Fruit Picking and Cobbler

A couple of times a year, hubby and I like to go fruit picking. Now is the time of year when peaches are available. Last weekend, we decided to take advantage, despite the kind warning on the farm’s website. Unfortunately, a lot of the peaches had been dinged up from a previous hailstorm.

We decided to take a chance and visit the farm anyway—especially because they had a harvest of grapes, too.

The drive out took a while, over an hour. And I grumbled about it a little, despite some picturesque countryside scenery.

Once we got there, the flying critters made me grumble a little more. But a few minutes after we arrived, I loosened up and enjoyed myself. It’s easy to do that when you see a child biting into a fresh-picked peach. The toothless grin and glee. Peach juice running down their hand. Too cute.

Then there’s the farm serenity. And nature.

We’ve got a system down where my husband picks the peaches—he’s a tall guy, and the long arms come in handy for reaching high up the trees—and I hold the box.

We only picked eight good ones. Usually, we get a dozen. But the dings from the hail made the pickin’s slim. We also may have waited too late in the season.

All that mattered to me was leaving with enough to make a cobbler. Mission accomplished!

A few days later, once the peaches ripened, I made this Easy Peach Cobbler. I’ve made this three dessert times now, and there is definitely a difference when using fresh peaches. The cobbler is juicier. More flavorful. So delicious.

Side note 1: Not that I’d throw out cobbler made from store-bought peaches. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Side note 2: Did you peep that hunk of butter in the pic above? It looks more innocent when it’s melted and poured into a baking dish. And you don’t even see it when the ingredients are mixed altogether—you can almost forget it’s there. Almost.

When you taste the baked goodness, oh boy, you know the butter is there.

One of my favorite parts is the edges that get that yummy cobbler crunch.  Dee-lish.

As far as the grapes, I didn’t make anything with them. Just used them for snacking. Maybe one day, I’ll try my hand at jam.

Have you done any fruit picking lately? Got any good fruit cobbler recipes to share?