Moving into her Wadsworth home in December of 2014, Maryam Wood saw three trees in her backyard, but had no idea what kind they were. By the following autumn, she learned they were peach trees. With the help of her mother and mother-in-law, Wood started turning the peaches into muffins, preserves, jams and more. With quantities larger than the family could eat, she started giving them to friends as gifts. They liked them enough to ask for more.
” By 2018, Middleton’s was operating in the Wadsworth, Round Lake and Fox Lake farmers markets. A major change came in the fall of 2018 when Maryam Wood traveled to Tennessee to participate in a seminar with author and urban farming expert Curtis Stone. “That was a transformative moment in her life,” Kevin Wood said. “I told her. ‘If this is what you want, go for it.’” Maryam and Kevin Wood talk about some of the gluten-free pastries she makes.