Peaches Are Keen

There's nothing like a fresh peach on a hot June day.Whether it's the warm fuzziness of its' skin or the sweet juice dripping down your chin, this fruit is the best of the summer harvest. Not only that but its on e of the most versatile fruits. After all you can't just throw strawberries on a grill or make a cobbler out of watermelon. The peach is amazing and can be turned into a variety of dishes or just eaten cold from the fridge.

Even though the Latin name for the peach is prunus persica. which means Persian plum (roughly) the peach was first cultivated in ancient China at least 3,000 years ago. Wild peaches called "Maotao and "Yieto , descendants of these first fruits. Peaches were then grown in Russia and Persia thanks to Chinese traders dropping the pits along their trade routes. Alexander The Great loved peaches so much he brought them back to his native Greece. From Greece they spread throughout Europe and the Spanish then brought them to America during the Age of Exploration. Native American tribes also fell in love with the peach and are credited with cultivating it throughout the US. Thomas Jefferson also grew them at his Monticello plantation and commercial peach farms sprung up along the East Coast in the late 19th Century. Its' name is derived from persicum which the English of the Middle Ages shortened to peche and then peach.

As with any fruit, peaches are just downright good for you. They are an excellent source of potassium and Vitamins A and C. However peach pits, if eaten in large quantities ,can be toxic . They contain hydrocyanic acid or cyanide. There are a hundred varieties if the fruit however they 're usually classified by how stubbornly their flesh clings to the pit or stone. The categories are clingstone, freestone or semi-freestone. Clingstones have more color and are generally the sweetest type. Freestones have paler in flesh but they're bigger and firmer. The semi freestone is a new hybrid variety and falls somewhere between the two.

Use your peaches in a variety of ways.My Midwestern great granny Roberts used to make peach cobbler for my Dad and my aunt, This is a great marriage of buttery biscuit dough with the flavorful flesh.Another neat dish is halving fresh peaches, brushing them with olive oil and then grilling outdoors. You can immediately serve them with vanilla ice cream for a really sweet treat. My favorite peach recipe is from Piedmont my beloved great aunt Manya Albertina (manya is Piedmontese word for aunt) . She would crush the peach pits (not really deadly if eaten in small amounts)along with crushed up amaretto cookies and almonds and mix with Marsala wine . This mixture was then put into a pitted peach half and baked for 20 minutes until the flesh was tender. It was served plain but sometimes we added Cool whip to really gild the lily.

Peaches are a wonderful summertime fruit that can be eaten fresh or prepared in a delicious dessert. Take advantage of this sweet classic that both the ancients adored ad we love today.

Albertina Ghio-Canova's Stuffed Peaches.

4 Freestone peaches (big peaches are preferred for this dish although you can use clingstones)

Peach pits crushed,
10 amaretto cookies finely crushed.
1/3rd of a cup of crushed almonds.
4 teaspoons more or less of Marsala wine or peach schnappes.

Halve and pit four peaches.
Crack open peach pit and remove meat. Crush or finely mince (if you're still leery about this then use only one peach meat) Add the amaretto cookie crumbs and almonds. Mix in the sweet wine or schanppes to moisten the mixture. Using a teaspoon put the mixture into the peaches' hollows and then bake for twenty minutes. You can tell when the dessert is done when a toothpick is inserted into the flesh and stands up. If it falls over take the peaches out right away because they've been over baked.The peach flesh should be tender but firm.

Serve warm or chilled plain or with Cool Whip.