Northeast Peach Shortage Might Put A Damper On Your Peach Cobbler Plans

If the Madagascar vanilla shortage wasn't enough to dash your plans for making the ultimate peach cobbler à la mode, a major peach shortage in the Northeast might just push you over the edge.

A mid-winter warm spell and two deep freezes are to blame, according to Modern Farmer, as "things like peaches, apricots, they start to come out pretty quick as soon as it gets warm out," said Steven Clarke of Prospect Hill Orchards, located in Milton, New York.

Fruit tree field specialists say that the states of New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts lost 90 percent or more of their peach crop. Even worse, some peach trees did not survive the harsh weather. Rick Lawrence of Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh, New York, said, "We lost quite a few peach trees ourselves. I know some of the other growers were hit pretty hard."

Some farmers will have to resort to buying peaches from other regions in the United States in order to have product to sell to their customers, though at a higher price.