By Rachael Shugars, AAP Columnist
The Chinese believed the peach tree to possess more vitality, because their blossoms appear before leaves sprout; with other trees, it’s commonly the other way around. With the dawn of August comes a month for peaches. There are more than 300 varieties of them. In 2015 at the Palisade Peach Festival in Jupiter Farms, Fla., the largest peach grown came in weighing over one pound!
Peaches are not only a fun and fantastic fruit, but they are also packed with vitamins and nutrients. They’re delicious and versatile. Summertime is the perfect time to find peaches all over South Jersey and in local grocers. I remember growing up and attending peach festivals everywhere from Cape May to Gettysburg. I recall one trip where I discovered that donut peaches exist, and it was glorious. I suggest you find and try them.
The possibilities for sweet dishes involving peaches are endless: cobblers, crumbles, ice creams, and cakes to name a few. But did you know that you can incorporate this fruit into savory dishes? Like a mango, you can use peaches in salsa, or with many different proteins. They can be grilled and served with chicken or shrimp, or sauteed and added to a glaze for pork loin or chops.
Peaches are a wondrous thing like so many other foods we’ve adventured with, but sometimes the best way to enjoy them is fresh off the branch after a good rinse.
As we come to the end of this food adventure, we are also coming to the end of all our food adventures together. We have gone on so many great journeys into the food world. We’ve tasted our way to every edge of Pennsauken to try cool new food spots; we’ve learned about Christmas foods around the world and about different varieties of fruit and vegetables. You’ve made this an exciting endeavor. It’s with a happy sadness that I bid you all, my amazing readers, a fond farewell. I encourage you to go off into this great big world and continue to delve into the unknown foods around you. Be brave and curious, and always enjoy your Food Adventures…
