| Author/Contributor(s): | Masumoto, David M. |
| Publisher: | HarperOne |
| Date: | 4/26/1996 |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Condition: | NEW |
One California farmer wages a heartfelt campaign to save a legendary, juice-dripping peach from the threat of the bulldozer.
A lyrical, sensuous and thoroughly engrossing memoir of one critical year in the life of an organic peach farmer, Epitaph for a Peach is "a delightful narrative . . . with poetic flair and a sense of humor" (Library Journal).
David Mas Masumoto documents eighty acres of orchards and vineyards in the Central Valley, chronicling his efforts to nurture cover crops while fruit brokers reject heirloom taste in favour of cosmetic red skin. The book balances the gritty realities of agricultural survival with a deep affection for the land and its seasonal rhythms.
Drawing on three generations of Japanese American history, the narrative examines the quiet resilience required to cultivate rich soil and care for aging trees. Masumoto crafts an intimate portrait of rural stewardship where ecological devotion meets commercial vulnerability.
Line drawings.
- Sun Crest Peach: Masumoto chronicles his struggle to preserve an heirloom variety celebrated for explosive sweetness and chin-dripping juice against commercial brokers demanding cosmetics and shelf life.
- Organic Farming Methods: The text documents hands-on experiments with crimson clover cover crops, beneficial insects, and compost as alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and chemical sprays.
- Family Farm Legacy: Set in the San Joaquin Valley near Del Rey, the narrative weaves Japanese American history through the daily physical labor of tending orchards and vineyards.
- Four Seasons Rhythm: Across sixteen chapters, the work follows the annual cycle from spring thinning and summer harvest to autumn brush-shredding and winter pruning amid the valley fog.