Rustic Peach Tart

Good evening and come in for a delicious piece of peach tart.  Peach season in South Georgia is my favorite time of the year for peaches are my favorite fruit.  They are so versatile in that you can eat them raw - I don't even peel them sometimes, you can use them in jams, jellies, pies, breads, and tarts just to name a few.  Mama used to make pickled peaches and can many jars. 

We mostly eat them with cereal, in smoothies or peeled and sliced to eat as a dessert with whipped topping or ice cream.  I plan to make a peach pound cake next week and will be sure and share it with you. 

Today I made a Rustic Peach Tart which I will share with you.  I have a recipe for a Rustic Pear Tart at this link so I decided today to try a peach tart.  I enjoy making the rustic tarts for they can look "rustic" and that is OK for sometimes I just can't seem to make a neat pie crust. 

After searching on the 'Net for a recipe for me to adapt to our tastes I found this one http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/rustic-peach-tart-10000001213028/index.html which sounded delicious but we don't care for the taste of ginger and I like to use some lemon juice and butter with peaches.  After some changes to this recipe this is my version.
Rustic Peach Tart
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I use the nutmeg nut and grate generously over the peaches)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 8 peaches peeled and sliced
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (such as Pillsbury) or homemade
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Rinse the peaches and pat dry. peel them. cut each one in half, discarding the pits. Slice the fruit into wedges about 1/2 inch thick. In a large bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Add the peaches and toss.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Arrange the peaches in the center of the dough. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the peaches, and dot with butter. Fold the outer edge of the dough over the peaches, allowing it to fall into pleats, leaving the center of the tart uncovered.
3. Lightly brush the dough with water and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 350° F and bake until the juices bubble and thicken, about 30 minutes more. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing
   

*Source of original recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/rustic-peach-tart-10000001213028/index.html

Before Baking

The finished product

I hope you will try it and let me know what you think.  Find a farmer's market close to you or a farm which sells fresh fruit and vegetables for it is so much better than the supermarket.  Having it picked ripe rather than green to ship  makes a great difference in the taste. 

Come back and enjoy.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Summer Dress Code for Shopping

Good morning and come on in for a cold drink and some deep conversation.  A good, cool, refreshing drink can be made with equal parts mango nectar, Sprite or other citrus soft drink and slices of lemon.  Add a sprig of mint and you have a wonderful summer cooler.  You can also use peach nectar and I usually find these in the Hispanic food section and they are rich in flavor.  I use the nectar in our smoothies for additional vitamin C and they add a depth of flavor that is wonderful. 

Summer is here in South Georgia and as you know, I love it for I am a hot weather Southern Belle.  There are a few side affects which are unpleasant down here such as gnats and mosquitoes but slapping these just gives you wrist exercise to keep them slim and lovely.  You also sweat a lot but a cool drink, sitting in the shade in a swing will relieve this and is restful and enjoyable.  Down here in the South, we will use any excuse to sit in the swing, in the shade and drink a glass of sweet iced tea, lemonade or ice cold water.  We can be a slow bunch sometimes but why hurry through life?

While I was doing a little shopping yesterday I remembered I had forgotten the "Summer Dress Code for Shopping" here in the South.  After a stroll through the mall, the Dollar Tree, lunch at Red Lobster, and quick trip to Walmart I realized I was totally not dressed appropriately.  You see I had worn cropped pants, blouse with sleeves and neckline which showed no cleavage, small tasteful earrings and was hopelessly out of style.  It was really embarrassing and immediately labeled me as not having any fashion consciousness and old fashioned.  This is terrible and I must do better the next time I go shopping so I will fit in with the crowd. 

There are several dress codes I could follow for it all depends on where you are shopping.  The mall's dress code is the top code and it goes downhill from there.  In the mall you usually see hemlines above the knee but not displaying buttocks and necklines which show a little cleavage but not the entire booby.  Flip flops are OK but not house slippers and sandals are better.  The best shoe for the mall are high, high heels so you will wobble as you walk and have a pained expression on your face because of the pain in your feet. Jewelry will be lots of chains and long earrings but are usually gold or silver and don't look like loot from a drug bust.  You will look fashionable, up-scale, and stylish but not "stylin" or "hootchie mama."

I found this was the code of choice for lunch at Red Lobster as the professional ladies came in for lunch.  There was also a large group of teachers eating lunch and we all know they dress conservatively, neatly and without a whole lot of style for we can't afford it ( I am a retired teacher so I know).  On the whole, the patrons were nicely dressed, fashionable and following the Mall Dress Code.

Now Walmart was a different scene!  Summer Dress Code for Walmart and similar shopping venues tend to be a bit more casual or maybe a lot more casual.  As I observed the fashion trends in the Valdosta Walmart yesterday I realized that again I was out of step with the fashion trends and needed to refresh my wardrobe if I was going to fit in at "Wally World". 

The code seemed to have the following guidelines:

1. Hemline is above the knee and showing lower part of the buttocks.
2. Neckline is plunging at least half way down the boobs or showing most of these beauties.
3. Shoes can be house slippers, inexpensive plastic flip flops, or big fluffy slippers in the shape of animals.
4. Halter tops which are loosely tied so boobs will fall out is high fashion.
5. Tank top straps can be no more than 1/4 inches wide.
6. Jewelry must be huge, plastic and earrings pull the ear lob down at least 1 inch. 
7. Necklaces should have at least 5 strands and the more strands the better.
8. Dresses should be be at least 1 size too small and jeans have to be so tight you need greased legs and hips to get them on.
9. Shorts should be short enough the buttocks will show and the large the beehind is, the better.
10. Make up is optional but if you choose to wear it, use all you have for you can buy more at the store as you stroll through.
11. Don't forget the large to super large tote bags so you can knock fellow customers over as you charge down the aisles.

If you need any clarification for any of these rules, just visit you local Wally World, sit for about 10 minutes on the bench in the front of store and you can refresh your memory. Don't forget to take your cell phone so you can take pictures and above all talk continually and loudly on the phone so you can be annoying as possible.

After reading this, you may wonder why I shop at this upscale store but it is cheap and where can you see a live theater for free!  So come on down to Wally World and watch the show with me and enjoy yourself.

Ya'll come back to see me and try my cool drink idea.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach

The Country Store

A Little Cabbage Patch in South Georgia

Good evening and come on in for a visit.  I know it has been awhile but just have not had much going on to write about.  Life is just rocking along kinda slow and easy which is good.  Life is good for us.

I have written before how I like to visit country stores.  When I was a child our little town had several stores which were not "country stores" but general stores.  One was Williams Store and it had groceries, clothes, fabric, shoes and most anything you needed.  We had several which had clothes, shoes, fabric or what we called "dry goods" and I loved them. 

These stores were the first "Walmarts" of the world for they had everything you needed under one roof. 

Then you had the true country stores which I liked even more.  We had one down in Coy, Alabama that was owned by family friends and when we would visit it was wonderful for we could get cokes in glass bottles from the chest with ice in it, open it with the opener on the side of the chest and drink it with the water from the ice running down your arm.  Cold and sweet and like nectar from heaven. 

Of course with the coke we had to have a package of peanuts to go with it.  You would rip open the package with your teeth and dump them into your coke and watch the bubbling and fizzing and hope it didn't run over the top of the bottle.  That sweet salty taste was wonderful and a treat for us.

 I think what I like best about these old country stores was the dim light, the smells which were unique and pleasant.  You would open the screen door to enter and when it slammed behind you the magic would begin.  The round hoop of cheese covered with red wax, the Coke box filled with ice and glass bottles of Coke, moon pies with that sweet gooey center, sugar daddy candy, bubble gum, Juicy Fruit gum, and on and on it would go for us to peruse and choose our favorites. 

Then there would be the overalls, denim shirts, flannel shirts, work boots, and other necessities for working men.  In the back would be some hardware and maybe gear for the mules and of course the shells for the shotguns. 

The grocery sections would be the necessities but not the extras.  Flour, meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and a few canned goods but not many.  You raised your own fruits and vegetables, cows, hogs and chickens so only bought the basics you could not grow on the farm.  A real treat would be the cans of sardines and Vienna sausage that the men would buy for snacks or lunch when working away from the house.  These with crackers, hoop cheese and coke were the working man's dinner. 

Right by the cash register would be the chewing tobacco, snuff, loose tobacco and rolling papers to make the cigarettes.  Many of the women also dipped snuff  and the men would "chaw" the tobacco.  You had to be careful when standing around a group of men for you would get hit with tobacco juice for they would talk and spit and talk and spit. 

Cleaning supplies were basic - Octagon soap, Clorox, Ivory soap for bathing, Bon Ami for scrubbing and Ivory snow for the baby clothes and diapers.  Again, basics were all that would be there for country folk lived a fairly simple life and basics were all that were needed.

Country stores were unique and most are gone but we have found a new "country store" in Alabama.  It is on highway 10 and sits right outside of Shorterville and we stop there each time we go to the home place in Camden, AL.  This store has captured our hearts and we look forward  to stopping by there each trip.

It is a new store but has everything, even Tricia's Cafe.  You can get some of the best fried chicken, fried cornbread, chicken pie, and banana pudding you have ever eaten.  Their hamburgers are hand patted, grilled while you wait and are huge.  The sweet iced tea is brewed fresh throughout the day and tastes like heaven and they just keep on pouring it when you run out and send you out with a fresh glass in a "to go" cup.  Smiles, good food and service - fantastic.

As you leave the cafe section you are in little of this and little of that - canning supplies, school supplies, personal items, and of course some crafts made by some of the local ladies. 

The opposite side of the store is fishing and hunting supplies, cold beer, hardware, and snacks and drinks.  Most anything you need can be found there and outside are the tanks of minnows for fishing bait and bags of ice to keep you fish cold when you catch them. 

This last trip we found out they even buy rattlesnakes if they are dead and over 3 feet long.  A young man brought in a 5 1/2 foot snake he had killed in his back yard and sold it for $2.50 a foot.  Not bad and there are a few in the area.  Then there is gas, oil, and diesel for your transportation needs. 

I have an idea if you could just about get anything you needed there or they would get if for you.  Besides all that they have clean restrooms and rocking chairs on the front porch.  It is an adventure to stop by and we see something new each time.  Love it.

Getting out into the country and trying out some of the local "country stores" can be quite an experience and I wish I could do it more often.  Why not try it?

Well I have rambled enough for today and I am tired.  I began walking morning and afternoon to see if I can get rid of some extra weight and I am surely out of shape. Today I saw a raccoon getting a drink of water from the creek that runs by our property and he was beautiful.  Not real pleased with me interrupting his trip to the creek. 

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Chocolate Milk Mix and other trivia

Strawberry Time in Georgia - by frances robson

Good evening and come on in for a visit.  As you can tell from the pictures strawberries are ready in Georgia and we have several farms in the area where we can buy them picked or pick them yourself.  At our age, letting them pick them is the way we go for after all there are some perks to getting older.

We have one farm about 25 minutes from us which has now added a new market store which is beautiful.  The new store and website can be found at http://www.rutlandfarms.com/index.html.  I like to buy my berries there for they pack them so beautifully and you surely get your money's worth.  

These 2 pictures show all the berries we got and I found 1 bad strawberry!  I froze some, sliced and frozen in muffin tin cups for our smoothies, some in bags for the freezer and I have a half gallon jar in the fridge with fresh ones to eat as snacks.  If you leave the stems on and don't wash, you can keep them in a glass jar with a tight lid for several days.  As you can tell we like strawberries and those picked fresh from the farm are so much sweeter than those you buy in the supermarkets. 

This farm also has blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pecans and vegetables plus honey from their own hives.  This year they have added pecan oil and I sure plan to get some to use in salad dressings and stir fry.  I have not used pecan oil but it sounds interesting and I will let you know how it tastes. 

On another subject, we drink smoothies most every morning and like chocolate in it.  I have been using a bought chocolate milk mix but is was getting quite expensive so I began to look for a recipe to make my own and remembered mama's chocolate milk and found one like hers.  I make ours with Splenda so it has no sugar but you can use sugar if you like.  This is the recipe and you can use it in cold chocolate milk or in smoothies.  Enjoy!!

CHOCOLATE MILK MIX

1 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar or Splenda
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Put mix in jar and store for handy use. I put the ingredients in a plastic bag and shake well and store in the plastic bag or put in glass jar.
Use 2-3 tablespoons of mix with 8 ounces of cold milk for a delicious chocolate milk. To mix the chocolate into the milk put just a little milk into blender, add chocolate mixture, pulse a couple of times to combine then add the remainder of the milk. Another method is to put the chocolate in a glass, add a little milk, mix into a roux mixture and add the remainder of the milk and the little whisk that comes with hot chocolate mix does a great job of mixing. If you like, put into a jar with a tight fitting top and shake well. If you like it more “chocolately” add additional mix. This is really good and you know what ingredients are in it and costs much less than the bought mix.

I hope you will support your local farmers and find a farm with fresh fruit and vegetables and eat healthier and cheaper.  I love my farmers!!

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach