Webster’s Peach Orchard goes back several generations in Matthew Webster’s family. They have been coming to the Macomb area for 8 years. Originally, the business was an apple orchard.
Matthew’s grandpa, in his later years, for something to do, began experimenting with peach trees. Today Webster’s Peach Orchard, located three miles south of Hamburg, Illinois, boasts 1300 peach trees. For the last 30 years customers have delighted in the delicious Calhoun County peaches grown in the limestone soil that the peach trees thrive in.
Matthew Webster and his girlfriend Julie are vendors at Macomb’s Summer Farmer’s Market.
The dates they appear at the market rely on how that week’s peach picking went. They pick one day, sell the next.
Webster peaches are only sold fresh. None are stored in coolers for future markets. The family run business, including Matthew’s brother, sells at farmer’s markets, on the sides of roads, and even has a self service stand at Hamburg where customers take peaches from a stand and leave money in a change box. Julie says the self-serve “honor system” method works remarkably well.
Matthew plans on being at Macomb’s Farmer’s Market most days until the end of August. They also set up at Havana and Rushville markets occasionally.
The Webster’s who all pitch in to help harvest the crop, have perfected the system of taking their product to many different locations all in one day. They have been known to, as a team, sell in Godfrey, Litchfield, Elsberry, and others in addition to their self service farm stand in Hamburg.
Early strains of this year’s peaches included Garnet Beauty, Early Star, Early 8-Ball, Desiree and Harrow Diamond.
The swarms of buyers around Webster’s vendor booth is proof that Macomb and the surrounding area love the Calhoun County peaches.
Matthew and Julie, in addition to this crazy busy peach business, both hold down other, non-peach related jobs. To say they are busy is an understatement.
