Henny Penny Farmette

Ripe peaches, widely available throughout summer, are delicious in cobblers, pies, and pancakes. They are scrumptious in spreads like jam for toast, on pound cake drizzled in brand or a fruit wine, or over warm bread. Alternatively, pile ripe peaches into a pandowdy, tart, galette, or crostini (the French and Italian versions of a rustic one-crust pie with edges folded over to hold in the fruit).

Folks in the Midwest where I grew up enjoy peach cobbler best when served warm with rich vanilla ice cream or piled high with homemade whipped cream. Of course, this cobbler is especially tasty served cold when flavors have time to marinate. To ensure freshness, always refrigerate.

For this peach cobbler recipe, you’ll need about two and one-half pounds of fresh, ripe peaches. Gather your tools, bowls, and ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

RECIPE: COUNTRY FRESH PEACH COBBLER

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Half & Half
2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons apricot preserves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for peach filling
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with 2 Tablespoons sugar for topping

Directions to Make Crust

Divide sugar into two equal portions. In a large bowl, pour in the flour, baking powder, and one portion of the sugar. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Cut four tablespoons of the butter into cubes. Drop pieces of butter into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, integrate the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. In a separate bowl, beat together egg and Half & Half. Slowly pour this into the dry flour mixture and mix until the dough is moistened, not wet. On a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprinkled with a little sifted flour, shape the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Directions for Preparing the Peaches

In a medium-size bowl, mix the peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches with lemon juice, nutmeg (or mace), 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, apricot preserves, and the remaining portion of sugar. In a 1 1/2 quart baking dish, pour in the peach filling. Cut the remaining butter into pieces and add to the peaches.

Directions for Assembling the Cobbler.

Roll out the cobbler dough and place it so that it covers the peaches and stretches to the edge of the baking dish. Seal by crimping the dough around the edges of the dish. Cut vents into the dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of the crust. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Remove when crust has browned and let cool. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

If you enjoy reading about country living, check out the novels based on my farmette life: A Beeline to Murder, The Murder of a Queen Bee, and A Hive of Homicides. All are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers as well as bookstores everywhere.

If you are lucky enough to live in an area where gardening can be done through spring, summer, and fall, September is the time to start looking in local nurseries for plants that grow in cooler weather. Here are some tips to get a quick start on fall planting of cool season crops, including brassicas, root crops, vegetables, and herbs.

Keep in mind that all new seedlings require well-drained soil. For leafy Brassicas, incorporate some agricultural lime into the soil to get them off to a good start. For leafy plants like Swiss chard, make sure to plant in full sun in soil that is rich in humus and well draining.

If you are planting broccoli, cabbage, or other brassica crops that attract aphids, plant some sweet alyssum. The tiny flowers attract syrphid flies, whose larvae consume the invading aphids.

Suitable for autumn planting:

1. Brassicas (bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage, Savoy cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi or German turnip)
2. Root crops (turnips, radishes, beets, carrots, and rutabagas)
3. Leafy Brassicas (arugula, collards, horseradish, kale, mustard greens,spinach, wasabi, watercress)
4. Cool season vegetables (broad or Fava beans, celery, garlic, leeks, peas, scallions or spring onions, Swiss chard)
5. Herbs (borage, chives, chicory, cilantro/coriander, chamomile, chervil, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and sage)

If you enjoy reading about gardening and country topics, check out my cozy mystery novels chocked full of delicious recipes and tips for country living–A BEELINE TO MURDER, THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE, and A HIVE OF HOMICIDES. All are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online outlets and bookstores everywhere.

See, https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Book%2BMeera+Lester&ref=nav_bb_sb