The Widder Curry’s empty peach tree. Photo by South OB Girl.
Peach Tree Thieves Took Over 100 Ripe Peaches and Have Struck at least Once More
By South OB Girl
This isn’t brand new news — it happened back on May 30th. But it only recently came up at a staff lunch (for those who didn’t know it, sometimes we do have writer/contributor meetings or lunches!).
It came up that Judi Curry – the Widder Curry – had a peach tree completely ransacked of over 100, nearly 150, ripe, luscious peaches. All at one time.
This means someone, or a group of people, first scouted out her fruit laden tree. The tree is not visible from the street or sidewalk. The individual (or individuals) then plotted a time to trespass and sneak into her fenced yard (over the approximately six foot fence and gate).
They must have brought bags or buckets in which to carry the 50-100 pounds of peaches. Or perhaps a team of people arrived to carry the loot. There were no remnants of broken branches or remnants of half eaten fruit and left over pits, according to Judi, — no evidence of rats or raccoons having a peach feast. It was a neat and tidy clean out — of every ripe peach on the tree.
Then over the Fourth of July, one block over from Judi, on Granger Street — another fruit tree was ransacked (according to Nextdoor).
Who are these people sneaking into people’s yards and stealing their fruit?
Not only has Judi lost all her peaches, with which she was planning to make her famous jams — she feels violated. Her home was violated, her yard, her orchard, her privacy.
Has this been happening in other parts of OB – or just in Judi’s neck of the woods, in south OB?
Every farmer knows he/she might lose a crop. The weather might turn. Some pest or other might ruin the produce. But it invokes a different sadness and anger to have your fruit tree ransacked by thieves. For Judi this wasn’t a burglary of just a few half ripe peaches — it was her peak harvest of dozens.
For those who know Judi — she is known for making jam. She makes many varieties throughout the year and keeps them in her pantry. She often gives her jam as gifts– and it is delicious. She was planning to make jam with her Japanese foreign exchange student — but alas, thieves stole her peaches.
If you have any idea of who these fruit tree thieves are — Judi and others would like to know. Certainly SDPD would like to know and any tips given to SDPD would be greatly appreciated.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel so sad for Judi. I too know the feeling of violation of someone stealing from me. It happens all too often at the OB Woman’s Club. There are individual garden plots folks can rent for a small fee. Unfortunately, some losers think they are special and feel they have the right to take something that doesn’t belong to them. I caught an onion thief stealing from my plot. Once I confronted her, her response was “well, they have plenty…” I lost it. Just last week another gardener had ALL her tomatoes taken. ALL OF THEM. She was there in the evening, went back the next morning and they were all gone. Who are these thieving losers? For someone to go onto someone’s property to steal, is beyond me. Karma will eventually get them. Sorry Judi, I feel your pain…
I have a large beavertail cactus along my fence on Narragansett. I make sure that it doesn’t lean into the sidewalk right of way. Twice in the last two years somebody with a machete has wacked the hell out of my cactus in the middle of the night.
Luckily it faces south and grows like a weed, so a streak of vandalism only slows it down for a few months, but who the hell does this sort of thing?
The puzzlement is when was it done? Where was my dog? Was it someone that knew Shadow? There are always a bunch of people around the house; my foreign language students; my brother-in-law, etc., The five of us saw the peaches on Wednesday night because that was when we discussed the canning on Friday morning. And, you have read the story. They were gone. Then to have a neighbor on the next block experience the same thing makes you wonder – camera’s are now up and filming!
This same thing happened to us last year. 100+ Almost perfectly ripe peaches gone in one afternoon.
Ian, do you live in the Peninsula or south OB?
I live right up the street from Esperanza. ;-)
Thank you Ian — I along with others will be keeping tabs more closely on these garden thefts. Remarkable — same thing happened to you. Not a trace left behind?
Sorry :-(
Maybe landscapers or their helpers that may work in the area and know who has what kind of trees?
Any adjacent neighbors have cameras to view their footage? At least now you have your own surveillance.
Haven’t checked but there’s probably a Peach Cobbler special @ Red Sails Inn