An ambrosial approach to the peach

You get inspiring food ideas in unexpected places and at unexpected times. 

There I was, in the produce section of the Sharon Farm Market, sticking my nose within a quarter inch of the skins of the peaches, to see if they were fragrant with nectar. I looked up, and found myself face to face with one of my early-morning gym buddies from North East Fitness and Wellness in Millerton. 

Conversation at the gym is pretty much limited to single-word greetings (my preferred word: “Hey”). So it surprised me when this gentleman (known to me mainly as “the rowing machine guy”) began to share a most delicate and refined recipe — one that he’d developed on his own; one that perfectly captures the fleeting essence of summer’s most succulent stone fruit.

And by the way, this is expected to be one of the best years in the history of Georgia peaches (and apparently for Hudson Valley peaches as well). Last year was not a great year for stone fruit or for apples and pears; this year, the trees seem to be making up for their 2014 lapse. 

The Georgia peach growers say that the  conditions this year have been ideal, a combination of cool winter nights, with temperatures under 40 degrees, and hot, humid days, with temperatures in the 90s. 

Georgia peaches started shipping in May. Local peaches are going to show up in early August. 

August, as it turns out, is also the end of the Georgia peach season; I learned that on the Internet, along with the interesting and not completely surprising fact that Georgia is only the fourth largest producer of peaches in America (California is number one, followed by  South Carolina and New Jersey).

One of my favorite places to get peaches is from William Merriman in North Canaan. Willie is mostly famous for the honey that he  sells at his Route 44 farmstand, next to Stop & Shop.

I like his honey, but it’s when peach season begins that I find myself hovering around Willie’s farmstand like a hungry bee. 

Willie has the magic touch when it comes to choosing and then ripening peaches. He describes his technique, loosely, as,“I toss ’em in a box and leave ’em on the porch until they’re ready.”  Somehow, it works.

Willie, by the way, also promises that this year is going to be an exceptionally good one for peaches. 

Charlie Paley of Paley’s Farm Market in Sharon agrees, and says this promises to be an outstanding year for all orchard fruit. He currently has at the market Hudson Valley peaches, blueberries and sugar plums.

Peaches might be good for your soul and promote a general seasonal sense of happiness, but apparently they’re not hugely nutritious — although they do have a lot of vitamin A, which is good for your eyes and your immune system. 

There are rumors on the Internet that if you eat three peaches a day it will cure you of breast cancer. The Internet also claims that eating peaches, or rubbing them on your skin, will eliminate wrinkles and under-eye circles. There doesn’t seem to be much rational support for either of those claims, other than the deep desire for them to be true.

But peaches taste great and they must do something good for your body: When I was pregnant (many, many years ago), all I wanted to eat during my third trimester was peaches and mangoes. 

Besides, one thing we all know for sure is that we don’t really know all the good things that fresh fruits and vegetables can do for us. So if you like peaches, eat them; something good will come of it.

You can eat them “as is,” of course, but if you want to try something new and different, here is what my friend from the gym recommends. 

Slice up a peach. Maybe add some blueberries (blackberries or raspberries would be nice, too). Sprinkle the slices with some turbinado sugar (that’s the unrefined brown sugar that is sometimes referred to as “raw;” my gym friend described it as “less cloying” than processed white sugar). Drizzle some crème de cassis (the liqueur made from black currants) over the top.

The idea, he explained, is to capture the best of the peach before it makes its fast transit from unripe to perfect to overripe. It also helps your peach if it has a mealy texture. 

The sugar macerates the fruit and brings out its juices. The crème de cassis adds a fruity and alcoholic bit of je ne sais quoi. (I didn’t have any cassis at my house, so I used framboise, made from raspberries, instead.) 

Use a peach that has had a few days to ripen (so it isn’t hard as rock). Slice it up and let it macerate for about four hours or more. Serve it as an elegant and simple dessert on its own, perhaps with a fresh mint garnish (if you need mint, let me know; I’ve got an awful lot of it) or a sprig of lavender. 

You can add some crême
fraiche or mascarpone if you want to make it a little richer -—but afterward, you’ll have to go to the gym. If you do, say “hey” to the
rowing machine guy and thank him for this recipe.