ALTO PASS-Despite this year's eventful storm season, peach season has arrived and is just as fruitful as ever.

Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass opened its public market for the season on Wednesday, offering an extensive variety of peach products.

"I just like all the stuff they have," said Billie Jo Wells, of Marion, who stopped in to shop at the Rendleman Market Wednesday. "It's something different. You can't find it in a regular grocery store."

The market, which is responsible for only about 10 percent of the orchard's sales, is filled with all kinds of unique sauces, salsas, snack mixes, jellies and more. Most of the peach sales come commercially, selling to several markets and grocery stores in the Chicago area.

Wayne Sirles, co-owner of Rendleman Orchards, said that as many as 50 of the orchard's several thousand trees were damaged in the storms on May 8, a loss that has not significantly effected this season's production. The real threat to the peach crop is hail, which causes bruising and rotting in the fruit.

"We've been very fortunate," Sirles said. "We haven't got much hail considering the number of storms that have come through."

Sirles expects this year's crop to be about as good as last year's, producing many thousand bushels of peaches before the season's end in August. Every peach is handpicked to ripen, ensuring freshness until consumption.

Sirles' mother and fellow owner, Betty Sirles, is excited about the upcoming season.

"We're looking forward to a lot of really good peaches," she said.

thomas.barker@thesouthern.com

618-351-5805