Roadside vegetable and fruit stands were pretty common when I was growing up. It wasn’t unusual at all to see a make shift stand set up on a open spot near a highway, or even sometimes just a guy with a pickup truck parked somewhere with enough space for a car or two to pull off and shop. Like a lot of things from my childhood, you don’t see these stands much anymore. But there are still a few out there in rural Kentucky if you know where to look.
My friend Betina waits anxiously each year for the return of the Apple Man, an elderly gentleman who sets up on highway 25 between Richmond and Berea each fall, selling apples he brings down from Michigan. There’s also a Honey Man who sets up just down the road from him. In my home town, there’s a Peach Man who sells peaches, a few watermelons, and other summer fruits from his pickup truck.
Earlier this summer, my mom and I paid a visit to the Peach Man. It was pretty early in summer, and my husband and I had just bought a few peaches at Kroger that smelled wonderful but were sadly, hard as rocks. My toddler son loves peaches and gnawed the grocery store ones without complaint but they weren’t good.
But the Peach Man’s peaches…oh my…the skin peeled right off with just a wave of the knife it seemed. They were so juicy and sweet. My son couldn’t wait to eat one, even passing up cookies that my mom had made for him in favor of a peach. We were lucky to have a local farmer at our farmers market who brought peaches to sell this summer. My son and I ate POUNDS of peaches this summer. And except for one pie, we ate them all just as nature gave them to us, sliced up as dessert or with our breakfast.
I really hadn’t ever made a peach pie until I made one this summer. It’s definitely part of my summer experience now. My mom usually always made her peaches into cobblers but I prefer round pies. I don’t make my crust from scratch, I use Pillsbury. My mom has come to accept this.
Fresh Peach Pie
(15 ounce) package pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie, or make your own
1 egg, beaten
5 cups sliced peeled peaches
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If you use a store-bought crust, read the directions for thawing information.
Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg. This will help keep your crust from getting soggy later. Nobody wants a soggy bottomed crust.
Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. The lemon juice keeps the peaches fresh looking. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix very gently. If you get too aggressive, your peaches will break down and go to mush.
Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter.
Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with a fork dipped in egg. This doesn’t have to look perfect. Mine are, shall we say, rustic looking. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam. I cut the letter C into mine because it’s my favorite letter.
Place your pie plate on a cookie sheet. Trust me. This will prevent, oh I don’t know, the possibility that a bit of crust will fall off into the bottom of your oven and you will forget it’s in there until the next time you turn on the oven and your husband almost calls 911 because it smells like the house is on fire. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice is bubbling through the vents. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving.
I think the pie tastes better warm or even room temperature instead of piping hot. Of course, ice cream is an acceptable topping.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to see a man about some apples.