Georgia may claim the peach — but Massachusetts gets points for growing excellent varieties of clingstone and free stone peaches. More points should go to all the chefs who transform this luscious and ancient fruit into jam, pie, pastry and, of course, ice cream.
The Roman poet Virgil made reference to his hunt for “downy peaches and the glossy plum.” But peaches are a cross-continental delight, as they grow in China and the Far East. According to the Oxford companion to food, the peach was being cultivated before 10th century B.C.E. And they are a fruit that everyone loves, and that travelled well enough to be cultivated in different climates. Back in the first century, Pliny described at least a half-dozen varieties of peaches, including peaches of Gaul (France), and Asiatic types.
Peaches come in both yellow and white, and “freestone” or “clingstone” types, which refers to how easily pit comes away from the flesh. The trees last around 20 years, and though the English worked hard to grow them during the time of Henry VIII (he had a gardener named Wolf who was successful), before modern hybridization techniques, peaches did best in a warmer, more Mediterranean environment.
French Romantic novelist Emile Zola picked up on the sensuality of peaches back in 1873 in “The Belly of Paris”:
“In front was an array of choice fruits, carefully arranged in baskets, and showing like smooth round cheeks seeking to hide themselves, or glimpses of sweet childish faces, half veiled by leaves. Especially was this the case with the peaches, the blushing peaches of Montreuil, with skin as delicate and clear as that of northern maidens, and the yellow, sunburnt peaches from the south, brown like the damsels of Provence.”
Tree-ripened Flavor
Here in New England, a wide variety of peaches are grown, and we recently spoke to Jim Lattanzi, owner of Hollis Hills Farm, as peach season has arrived on the hill, along with apple season (stay tuned!). Visitors have their choice of yellow (Glowing Star) and white (Salena and August Rose).
“When you think of a peach, you think of a yellow flesh peach,” Jim explains. “White is more delicate of a flavor but a great texture.”
Immediate gratification is in the nature of a peach tree. “From the time you plant a peach tree you get fruit two years in,” he says. Tree-ripening creates a complex flavor in the fruit, which is why a farm-fresh peach is many orders of magnitude more flavorful and tender than a supermarket peach.
“The grocery stores have to pick them way before they’re mature,” he says. “We let them ripen way more. And you get way more flavor, and they’re way more intense. Any of the peaches we’re picking right now, put them out on the counter for a day, but lot of times they’re pretty darn ripe, so you better get a napkin cause they’ll run down your chin,” he adds with a chuckle.
Peach Smoothie
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sliced ripe peaches
½ sliced banana
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS:
Mix in a blender and serve. Water or plant-based milk can be substituted for milk. Adjust honey for taste.
Visit Hollis Hills Farm, 340 Marshall Rd, Fitchburg. “Pick Your Own” open during the week; retail and ice cream, Tues-Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm, Fri.-Sat. 9 am to 8 pm, Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. Kitchen hours: Friday, 4 to 9 pm, Saturday, 12 pm to 9 pm; Sunday, 12 pm to 5 pm. (Bar open the same; closing a half hour earlier than kitchen). Music on the weekends; follow “Hollis Hills Farm” on Facebook.
Blueberries for Sal
Between “Sally, Dick and Jane” and “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey, I spent much of my childhood thinking I should have had short blond hair instead of long black hair because my name was so closely associated with these famous little girls of literature.
Sally of “Dick and Jane” was sweet but a non-entity, and I greatly preferred “Sal” from McCloskey’s book because I, too, had certainly fallen in the water, gotten stuck in brambles, and enjoyed the sound of blueberries going “plinkety-plonk” in my tin bucket.
Yes, picking season has come to a close for blueberries, but plenty of farm stands have beautiful blues in abundance. And these hot days call for cold soup.
Finnish Blueberry Soup
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups blueberries
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash cinnamon
dash ground cloves
¼ teaspoon coriander
1/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
Puree blueberries (okay to use frozen) with water. Put in a saucepan, add sugar, lemon juice and spices. Simmer for five minutes, cool and refrigerate. Add yogurt, and serve. Serves two. Recipe can be increased.
One Helpful Household Hint
Real food doesn’t have an expiration date, but you should have a sense of when you brought home fresh fruit and vegetables. I love going to the Westminster Farmers’ market on Fridays, and Fitchburg Farmers’ Market on Thursdays, because then I know exactly when those cukes, carrots, and berries came into the house.
As for the fresh peaches referenced in this piece, if you buy them at a market, and they are mostly hard, check them every day — three days in, they should be ripe and ready.
Sally Cragin would love to read your family recipes and stories. Write to: sallycragin@gmail.com
