If you know me at all then you know that I love summer. I don’t just love summer, I adore summer. It refills by canteen for another 9 months. I love the heat, I love the pool, I love the 15 hours of sunlight. Well, summer officially ended September 21st—on the calendar and at the fruit stands. I went to Allred Orchards on University Avenue to buy some apples when I noticed the sign that said, “Peach Season is Over!” Did they need the exclamation point? Did they have to rub it in? I knew that the peaches were gone but somehow seeing it in print was a slap in the face. The sign might as well have said, “Summer is Over Cynthia. Put away your sandals and your sunblock.” I sucked up my tears, bought half a bushel of Jonagold apples, and went home to make and can apple chutney and applesauce. (The chutney is of course to top pan-fried pork chops and to swirl into big pots of Indian Curry.) So I say good bye to peaches for another 10 months and to all the good times I had with them in the kitchen. Maybe my sadness stems from the loss I’m facing from the many peach pies, peach crisps, peach cobblers, and peach shortcakes I’ve made over the last two months. Money can’t buy happiness, but money can buy peaches that can buy a little bit of heaven.
Or maybe my sadness over the end of peaches really meant the end of all yummy fruit for the summer? No more melons, berries, or stone fruits until next summer. Wah. But I had a good run with fruit season this year. In addition to my peach frenzy, I went a bit nuts with apricots from Grandma’s tree. One Sunday afternoon in July we found ourselves at Paul’s grandma’s house and orchard in American Fork to pick apricots. We filled 3 laundry soap buckets with apricots. Those apricots made the best freezer jam I have ever had. I think I’m down to 14 jars left. Better conserve. Before the apricot jam and apricot smoothies there was the strawberry jam. Now, I have sadly gone back to only eating the Holy Trinity of the fruit world—apples, bananas, and oranges. Well, pears for a few more weeks I suppose but that’s hardly any consolation to me.
I guess I do have one more fruit-picking frenzy to go on. When I go to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving I will strip their Meyer lemon tree bare and refill my freezer with the best lemon juice on the planet. I think Meyer lemon juice is where the phrase ‘Nectar of the Gods’ stemmed. I guess all is not lost, even if the peaches are.
Or maybe my sadness over the end of peaches really meant the end of all yummy fruit for the summer? No more melons, berries, or stone fruits until next summer. Wah. But I had a good run with fruit season this year. In addition to my peach frenzy, I went a bit nuts with apricots from Grandma’s tree. One Sunday afternoon in July we found ourselves at Paul’s grandma’s house and orchard in American Fork to pick apricots. We filled 3 laundry soap buckets with apricots. Those apricots made the best freezer jam I have ever had. I think I’m down to 14 jars left. Better conserve. Before the apricot jam and apricot smoothies there was the strawberry jam. Now, I have sadly gone back to only eating the Holy Trinity of the fruit world—apples, bananas, and oranges. Well, pears for a few more weeks I suppose but that’s hardly any consolation to me.
I guess I do have one more fruit-picking frenzy to go on. When I go to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving I will strip their Meyer lemon tree bare and refill my freezer with the best lemon juice on the planet. I think Meyer lemon juice is where the phrase ‘Nectar of the Gods’ stemmed. I guess all is not lost, even if the peaches are.
