Summer is now officially under way, and experts are forecasting a typical season of hot, dry days and big, juicy peaches for Central Texas.

Waco had the weather phenomenon known as El Niño to thank for a wet winter, said National Weather Service meteorological intern John Lake. But El Niño doesn’t have the same effect on the summer.

Waco can expect a pretty normal summer of hot and probably dry weather, with temperatures in the upper 90s with occasional 100-degree days, Lake said.

Sara Ratliff (right) buys peaches from Crystal McAdams of Cooper Farms on Monday at the stand at the corner of Lake Air Drive and Sanger Avenue.
Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald

The first day of summer is when business really starts heating up for Crystal McAdams, who sells produce off the Cooper Farms truck parked at Lake Air Drive and Sanger Avenue.

“That’s when the big freestone peaches start coming off the trees,” she said.

Early freezes

McAdams said it was a good winter for peaches, which do well with early freezes.

McAdams has a line of customers waiting for her every morning when she lays out a full table of peaches, pecans, tomatoes, cucumbers and more, most of it grown in Fairfield.

She tries to sweat out the day until 4 p.m. but sometimes has to close early when all of her inventory is sold.

She said she’s usually there through Labor Day.

“We’ll stay here as long as we have peaches,” she said.

There’s also a good selection of summer’s bounty at the Heart of Texas Farmer’s Market three days a week.

Fairy Nell Lightsey of Lightsey Farms in Mexia said it wasn’t just peaches that performed this year. She said her plums, apricots and other produce did pretty well, too.

The Farmer’s Market, at the Heart O’ Texas fairgrounds on Bosque Boulevard, is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays .

wgragg@wacotrib.com

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