In 2012, Stephen and Jessica Rose decided to solve the lack of wonderful fresh peaches he was accustomed to from his farm in Georgia.
Stephen loaded a 1968 Jeep Gladiator with fresh, hand-picked peaches, and brought them to Nashville. In 5 weeks, the couple sold 10 tons of peaches.
Today, The Peach Truck delivers pickup joy to over 25 states. They also ship direct to homes, across the country.
Mary Lou Roels
Westport resident Mary Lou Roels — a professional artist — is a delighted Peach Truck customer.
She notes, “super-fresh fruit needs to be used quickly.” But there are only so many peaches a person can eat.
So Mary Lou started making peach jam.
Her batches have no preservatives. They’re simply the fruit, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and cane sugar.
“It’s as organic and pure as possible,” Mary Lou says.
She makes them in small quantities — cooking down for hours, and watching to release the flavors and natural pectin.
She gave jars as gifts. (Full disclosure: I was a very satisfied recipient.)
As demand grew, she created a website.
And she branched out beyond peaches.
Her strawberry-lemon rind jam is so tart and fresh that people tell her they couldn’t help themselves — they ate it with a spoon right out of the jar.
Other flavors include blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, black plum, and a special fig jam that complements a charcuterie board of dry cheeses and breads.
A sampling of Mary Lou Roels’ jams.
Her jam has been requested by an oncology unit at a hospital, for a young girl on oral chemotherapy with severe allergies. The staff tried everything to take the taste away.
They needed something pure, organic, with no preservatives — not even added pectin.
Mary Lou’s strawberry jam did the trick. The fruit flavor was so intense, the girl did not taste the medicine.
Customers buy Mary Lou’s jars for teacher, holiday and birthday gifts. She designs each label, and can be personalize them for any occasion.
It’s not easy making all those jams. Mary Lou is working right now on a big order: 250 custom jars, as wedding favors.
But she doesn’t mind. It’s a labor of love.
It’s for her son’s wedding.
(For more information, click here. Local delivery is available. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Child Life Disaster Relief).
Love this! I’m coming north from Wilmington NC week after next and would to get some for friends and family up there and down here. Where can I get some?
First, THANK YOU DAN! Hi Stephen- you can send me an email, and tell me what jam you would like and I will deliver it to you when you are here! marylou153@comcast.net