McDonald Peach Orchard opens Saturday in Apple Valley

Thousands of peaches will be ready for picking on Saturday when the gates to the McDonald Peach Orchard opens near the Mojave River in Apple Valley. 

Earlier in the week, nearly 200 trees in the orchard showed off clusters of bright reddish-orange peaches, which have ripened faster due to the recent summer heat wave.

Known as “The Peach Lady,” Marge McDonald, 82, will be on hand to greet new and returning visitors to her family’s 5-acre property situated on Seneca Road.

The fruit stand will have plenty of peaches for picking and purchase, said McDonald, a retired school teacher and native of Apple Valley who graduated from Victor Valley High School in 1957.

McDonald will also sell her homemade jams, jellies, salsas, and preserves. Online orders can also be placed at https://bit.ly/jamwithMarge.

“Fresh-picked peaches are better than store-bought, and the redder and oranger they are, the better they taste,” McDonald told the Daily Press. “Peaches can be used for baking, canning, in smoothies, or to eat by themselves.”

The McDonald family said there are some important things to know about the peach season and for visitors to the orchard:

• The peach orchard opens from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24.
• No visitors before opening day.
• The orchard will open each day until the peaches are gone, which could be less than
• then three days.
• There is no parking on Seneca Road. Please park inside the property gates. Drive slowly and watch out for pedestrians.
• Please do not bring pets onto the property.
• Before entering the orchard, all peach pickers and visitors must stop by the sign-in area to sign the Hold Harmless/Release of Liability form.
•  Wheelchairs are not recommended in the orchard. Visitors are welcome to drive up to the fruit stand for service.
• Wear protective clothing that you don't mind getting a little dirty.
• Feel free to bring buckets/bags/pickers.
• Do not climb or shake trees.
•  Peaches will be available from the trees or at the fruit stand when stocked.
• Peaches are $1 a pound. Cash and Venmo are only accepted.
• The fruit stand will be located at the barn.
• There are no public restrooms on the premises.
• Do not enter the property after dusk and when gates are closed.
• The private property is a residence. Please be respectful and make good decisions while visiting.
• Be kind to others and the owners.
• No money is kept on the property after closing.

A long history 

McDonald’s grandfather, William Hartman, moved from Germany to South Dakota in 1892 and the High Desert about 30 years later. 

McDonald’s grandparents had plum, apple, peach, and apricot trees when they lived off Stoddard Wells Road in Victorville. 

Her parents later built a home in Apple Valley where they raised animals, planted fruit trees, and grew alfalfa.

In the mid-1990s, McDonald planted 504 peach trees on her family’s five-acre property to honor her late parents.

McDonald said she is grateful for the support she receives from her three daughters, three sons-in-law, and numerous grandchildren.

The McDonald Peach Orchard at 18510 Seneca Road, west of The Church for Whosoever in Apple Valley.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/McDonaldPeachOrchard.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz