Peach Recipes

Peaches: Lusciousness

If there's any food as luscious as a ripe sweet peach, I don't know what it is. Fresh from the tree or the farm produce stand, eaten outside with the juice dripping down your arm... sheer heaven. (There have been persistent rumors that the 'apple' in the Garden of Eden was really a peach.)

Peaches are among the easiest of fruits to can, so if you are lucky enough to have a peach tree or two in your yard, look into this method of storing them so that you can enjoy their summery taste in winter. A home food dehydrator can help you preserve your crop for later use as well. Rehydrate dried ones to use in pies and pastry fillings, or chop dry to add to granolas, fruit cakes or breakfast cereal.

Not only is this fruit delicious, they are packed with beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C and E, all of which have antioxidant action, capturing and neutralizing free radicals in your system, which slows down the aging process and provides important protection against a variety of ills.

Facts and Fun

Cling peaches, or clingstone peaches, are just a type of this fruit in which the stone, or pit, resists being separated from the edible flesh. Freestone pits are less clingy and the fruit is therefore easier to eat 'out of hand'.

If you or your kids want to try to plant a peach pit, you either have to plant it outdoors, or refrigerate the seed for a few months. This programs the seed to be prepared to sprout when it warms up again - without this cooling-off period, the pit won't sprout.

Peach Recipes

Peaches are commonly used in preserves, sauces and jams. In addition, they are delicious in baked pies and used as fresh garnishes on fruit tarts and other desserts. Try some dripping over poundcake or custard for a fruity kick to these desserts.