The title of this article comes from T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” This staple of high-school English classes has always spoken to me. Even in my youth I could identify with the indecisiveness of the poem’s title character. He fears both action and inaction.
The line “Do I dare to eat a peach?” has been interpreted in various ways. Some critics think it reflects the aging Prufrock’s inability to chew, thanks to the loss of teeth. Some believe eating a peach stands in for engaging in sex.
I may be indecisive from time to time, but unlike J. Alfred, I have no trouble eating peaches. Our lush local peach crops epitomize this golden, juicy time of the year when the sun shines high and the days seem to stretch out before us into infinity.
I know that the stretching of the days is an illusion. Midsummer is past and the hours of daylight are waning. Nevertheless, we still have time to pause to enjoy the warmth and flavors of the season.
Many of us still fear to leave our homes in this era of COVID-19. Orchards offer a relatively safe place to shop. They are seldom crowded, and they give shoppers a delicious opportunity to support the local economy.
Like other establishments, orchards have made some changes to their operations as they have started to reopen for the season.
Be sure to bring your face mask with you to shop or pick, and expect to practice social distancing in the farm stores. Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield has now moved from drive-thru shopping, which worked surprisingly well, to allowing customers into its stand.
Pine Hill Orchard in Colrain offers take-out food from its restaurant.
Of course, the best thing to do with peaches is eat them straight up (preferably standing over the sink so the juices don’t flow everywhere). They are low in calories and full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
In case you feel obliged to cook with some of your peaches — and I usually do — I offer a few suggestions below.
Freestone peaches, like those I got last week at Apex Orchards, are a little easier to cook with, but if you have only clingstone peaches, fear not; just be sure to suck the peach flesh off of the pits when you have cut off when you can.
My first recipe shows off my contention that salsa is not just for tomatoes. I love the way spicy and sweet complement each other in peach salsa.
I adore scones, but I have been reluctant in the past to make them with juicy peaches, fearing a gummy consistency. I picked up the idea of roasting the peaches to dry them out a bit from King Arthur Flour. It works.
The ice cream recipe comes from Ben Clark of Clarkdale Fruit Farms, who got it from Ben & Jerry’s.
My final recipe was inspired by the rhubarb-bacon compote I made for my rhubarb cookbook. Sweet peaches and salty bacon are a match made in heaven.
The best peaches to use for this recipe are just ripe, still quite firm ones. Very ripe ones will render your salsa rather wet. If you use ultra-ripe peaches, you may either strain out a little of their juice before adding them to the salsa or serve the salsa with a slotted spoon.
2 tablespoons finely chopped red or other sweet onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (leave some seeds if you like your salsa hot!)
3 tablespoons (or more if you like) chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons honey (optional but good)
the juice of 1/2 lime
¾ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups finely chopped peaches (prepare them a little later than the rest of the ingredients)
Combine the onion, the pepper, the cilantro, the honey, the lime juice, and the salt. Let these ingredients marinate for at least an hour. Add the chopped peaches and serve. Makes about two-and-a-half cups.
2 ½ cups chopped peaches (about 2 medium peaches), skins on
½ cup sugar plus a bit more as needed for sprinkling
2 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
optional flavorings to taste: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon dried ginger, or 1 teaspoon chopped crystallized ginger
½ cup (1 stick) sweet butter
1 egg
⅔ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
First, roast the peaches. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil. Spread the peach pieces out on the prepared cookie sheet.
Roast the peaches for 10 minutes; then stir them and roast them for another 10 minutes (but check them after 5 minutes just in case they are sticking or starting to blacken).
Remove the peaches from the pan (they will be wet so this is a sort of scraping process) and let them cool before adding them to the scone dough.
For the scones, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment. Combine the sugar, the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt. Stir in an optional flavoring if you wish. Cut in the butter, but be careful not to overmix. Stir the fruit into this mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the egg, the buttermilk, and the vanilla or almond extract. Add the peach mixture and blend briefly. Drop the batter in clumps onto the baking sheets. You may either make large scones (you’ll end up with six to eight of them) or smallish ones (12 to 16).
Sprinkle additional sugar on top for added flavor and crunch. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, depending on size.
Please note that this recipe includes raw eggs, which carry with them a low risk of contracting salmonella.
2 cups finely chopped ripe peaches, with or without skins
1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
the juice of ½ lemon
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
Combine the peaches, the half-cup of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a bowl. This will make the peaches juice up. Cover and refrigerate for two hours, stirring every half hour.
Drain the peach juice into another bowl. Return the peaches to the refrigerator.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until they are light and fluffy (one to two minutes). Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar and the salt; then continue whisking until the mixture is completely blended.
Pour in the cream and the milk and continue whisking; then whisk in the peach juice. Transfer the mixture to an ice-cream freezer, and start cranking.
When the ice cream has started to stiffen (about two minutes before you think it will be done), add the peaches, and continue cranking to incorporate them. Makes one generous quart.
4 slices bacon
1 large sweet onion, sliced (then cut the slices in 2 and separate out the slices)
2 cups chopped and peeled ripe peaches
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Fry the bacon in small pieces until it starts to brown. Add the onion, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches soften and the liquid evaporates, 30 to 45 minutes. (You will probably want to stir pretty much constantly at the very end.)
Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the thyme, and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve at room temperature with cheese and crackers or as a chutney with a main course. Makes about one-and-a-half cups.
Tinky Weisblat is the award-winning author of “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook,” “Pulling Taffy,” and “Love, Laughter, and Rhubarb.” Visit her website, www.TinkyCooks.com.