Our Elberta peaches are grown on Koelfontein as well as neighbouring farms around Prince Alfred’s Hamlet and all the way to Citrusdal. Elberta peaches (or “lospit perskes” if you’re Afrikaans) are characterised by a free-stone and soft texture, making them ideal for drying. The fruit is cut in half by hand so the stone can be removed easily. These halves are then dried “cup-up” on wooden trays in the sun. Early Europeans believed peaches were originally native to Persia (now Iran), but modern botanists reckon they originally came from China and were introduced to Persia and the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road in biblical times.