Minnesota-Grown Peaches? You Betcha!

TAYLORS FALLS, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Taylors Falls man has been experimenting with growing a fruit that's not normally produced in Minnesota.

Dan Shield uses a high tunnel system and heat cables to insulate peach trees from the harsh Minnesota winter. After six consecutive years of juicy organic peaches, Shield thinks his little experiment could scale because his calculations show the process would pay back farmers faster than other fruits, like apples and pears.

He also says it would be a more sustainable way to enjoy our favorite fruits.

"We get 90-some percent of our stone fruits here in the upper Midwest from California. That's 2,000 miles from here, so we're cutting the carbon footprint by 2,000 miles," Shield said. "They are excellent, and I've had multiple people come and tell me it's the best peaches they ever had."

Shield's peaches are typically harvested in early August. He sells them on his property, posting on social media and neighborhood groups when they're ripe and ready.