U.S. 290 feels like a lane between peach trees, where at least 27 peach markets blossom nearby or along it from Blanco to Stonewall to Fredericksburg. Pitch into a bowl of peach ice cream at Engel Orchard, slice a peach pie from McCall Creek Farms Market, and pick your own at Vogel Orchard. For many more, visit the Web site of the Hill Country Fruit Council, www.texaspeaches.com.

Cantaloupes From the Banks of the Pecos
Something sweet happens in the salty, sandy soil and blast of summer sun out in far West Texas. Those conditions ripen the famous Pecos cantaloupes. By August, Texans are slicing them open, purchased from supermarkets or at their source itself. Drive nearly to the end (or the beginning) of I-20, and you’ll find them farm-fresh from Pecos Cantaloupe Shed at 2101 South Bickley Avenue in Pecos. Call (432) 447-2123.