Monday, August 17, 2009

Peaches...

Last summer we were blessed with the delivery of a couple boxes of what I believe to be the world's best peaches ever. They came from a farm stand somewhere east of the mountains, a stand discovered by my aunt and uncle. We gorged ourselves eating them day and night, baking them into yummy crisps and cobblers and turning a good number into jam. This summer we again received a box of these beauties. Again the gorging continued, some were gifted to those most special in our lives (yes these babies are so precious that they are destined for only a small number of receivers), a few were made into a crisp shared with friends after a day of fun playing on a local river, the rest have been frozen to be savored later. This summer instead of canning/jamming the bounty of delicious fruits I have been freezing as much as our limited freezer space will allow. We have several quarts of blueberries scored from our favorite farm stand. The drive is long but knowing what awaits makes it worth it every time. And now I will have a few quarts of these peaches as well. I really never knew how much I loved peaches until last summer, with the first delivery of these little bits of heaven on earth. I have talked with a few folks about how there is really nothing like a farm fresh peach, those bought in the store never compare, even dare I say those from my favorite little local coop. I am left wishing that I had requested another box, I didn't want to be greedy at the time but am going to remember next summer to take as many as my lovely aunt and uncle can haul back for us. I will be sure to have adequate space in my freezer for freezing quart after quart of all the summer fruits we can lay our hands on. Then come winter when we are enjoying crisps and cobblers we will think back on our summer days.