Mas Masumoto and his family grow an old-fashioned peach variety called Sun Crest.

Unlike modern peaches, which have a lot of fuzz – and Mas would say the intense peach flavor – bred right out of them, the Sun Crest is fuzzy, juicy and oh, so sweet. It is a rather delicate fruit, with a short growing season and a limited shelf life.

After several tough seasons of trying to sell his Sun Crest peaches, Mas pulled out most – but not all – of his old trees, to make way for newer, more popular varieties. He mourned the passing of the Sun Crest in his book, "Epitaph for a Peach."

Mas still has more than 300 Sun Crest peach trees. But now, rather than simply providing sentimental value, they’ve started to make him some money.

Ever since he wrote the epitaph for his peach, Mas has ironically found new markets and new life for the Sun Crest.

During the past couple of years, there has been renewed interest in older, and some believe, more flavorful varieties of fruits and vegetables. It’s a niche market, to be sure, but it’s big enough for small growers like Mas to benefit.

David Mas Masumoto grows both peaches and grapes on an 80-acre farm in tiny Del Rey, California outside Fresno.

Mas has a bachelors degree in sociology from UC Berkeley and a masters degree in community development from UC Davis. He also attended the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.

Along with farming, Mas’ other life passion is writing. He has been a contributing writer to USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, and The Fresno Bee. His books include "Silent Strength," "Home Bound" and "Country Voices: The Oral History of a Japanese American Family Farm Community."

His best known work is "Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm." It won the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Literary Food Writing category. "Epitaph for a Peach" tells the passionate story of one farmer’s attempt to rescue the sweet and juicy Sun Crest peach from extinction. The book begins on the day that Mas decides to keep his Sun Crest trees and vows to give himself four seasons to find a commercial home for the fruit.

"Epitaph for a Peach" is about saving an old-fashioned peach and saving a way of life – the American family farm.

When Mas isn’t writing or farming, he spends time with his wife Marcy, his two children, and with his parents, who are also farmers. Mas is also very active in the movement to preserve valuable agricultural land from development, an issue that’s critical in California’s fertile Central Valley.

Fresh California peaches are a summer fruit but you can enjoy the taste of summer year- round when you whip up a batch of Marcy Masumoto’s Peach Quencher, a refreshing recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pureed peaches (fresh peaches if you have them, although frozen or canned will do)

6 ounces pineapple juice

1/4 cup lemonade concentrate
3 cups club soda

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender, along with ice and voila! It’s done!

If you have questions or comments about this story, please E-mail Executive Producer Corita Gravitt at corita.gravitt@mailexcite.com.