Summer's a Peach

It’s stone fruit season and life is especially delicious these days.

Don't they just glow?

While it’s possible to grow at least 1 variety of peaches in Vermont, we take stone fruit as an opportunity to support our regional farmers. While Georgia is widely known as the home of peaches, we get ours from Pennsylvania. 

The Saturn Peaches on the left are most amazing peaches I've ever tasted.

James, our Produce Manager, explains that peaches from Georgia have to be picked green and hard to survive the travel to Vermont. Pennsylvania peaches, however, can be picked ripe, meaning they get to plump up with more juicy sweetness before harvest and we get to eat yummier peaches. 

These Pennsylvania peaches are not certified organic, but they are grown using IPM (or Integrated Pest Management) practices. Rather than reach for the pesticides by default (as would be the practice in a fully conventional farm), IPM farmers do everything they can to prevent pest problems. If problems do occur, farmers prioritize using less risky pest control techniques.

I took our bike powered blender down to Summervale (the awesome Thursday night parties at the Intervale Center) on Thursday and celebrated stone fruit season with a bunch of kids blending up peach smoothies.

OK so full disclosure - this is really a photo from last year, but the kids had just as much fun this past Thursday!

Summer’s a Peach Smoothie

1 cup yogurt

1 cup milk

2 peaches

1 handful ice

Blend until perfectly smooth and delicious. If desired, add a dab of maple syrup for sweetness, a knob of ginger for a kick, or a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg for interest. 

Come join us at Summervale! This Thursday we’ll be making homemade frozen yogurt (by shaking it up inside a Ziplock Bag!) and next Thursday we’ll be making sauerkraut!