Garden to Plate

Spring has gone along with the local cherries. Now I'm happy to welcome in the local peaches. It's easy to go crazy for luscious peaches at the farmers markets. I want to buy every peach variety I taste. We had the most wonderful White Strawberry peaches. This heirloom variety is the most beautiful shade of light chartreuse inside. I can't bring myself to do anything with them other than eat them out of my hand. Bera Farms had these little beauties, and now the Red heaven and June Pride peaches are taking their place at the market.

Now that peaches are in season I can't get enough of them, especially eaten out of hand with the juice running down your arm. They are easy to prepare to add to salads or desserts. In Tuscany I remember having a wonderful peach, and arugula salad with bresaola. It was a perfect composition of the flavors--sweet, bitter, and salty. I crave this flavor combination.

If you've never had the perfect peach, you are truly neglecting one of the life's simple pleasures. To enjoy more of what a local farm offers--join me on August 3rd to visit an olive oil estate for a private tour and dinner or August 4th for a tour of a unique family farm here in Napa.