpentier, there's nothing quite like native tree ripened peaches.
“Tree ripening makes the peach sweeter, juicer and more flavorful than those picked from the tree before their peak,” she explained. “Peaches picked green will not ripen; they just soften and wither, gaining no flavor.”
Not only are they delcious, but they're good for you, too. Peaches are low in calories, only 38 calories in a 2 1/2 diameter peach. 
Tree ripened peaches should be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed promptly.
Peaches are a great complement to poultry and pork dishes, as well as a great dessert or snack. Sliced peaches add extra fiber and Vitamins A and C to both hot and cold cereals. Peach pie and peach jam are summertime favorites.
“Homemade peach ice cream is always a family favorite at the Cook’s annual family reunion,” says Cook Charpentier. 
For more information on the farm and what's being harvested, call the farm at (508) 883-6709 or visit their website at www.cooksvalleyfarm.com