Roasted Peach Boats + Yagoot Giveaway {Recipe}

Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall, if I can't have you all the time, I won't have none at all. - Gillian Welch, Back In Time It's the height of peach season and my family is going through a peck a week. That's fifteen pounds of peaches!

We each eat several fresh peaches daily, I canned nine pints, and we cook them into pie and cobbler. Wanting a lighter dessert for a recent meal, I created these roasted peach boats.

Oven roasting peaches concentrates their flavor and reduces the flesh to a smooth, scoopable texture. Scoring the peel before cooking helps the skin break easily with the edge of a spoon. The small bowl holds a dallop of freshly whipped cream, portion of crunchy granola, or in this case, a scoop of Yagoot frozen yogurt.

Yagoot asked me to create a recipe with their new Yagoot@Home line of frozen yogurt. Filled with live active yogurt cultures, Yagoot is a tangy and low fat alternative to ice cream. Pints of seasonal flavors are available in their shops in Cincinnati and Columbus.

Yagoot Gift Card Giveaway

Yagoot is offering two twenty dollar gift cards for readers of Hounds in the Kitchen to try their yogurt. If you want a chance to win, simply leave a comment with your favorite frozen yogurt topping or serving idea.

Roasted Peach Boats

Makes: 2 Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 1 fresh Ohio peach (I am loving the Branstool Orchard peaches this year.) 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method: 1. Cut peaches in half and remove pit. 2. Score a shallow 'X' on the rounded outside of each half. 3. Place scored side down in a oven-safe roasting pan. 4. Sprinkle flesh with brown sugar and cinnamon. 5. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until peach is soft. 6. Allow to cool for five minutes. Top with whipped cream, granola, frozen yogurt, or ice cream.

NB: You can make a big batch of roasted peaches at once, cool, and store them in the fridge for up to four days. Bring them to room temperature or reheat before serving.

Music video for the song lyric above:

Giveaway details: Two $20 gift cards will be awarded at random to two separate commenters. Prize ERV – $20. Prize is provided and delivered by Yagoot; Entrants agree to not hold Rachel Tayse Baillieul or Hounds in the Kitchen liable for the prize. Entry open to US resident adults 18 years of age and older. Entries as comments on this site will be accepted from 2 pm EST Tuesday August 7, 2012 – 2 pm EST Wednesday August 15, 2012. Two winners will be chosen on Wednesday August 15, 2012 by random.org and notified via email. In the event that a winner does not respond within 48 hours, new winner(s) will be selected.

Disclosure: Yagoot provided me with gift cards to cover the ingredients of creating a recipe using their yogurt. All opinions are my own.

Peach Old Fashioned {Cocktail Recipe}

A gifted bottle of Michter's bourbon plus the first peaches of the season equalled a lovely cocktail a few weeks ago. Alas with the derecho and heat wave, I took to drinking the bourbon straight up for awhile. Now I'm back to share this cocktail recipe with you.

A traditional Old Fashioned includes a muddled orange slice. For the summer season, I substitute a peeled peach. How do you peel a peach? If the fruit is ripe, the peel should remove from the flesh with a gentle tug of your bare hands.

I like to make Old Fashioneds because they are simple to put together: line up the glasses, fill with fruit, muddle, add ice, top with bourbon. I like to drink Old Fashioneds because bourbon is my favorite spirit and the mix of liquor, fruit, and bitters is clean flavored and refreshing.

Do you enjoy an Old Fashioned?

Peach Old Fashioned

Makes: 1 serving

1/2 fresh peach, peel removed 1 maraschino cherries or 2 home-canned tiny sour cocktail cherries scant 1 teaspoon sugar 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 ounces good quality bourbon ice

1. Place peach, cherries, sugar, and bitters in the bottom of a low ball glass. (If you don't have a low ball glass collection, a half pint jam jar works well for this casual cocktail.) 2. Muddle gently with a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spatula. 3. Add ice to fill jar about two thirds full. 4. Pour bourbon over the ice. 5. Stir gently to combine and serve.

Baby Fruit {Wordless Wednesday}

1. concord grapes 2. red currants 3. peach 4. montmorency cherries 5. strawberries 6. raspberries 7. blueberries

I took pictures of fruit babies last year. The comparison is interesting both because the fruits are three weeks ahead of where they were in 2011 and my photography skills have improved dramatically.

Watching my fruit babies mature is bittersweet this year. The fully ripened fruit will likely be harvested by the new owner(s) of the homestead. I would like to move as soon as possible so that I can plant at the TBD new location, but at least if we stay around here long enough, we'll enjoy some fruit this summer.

Our realtor is hosting an Open House for our home at 349 Tibet this Sunday from 2-4 pm. I'm providing scones and jams - come see the homestead and grab a homemade snack!

Apple Hill Orchards, Mansfield Ohio {Pick Your Own Farm}

I wanted fresh Ohio fruit last Monday though none was ripe in the backyard. With the company of two young girls and a few hours to spare, I trekked to a new-to-me orchard, Apple Hill, near Mansfield Ohio. We made a spontaneous stop at a beautiful park in Lexington, Ohio. The Bicentennial Park has play spaces for children of all ages, several picnic shelters, swings, shady areas, and tennis courts. The girls enjoyed playing and picnicking before the five minute drive to the farm.

Ample signage and a helpful employee directed us to Flaming Fury and Contender peach and Paula Red and Ginger Gold apple trees. Bags were available, though we chose to reuse boxes from previous picking excursions.

The fields are spacious and mowed. All was quiet on a Monday afternoon except for the roar of race cars from Mid-Ohio School once in awhile.

The peach and apple trees were very well pruned and easy to pick without climbing. In less than an hour of work, I picked a bushel of peaches and half bushel of apples. The girls' 'help' was fairly limited to tasting the fruit.

The Contender variety tastes like the perfect fresh peach. The juicy thick flesh falls off the pit and peels easily, making me wish I waited for Contenders for my peach canning marathon. The Apple Hill weekly update says they are still picking Contenders and I urge you to go soon if you want a delightful Ohio peach.

I am unsure of the chemical practices at Apple Hill. I saw several mating interceptor devices, a natural way to control insects. The apples had a bit of visible spray residue. There was ample wildlife in the field, a good sign that the farm is being managed with concern for a wide variety of species.

Apple Hill's prices are incredibly reasonable at $15-17 per half bushel depending on the fruit variety. Their cute store also offers cider in season (advertised on their website as available soon), home baked goods, and pre-picked produce.

Apple Hill advertises that nectarines, pears, and several more varieties of apples are now available. I need to plan a return trip!

Date of Visit: August 23, 2011

Apple Hill Orchards 1175 Lex-Ontario Road Mansfield, OH 44903

Open August through Thanksgiving 9am to 6pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday

(419) 884-1500 or Toll Free (888) APPLE50 (277-5350)

Hounds in the Kitchen pick-your-own farm profiles: Branstool Orchards Charlie's Apples at Windy Hill (no apples for 2011 season, boo) Schacht Family Farm

Pick Peaches at Branstool Orchard {Farm Profile}

'Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...' When picking peaches, The Presidents of the United States song inevitably replays itself in the minds of those of us of a certain age. After visiting Branstool Orchards near Utica, Ohio, visitors of any age can't help but end up with a lot of peaches to eat.

Branstool is an easy one hour drive from central Columbus. Their large showroom is surrounded by an equally large parking lot. Prepared goods are displayed alongside pre-picked homegrown fruit.

Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the scenic hilly farm and pick their own peaches. Owner Marshall or another knowledgeable farm stand worker shares baskets and the location of the ripe peaces at the show room. Branstool also offers wagons to carry children and full peach baskets on the walk back from the orchard.

The red star peach crop available on August 1 was a five minute walk down and back up a hill past a cattail lined pond. The orchard does not offer drive-up picking.

The fifteen to twenty foot trees are filled with peaches. With no ladders available, children and adults alike climb the strong twisted trunks to reach sun ripened fruit on tall branches. It is a cinch to fill a 1 peck box, approximately 14 pounds, in fifteen minutes.

Branstool charges $1/pound of u-pick peaches. At the New Albany Farmers Market in June, they offered a peck box at $15, nearly the same price as u-pick. Our u-pick peaches stayed fresh for over a week at room temperature while the market peaches did not fare as well.

Orchardist Marshall shared that he does not spray trees with insecticides but does use fungicide as necessary to keep peaches from rotting before they are ripe. A diversity of flowers, birds, and insects clearly make their home on the farm, a sign that chemicals are not over-used.

With 25 varieties of peaches and 30 varieties of apples planted, there is plenty of picking yet to come at Branstool. Call ahead to confirm what varieties are available on a given day.  Combine your visit with a trip to Velvet Ice Cream's Ye Olde Mill a mere 5 miles away for an easy Ohio food adventure.

This Branstool Orchard review is part of Peach Week at Hounds in the Kitchen. Use fresh peaches to make our peach cobbler recipe or the juice for the Momo Sake cocktail. Thursday and Friday's posts will be all about canning.

Peach Cobbler {Recipe}

It's Peach Week at Hounds in the Kitchen! See Monday's introduction with a peach cocktail recipe and follow the whole week for preserving tips and a pick your own farm review. Truth be told, I would rather eat fresh fruit than most desserts.

But when I ran out of jars when canning peach pieces, I was left with the perfect beginning to a baked dessert: a pile of juicy, fresh, peeled and sliced peaches.

I piled the peach slices into a pan, topped with sweet buttermilk biscuit dough and baked it to make a cobbler. We ran out of time to eat the cobbler warm and instead enjoyed it as a snack and breakfast straight from the fridge.

NB: Wikipedia has a fascinating article on the definition of cobbler and other cooked fruit with toppings, including brown betty, crisp, crumble, buckle, etc.

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Fruit Cobbler biscuit topping adapted from Betty Crocker New Cookbook 7th edition Makes 12 servings in a 9x13 inch pan

8 cups cleaned and sliced fresh fruit such as peaches, plums, cherries, or blueberries sugar to taste (I add none for fresh peaches) spice to taste (I add a little cinnamon, sometimes ginger)

1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Layer fruit in a 9x13 inch pan. Add sugar to taste and any spices you wish. 2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. 3. Cut butter and vegetable shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture is the size of small peas. 4. In a liquid measuring cup, stir vanilla into buttermilk. 5. Pour liquid into flour and stir just until mixture comes together. Do not over mix. 6. Spoon biscuit mix over fruit in 12 equal portions. 7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until biscuits are browned and fruit is bubbly.

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Notes: Recipe added to Hearth and Soul. And, congratulations to Pork Giveaway winner Emily!

Peach Jam using Pomona's Universal Pectin

Canning week continues today with a recipe for fruit jam.  Yesterday I discussed pectin.  Tomorrow, we'll delve into vegetable canning. Peaches are in season in Ohio and many other places across the country. Farmers markets and CSA baskets are overflowing with these fuzz covered wonders. The sweet juiciness of a peach is hard to resist raw, but if you can save enough to make peach jam, you will thank me in midwinter when Ohio fruits are long gone.

I use Pomona's Universal Pectin in fruit jams, purchased locally from the Clintonville Community Market. Made from citrus peels, the all-natural universal pectin requires no sugar.  It will work with sugar, honey, or substitutes like Splenda.  It is activated by calcium water, which is an extra step, but totally worth it for the superior results I notice.

I love that Pomona's gives me the flexibility to use the sweetener I wish in the quantity that tastes best to me. I often make large batches with Pomona's, something for bidden by other pectins. Each package makes 3 or 4 batches of jam, making it more cost effective than other brands too.

I recommend following a recipe exactly for the first few jams before experimenting. When you are comfortable with the process, you can begin to add spices and aromatics (cinnamon, clove, and ginger are fantastic with peaches), adjust sugar, and even adjust pectin to get the set you desire. Each box of Pomona's and other dry pectin include a recipe sheet. Food In Jars and Fresh Preserving (Ball jar sponsored) are two trustworthy websites with recipes.

The following recipe is the one I used this weekend at a jam canning class. You can substitute plums, sweet cherries, apricots, mangos, figs, or pear for the peaches. Higher acid fruits (berries, sour cherry, pineapple and kiwi) require less pectin and little to no lemon juice.

Peach Jam from Pomona's Universal Pectin

Recipe for 5 pints

4 cups  peaches (12-15 ripe fruit) 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice 1/2—1 cup honey or 3/4–2 cups sugar 3 teaspoons Pomona's Universal Pectin powder 4 teaspoons calcium water (included in Pomona's pectin)

1. Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water.  Let stand.

2. Blanch peaches to remove skin.

3. Pit, chop and mash fruit, measuring out 4 cups.

4. Add calcium water into large pan with mashed fruit and lime/lemon juice, stir well.

5. Mix pectin powder with measured sweetener in a separate bowl.  Stir very well.

6. Bring fruit to a boil.

7. Add sweetener/pectin mixture and stir vigorously.

8. Return mixture to a full boiling boil and then remove from heat.

9. Fill jars to 1/4 inch from the top.  Wipe rims clean and screw on 2 piece lid.

10. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover plus 1 inch.  Boil 10 minutes.

11. Remove from water and let cool for 4—24 hours.

12. Store in a cool dry place.  Eat within three  weeks of opening.

What's your favorite jam recipe? Link them up!

You might think this is a post sponsored by Pomona's.  It's not; I shell out my own money for their pectin and use it because I do believe it is superior to more commonly found brands.