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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Suncrest Peach
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
A Slow Food Ark heritage variety, the Suncrest has all the old-fashioned taste of days gone by. Its a truly memorable peach whose firm but juicy flesh provides a real eat-over-the-sink experience. Gently tapered, the Suncrest has hardly any blush to speak of on its rich yellow skin. A more fragile variety, the Suncrest bruises easily when picked, but as many of our farmers market customers know, a picking bruise means the fruit is extra delicious.
Summer Flare Nectarine
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
Our Summer Flare trees produce some of the largest and juiciest nectarines we see. Rich in flavor, they’re often solid red with hardly a streak of yellow in the skin. A clingstone, the Summer Flare is an ideal variety to bite right into and eat out of hand.
Dapple Dandy Pluot
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
Playfully called the “dinosaur egg” pluot, the Dapple Dandy has marbled pink and green skin over delicate white flesh threaded with rose. Kids especially love this pluot for its distinctive coloration and the lack of tartness in the skin.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
Dear CSA Members,
This week we are picking the last of our Suncrest peaches and we are sorry to see them go. They are big, juicy with a high flesh to pit ratio; their flesh is delicate but there’s a lot of it. They are also beautiful. They are round and fat with a slightly curved, pointy end and they are light to deep yellow.
Not that they are not without their problems; they don’t store very well due to its delicate flesh and that pointy end has a tendency to get smashed by the box lids. The yellow color is pretty but in the retail world red always sells better. It also has a tendency to be fuzzier than other peaches. Still, they have a delicate, peach flavor and we will miss them.
Cooking with the Suncrest is a challenge because of its juiciness. They are best when they can be eaten fresh, in a salad, with yogurt and granola or my favorite way on Bruschetta. Last Sunday we had the vintage release party for our favorite local vintner, Becky Bloomfield of Bloomfield Vineyards. She showcased 5 new vintages and we served a different course to match the wines. We served peach Bruschetta with her new Chardonnay. Normally, I make peach bruschetta with a creamy cambonzola or the blue Castello, but Becky felt it was too pungent for the wine and she was right. Instead we served it with Cow Girl Creamery Red Hawk, a triple cream cheese. On top of the cheese was a perfectly ripe sliced, Suncrest peach. It was a perfect match and everyone loved it.
During Suncrest season we have this every morning for breakfast, but it also a great appetizer, with or without a salad. We used an ACME Bread sour batard but you can use any bread, a pugliese works too. Slice them 1/3 -1/2 inch thick. Toast it in the toaster or if you’re making more than 2, brush the toast with olive oil and cook in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 350˚ with convection if you’ve got it. After the bread is cool enough to handle but still warm, spread a slice of the cheese and put about on ¼ -1/2 of a pitted, unpeeled Suncrest peach fanned on top. Nothing could be easier or more delicious.
