Victims of a Violent Peach Crime

I know, I know, you're thinking what is a violent Peach Crime?  What, are peaches running amok in the streets of Mesa these days?  No, nothing as creative and newsworthy as all that.  Instead, my poor peaches (and my poor family!) were the Victims of a  Vile peach crime last week, and it has violently assaulted my heart, and my pantry!

My peach tree is one of the best parts of my home, it gives generously, and my family adores the fruits of it's long labor.  Last year I made 70 pints of peach jam- not just peach though, we enjoyed strawberry peach, apricot peach, blueberry peach, tropical peach, raspberry peach, and blackberry peach as well.  It was heavenly all winter long. We also enjoyed giving some away, and eating some fresh off the tree.

I borrowed this picture from my friend Jenny's blog, for two reasons-okay three reasons-1-she actually got to make peach jam this year & posted photos, 2-that's just the kind of friend she is & I know she won't mind, and 3-posts are just better with pictures!

This year our peaches were taking their sweet time getting ripe.  My neighbors were reporting fruit falling from the branches in their yards, tales of sweet jam were making their way through the neighborhood, and still I waited.  Last week it was time, I was done waiting, we were going to pick that tree clean and get started.  I sent my two oldest boys out to get started as I lined up all my jam making supplies...30 pounds of sugar, boxes of pectin, and clean jars on the counter.  Not two minutes passed and those boys were back.  Kiefer said "Mom, I think you have too much sugar."  What was he saying?   Did he even know how much sugar went into a batch of jam?  "These are all the peaches there are," he said, holding out a measly 15-20 peaches at the bottom of the basket.

Impossible! I thought they were trying to get out of tree picking duties, so I brushed them off and made them come out to the tree with me.  My jaw dropped.  What had been branches dripping with peaches just a few days before was now a barren tree.  Completely empty.  We had been Peached Out!  I was shocked!  Who does that? I kept thinking! Who steals PEACHES?

Now, you may wonder how we didn't notice, but you see our fruit trees are hidden in a corner of the yard, invisible from the street, or any other part of the front or back yards.  You can't even see the tree tops from anywhere but the alley.  Anyone could have come and gone through the back gate --located oh so conveniently mere feet from the trees.

Peach-Raspberry Jam image found here

I was devastated.  Still am.  The thought of all those juicy peaches gone, all that homemade goodness stolen, kills me! I send one of the kids out to check on the Apricot tree every day, every time a car drives down the alley I walk outside to make my presence known.  Still not ripe, but still fruited, thank goodness!  I am hoping to outsmart the thieves and grab that fruit before they return to pillage again.

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