There are only a few weeks of the year to devour fresh local peaches from the Willamette Valley, and those weeks are here. Fragrant, fuzzy and outrageously juicy, our peaches are some of the best in the nation, benefiting from long days of sun and plentiful spring rains. Fruit at farmer’s markets, while lovely to look at, can be wildly expensive. If you take an afternoon off and head to the U-pick peach orchard, you can come home with about twice as much. Prices to pick your own peaches are less than a dollar per pound this year. What to do: You should choose peaches that come easily off the tree: just a slight twist will release those ripe enough to eat in a few days. Cushion fruit with a few layers of newspaper or cloth to avoid bruising, and never stack these fragile beauties. Ripe fruit often peels easily, so using peaches at their peak is a snap, if a bit messy. Another method to encourage the skin’s separation is to plunge the whole fruit in boiling water for just a moment, being careful not to cook the pulp. Whether eaten fresh, sliced over cereal or turned into jams, pies or cobbler, the fresh peach cannot be duplicated by its canned version. Here are a few recipes to try that can only be properly done with fresh, ripe peaches. Two recipes to try: Peaches in white wine (Substitute nectarines if necessary) 4 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into about 8 or 10 wedges 5 to 8 tablespoons sugar, adjust based on peach’s sweetness 1 cup of dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc works nicely) Lay the peaches out in a serving bowl and sprinkle each layer with a tablespoon of sugar. Refrigerate covered for two to three hours. Taste, and add more sugar if needed. Add wine to saturate the fruit, folding very gently to keep slices whole. Refrigerate four to six more hours. Spoon peaches into shallow, glass parfait dishes. Peaches with caramel rum sauce 1/2 stick unsalted butter 1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, each cut into 8 wedges 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 tablespoons rum Vanilla ice cream Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon, stirring to break up any lumps. When sugar dissolves, add peaches and vanilla. Stir occasionally and cook three to four minutes. Add rum and cook an additional few minutes as sauce thickens. Pour peaches and sauce over ice cream. Two U-picks to try: G M Farms, Sauvie Island 15330 N.W. Sauvie Island Rd. July 15 to Oct. 31, Mon. to Sat. 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. (9-5 after Labor Day) (503) 621-3177 Take a left just after the bridge and you’ll see signs for this expansive, picturesque farm. Great prices on U-pick vegetables all summer long. Red Haven peaches are now available at 75 cents a pound. Bays Farm, Banks, Oregon 14550 N.W. Bays Drive Call for hours and days (503) 324-0261 This hillside farm is about a half an hour’s drive from Portland. With a few varieties of peaches and nectarines, the orchard has a lovely view of Washington County and incredible fruit. Call ahead for availability of your desired fruit before making the trip, because this farm sells out fast. They have Harkin, Red Haven and Harbright peaches, as well as Harko nectarines. All are 60 cents per pound.
Peaches at their peak
