When most of us think of peaches, the US state of Georgia comes to mind. Wikipedia lists Northwest China as the site of origin of this delicious fruit. Apparently, it made its way to the US by way of Europe from Persia. That was news to me!
My connection with peaches is the US South (and the Allman Brothers as you'll see below the fold). I recently visited my sister who lives in Western NC. While my wife and I were there, peaches were selling in roadside stands for $1 per pound. In Minnesota, where we live, peaches sell for $3 per pound on sale. And, unlike the juicy ones sold in NC, Minnesota, grocery-store peaches are picked too early and have the texture of tennis balls.
We returned to Minnesota with a half a bushel of peaches that weighed 23 pounds. Given we had so many, we had to come up with ways to prepare them. Peaches are great cut up and placed on cereal or eaten with ice cream, but when you have 23 pounds to consume in a short time, you need to get creative. I dug into my cookbook collection, consulted with friends, and found some interesting menus. I'll share them all with you, with attribution.
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