Eating: Peach Crisp

 

We took the little ones peach picking after Liturgy on Sunday and had such a good time! Unlike the other U-Pick crops we have picked this summer (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries), the peaches didn't come off of the tree ready to eat.  We've found one or two that could be enjoyed on Sunday afternoon, but the majority sat in their cardboard box waiting to become peach perfection.  Today was the day!

As Kate spun the last little bit of roving into yarn, I peeled peaches.  I thinly sliced peaches, while she mixed oatmeal, sugar, coconut, flour, and cinnamon to make the delectable topping that we spread on top of the sliced peaches (and a handful of blueberries from the freezer).  Paired with a hot mug of coffee, this pan of peach crisp made the perfect summery breakfast. 

:::::

From Blossoms 
Li-Young Lee

From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward   
signs painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into   
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

::::: 

Peach Crisp 

This makes a scrumptious breakfast or dessert! It can easily be made Lenten or can be enjoyed with a dollop of whipped cream or a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients
5 cups of peeled and sliced fruit - apples, peaches, pears, apricots, blueberries*, cherries*, rhubarb*, or a combination
2 to 4 T. granulated sugar
1 cup regular rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup coconut

Method
For filling thaw fruit, if frozen. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish. Stir in granulated sugar.

For topping, in a mixing bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and coconut. With a pastry blender or clean hands, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over filling.

Bake in 375 degree F oven for 30 -35 minutes (40 for thawed fruit) ir until fruit is tender and topping is golden. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or non-dairy whipped topping, if desired.

*Blueberries, Cherries, and Rhubarb filling should be mixed with 3 T. of flour and have the granulated sugar increased to about 1/2 a cup (depending on taste).