Mitcham Farms LLC — Attraction in Ruston

Today I took my family from South Louisiana to the farm to give them the experience of picking their own peaches. We were given vague directions as to where to pick. So we went in the direction that was given, the trees were poorly maintained, the peaches that were on the trees had damage from birds or bags. Honestly it was mostly picked over. However there are other trees that are along side of these same trees that were loaded. So of course we picked from those trees. There was an older white man that came down to the area and proceeded to yell at my elderly mother and sister. He told them that they needed to leave the area and that they better hurry. He also yell that he was going to charge us extra for those peaches. Okay, this is where it goes bad. Once I realized what was happening I got my family together with the peaches that we picked and I walked up to the shack to pay. I didn't care how much the peaches cost, for me it was a family experience with my elderly parents and sister. I would have paid any price for the peaches. So as we make our way to the counter the same gentleman walks up and proceeds to yell at us again and that we needed to pay extra. He then tells us that we shouldn't have been picking our own. There was a sign that they put out every day that tells you how to pick your own, and it is also on the company website. So all that said it made for a terrible experience that we talked about the rest of the trip home. It only takes one bad apple to spoil a bunch. He did this for the farm and my family. I wish them the best but we will...

My little momma was craving peaches, so I stopped by Mitcham Farms on my way to visit her. I had been there over ten years ago and remembered that it seemed so far out in the middle of nowhere, so I was pleasantly surprised at the ease with which I found them this time (just a few miles off I-20 via Tarbutton Road exit). They sell all sorts of peaches. By that, I mean various stages of ripeness and different amounts, i.e., small buckets to large bags. I selected a small bucket, and while continuing my trek westward, I couldn't resist a sample. Lemme tell ya, huns, it did not disappoint! With the perfect amount of ripeness, it was firm but still tender enough to enjoy that "Oh-So-Sweet" taste without juice going everywhere. I enjoyed every last bite, so much so that I had to sample another! 😃 My little momma said they sure hit her spot! She even reserved several for a cobbler. They're Freestone, which makes them so much easier to slice, and there's no waste. Returning home after my visit, I decided to stop and get some more. I decide I needed a larger bag this time (around five pounds, I reckon) and have been able to share with friends and family, one of whom grew up near Ruston and hasn't had these peaches since she left Louisiana. She said they tasted like home. Yep, I agree.

Note: I tried a new recipe using Mitcham Farms peaches. Divine! It's called Peaches and Cream Cheese Loaf, made with peaches and, you guessed it, cream cheese. How could we go wrong with THAT...

We drove out from hours away being told this was the largest peach farm in LA- and upon arrival we noticed that they had no fresh peaches which is OK- we missed it by a week and a half. But- upon further questioning we realized that everything they sell in store including their peaches is not even from their farm! It's processed, grown and packaged in TEXAS! And then labeled as if it's from their farm in lousiana. This is very misleading. The older lady with brown hair working the front was not friendly- she was trying to sell ice cream to us and so we kindly asked for a small sample because where we are from in our small hospitable town they offer samples at places that sell ice cream etc to give you a taste! (We also saw a bad review of the ice cream so wanted to try before buying) my 6 year old asked her kindly and she was very rude to him and said "HA you thought you were going to get some huh" How rude can you be to a child. We won't be back we will go to Georgia next time for fresh peaches...