Life’s a Peach!

Did you ever lick the sugar bowl when no one was looking?  I must confess, I did as a kid.  We didn’t have candy around the house while I was growing up, so every once in awhile I would grab that sugar bowl a give it a good lick.  I was reminded of that shameless adolescent act when, on Sunday, Dwight from English Fruit Orchards handed me a peach, and not just any peach – a juicy little sweet peach that tasted just like that sugar bowl.

Dwight, Carla, Paul and now grandson Michael English from English Fruit Orchards have been participating at the Sunday Farmers’ Market for the last 12 years.  Of course they only come to market when the apples, peaches and cherries are available, so you won’t see them every weekend. Dwight and his family have been farming in Wilcox since 1980. The orchard is planted with over 100 apple trees, 40 peach trees and a few pear and cherry trees. They are one of the few certified organic producers that we have at the market, and currently grow fifteen varieties of apples and ten varieties of peaches.

So if you are in search of that juicy, succulent peach that tastes just like it should, visit the Sunday Farmers’ Market at St. Philip’s Plaza, where you will find Dwight and his family offering a juicy sample.  At Saturday’s Oro Valley Farmers’ Market you can also find local peaches and plums from Bruce at Sunset Cove growers who brings in his fruit from Cliff’s Orchards in Catalina.

There is nothing like that farm-fresh taste of local fruits and vegetables.  Not only can you taste the difference, but the look and smell is a telltale sign of ripe juiciness. Buy local, save a farm…now isn’t that just peachy?

Mom’s Peach Empanadas

Filling                        Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
3 large ripe peaches
¼ c. brown sugar
1 Tlb. corn starch
⅛ tsp. nutmeg
⅛ tsp. ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp. vanilla extract

Crust
1 ½ cups of flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 stick of butter, diced
4 Tbsp. iced water
Filling:
Mix together all dry and wet ingredients, add peaches mix well.

To make the dough:
Lightly flour and butter large cookie sheet
Combine flour, sugar, butter until coarsely mixed,
Add water until forms a dough, chill for at least 20 min.
Roll out on floured board, we cut circles with large cookie cutter,
you can also roll out into a large rectangle and cut a X forming 4 triangles.
Fill center of each circle with peach mixture, moisten with water ½ of each circle,
fold over and press edges together. Crimp with fork or fingers.
Brush tops with water and sprinkle sugar,
poke vent holes on top with sharp knife or fork.
Place on cookie sheet.
*Store brought pie crust can be substituted

Bake in 400 degree oven for 12~15 min.