Please partake in my peck of peaches...

 I am lucky enough to know somebody whose brother-in-law owns a peach orchard in Arizona (I think it is Arizona).  Every year I get a peck of perfect peaches.  They are ripe when I get them and so there isn't a lot of time to piddle around.  I cannot describe how absolutely plump and juicy they are.  Amazing does not come close to describing them.  Luckily, I had a few days off when I got them.   

This is what happens to a peck of peaches and more...

6 jars of canned peaches,  

3 jars of peach barbecue sauce,  

3 jars of peach syrup,  

7 jars of spicy vanilla peach jam, 

3 jars of peach salsa,  

4 jars of black bean salsa,   

2 jars of cherry jam,  

1 cherry pie, 

8 sweetgrass braids 

1 batch of Grandma's peach kuchen, and

4 big bottles and 10 little bottles of rhubarb/cherry wine.

I was extremely happy with my sweetgrass.  They love moisture and I have them planted next to our pond.  I wasn't sure how well they would do during a dry year, but they were fine.  The braids are shorter than normal, but still smell as sweet.  

 We had company on Saturday.  Some blog followers stopped by to see the gardens.  I made a batch of my Grandma Hyde's Kuchen.  Since we are all related on the German side (my Grandmother's side) of the family, it was the perfect treat for a summer afternoon.  Ironically, the potholder you see below the last slice of kuchen was made by my Grandma Hyde. In case you were wondering kuchen is German for cake.

Grandma's Peach Kuchen

Crust

1 c. flour

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. butter

Filling

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

3 T. flour

1 c. sour cream 

Slice peaches over the crust.  Beat filling and pour over the peaches.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and 325 for 35 minutes.  Enjoy with a cup of coffee.  

I wasn't just in the kitchen creating culinary joys and entertaining guests.  We went to the local greenhouse and bought a few trees.  We got a Newport plum with bright red leaves to add to our golden hues and another Bali Cherry.   The other little Bali bugger did so good I added another to the orchard.  I forgot to mention that the homemade cherry pie turned out grand.  A bit tart, but delicious none-the-less. To the left are leaves from a wild chokecherry.  

It isn't the best picture, but the little Newport plum does look grand.  It is nestled among the wild ferns and thimbleberries.   It rained all day today.  It was much needed.  Not just for the newly planted trees, but also to alleviate the other plants from a long dry spell.  What did you do over the labor day weekend?