In praise of peaches...

      When we were packing up for our move from Oklahoma/Arkansas to Oregon, way back when, my aunt sang the praises of Oregon fruit, telling me that the peaches were so big that only 2 would fill a pint jar. I laughed. Everyone knows that peaches are knobby little things with worms in the middle.

Well, Aunt Ora was right. Oregon peaches are huge, mostly worm free and delicous, as are peaches from many other states, too, thanks to superior farm methods these days.

I thought about this as I picked peaches Wednesday afternoon, in a field of peach trees stretching as far as I could see, big peaches on short trees that were a joy to pick, so fun in fact that I filled 2 big boxes and only when I got them home did I realize that there's no way I wanted to can so many. Perhaps it isn't worth the effort. It took me 5 hours to can around 27 pounds of peaches, resulting in only 7 1/2 quarts of pickled peaches and a big cobbler.   And I have an equal amount of just-ripening peaches ready to go tomorrow, though I think I'll take the easy way out and freeze the rest for winter cobblers.

Arkansas Peach Cobbler

8 cups  ripe peaches, cut into chunks

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 T. flour

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. butter

Pastry for a 2-crust pie

Stir the sugar and flour together in a large saucepan. Add peaches, butter, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Cook until peaches are tender. Keep stirring.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Plop half the pastry on the parchment paper and roll out into a thin 9 x 13" rectangle. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Watch to be sure it doesn't burn.

Pour half of the hot peach mixture into a 9x12 casserole pan. Slide the baked pastry onto the peaches. Cover with the rest of the peaches, sandwiching the pastry between the peaches. Roll out the remaining pastry and put on top of the cobbler.  Return to the oven and continue baking until the peaches are bubbling and the top crust is dark golden brown.

Of course... add ice cream and serve it warm!

Now I know I'll hear from those of you who use a biscuit-like recipe for cobblers, but this is the way MY mother made it and now I follow her lead.  There's nothing worse than uncooked dough in a cobbler and this method insures that all the pastry is done and full of crispy goodness.

I suppose this could be called deep dish peach pie, couldn't it? Go ahead, argue with me.