Growers and Grocers

As August heats up, some of the juiciest and sweetest fruit becomes available – Peaches!  Not many people can resist the sweet fragrance of a freshly picked ripe peach.  The scent alone will cause you to stop and pick a few from the farmer’s market or your local grocery store. 

Peaches are in their glory during the month of August and are available in various states such as New Jersey, Georgia, California, Texas and Missouri, just to name a few that produce this delicious fruit.  If you have pick your own farms nearby, take advantage and spend a morning choosing your own peaches with your family. 

When selecting fresh peaches, it is often best to choose a slightly under-ripe peach and allow it to finish ripening at home.  They will ripen within a day or so and be perfect for eating.  If you are planning to cook with them the same day that you purchase them, then you’ll want to choose riper fruit. 

Many recipes require the fruit to be peeled.  To do this easily and limit the frustration of trying to get the peach skin off, here’s a way to do it: score the bottom of the peach with an “X” using a knife.  Then, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Allow each peach to be in the water for about 1 minute, then remove.  The skin will come off without any additional effort.

There are so many options for cooking with peaches, if you can keep from simply biting into them.  A favorite by many people is some variation of Peach Pie or a Peach Cobbler.  Both are perfect additions to any summer potluck or barbeque get-together.  If you have an ice cream maker, perhaps some fresh Peach Ice Cream would help cool down the kids after a full day of playing in the sun. 

Another way to enjoy those fresh peaches would be to make a Peach Salsa, combining the sweetness of the peaches with the spiciness of jalapenos, perfect with some salty tortilla chips.  Chutneys are another way to enjoy this fruit; simply use them as a condiment with cooked pork or chicken and you’ve really taken dinner to a whole new level.  Don’t forget about freezer jam!  You can enjoy the fresh taste of peaches all winter long when you have jam in the freezer.  Just pull out a jar and you’ve got the flavor of summer on your toast or bagel on a cold winter morning.

Check out the links below for recipes using fresh peaches:

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach and Ginger Sauce at Epicurious

Peach Melba Parfaits at Cooking Light

Peach Cobbler by Paula Deen at Food Network

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.