Eckert’s Orchards in Belleville, Illinois, located about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis, began more than 100 years ago when Henry Eckert planted the first fruit trees near his home on Turkey Hill in St. Clair County, Illinois. In 1910, Henry’s son Alvin began selling the fruit at a roadside stand, and since then the business has continued to grow.

Today, with two additional locations in Millstadt, Illinois, and Grafton, Illinois, Eckert’s Orchards is the largest family-owned and operated pick-your-own farm in the U.S., according to the company’s Web site.

One of the Belleville location’s popular summer attractions is pick-your-own peaches, which are well known in the St. Louis area for their high quality. The peach picking season starts in mid-July and goes until Labor Day.

During the last week in July, it was hot and humid outside, but the peach pickers who had gathered were not deterred. Families grabbed cardboard baskets and climbed in the over-sized wagon hauled by a dusty tractor driven by a smiling old man. Off in the distance, apple trees, which wouldn’t be fully ripe until September, were visible.

The wagon stopped, and the passengers hopped off and headed toward the uniform rows of peach trees. Peaches were everywhere — dangling on branches and smashed on the ground. Adults helped the children pick the peaches just out of their short reach or lifted them near the higher tree branches so they could grab the fruit themselves.

One of those children, Catherine McVey of St. Louis, Missouri, said she came to Eckert’s to pick peaches with family friend Charles Yowell, also of St. Louis.

“I like to pick the peaches because it’s fun, and you get to bring the whole family. … You just get to relax,” the 11-year-old said breathlessly, adding that she has been to Eckert’s several times.

Pam Wilson of Eureka, Missouri, said she and her family were visiting Eckert’s Orchards for the first time. She said she decided to go after she saw the orchard featured on a local television station.

“It’s wonderful,” Wilson said. “The peaches look great.”

Greg Heyde of Mascoutah, Illinois, a field supervisor, said his duties include telling people where to pick fruit and helping them determine if the peaches are ripe or not. A good peach is soft and has a full, red color, Heyde said.

He added that he visited Eckert’s as a child to pick peaches, apples, pumpkins and corn.

“I’ve been coming for years and years, so I figured hey, why not [give] back to it,” Heyde said.

Eckert’s is a popular family attraction for those living in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Eckert’s Marketing Coordinator Amanda Morgan said between 300,000 and 500,000 people visit the Belleville site and its two satellite locations in Millstadt and Grafton during the months of September and October alone.

In addition to pick-your-own peaches, Eckert’s offers pick-your-own strawberries, blackberries, apples and pumpkins, depending on the season. Most of the crops come in during the summer and can be purchased by the pound. The orchard also sells peaches to Whole Foods and various local grocery store chains. Cut-your-own Christmas trees are available during early winter at the farms in Belleville and Millstadt.

A custard stand, a restaurant, a country store and a commercial nursery — through which visitors must walk to get to the wagon that will take them to the orchards — also are located on the Belleville farm. The country store features a small in-house bakery, the smell of which is maddening to people who have been out in the sun all afternoon, and offers visitors a wide selection of jams, jellies, cheese, local produce and wine.

The restaurant adjacent to the country store features comfort foods, such as fried chicken, meatloaf and grilled cheese, plus items like vegetable wraps and Mediterranean salmon salad for the more health conscious.

Whether visitors come to pick their own fruit, eat at the country restaurant or just to enjoy a day at the farm, Eckert’s Orchards provides a wholesome, outdoor experience.

Photos by Mike Snodderley

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