Good morning.
Ya'll come on in for some fresh, peach ice cream. I have it in the ice cream freezer and it will be ready before too long. This is the first ice cream I have made this summer and I know it will be good. We went to the peach shed yesterday in Barney, GA and bought peaches, fresh little squash, and tomatoes. The peaches were real ripe so I put 3 quarts in the freezer, had some for supper and will peel the rest for lunch today. When peaches are in season, I can eat them every day, three times a day. I love peaches!
These are some pictures I took at the Luck and Moody peach shed where I usually buy most of my peaches. They also have other fresh, locally grown vegetables and melons. I was sad yesterday for they were out of cantaloupes and I had my mouth all set for some sweet, fresh cantaloupes. They had gone to pick some up so I will have to go back soon.
Making homemade ice cream is one of my favorite summer experiences for it not only tastes good, but brings back special memories. My first memory of making ice cream was over at Neenie and Gandy Stuart's house. They lived across the corn field from us while we lived at Mr. Lummie and Miss Lottie Jenkins little rental house. Gandy, bless his heart, even built a stile (steps) over the fence so I wouldn't tear my clothes climbing through the barb wire fence. It was almost an everyday trip for me and lot of my clothes were getting "holey."
When it got hot weather and the children began visiting from Birmingham, Neenie would begin to make ice cream. She made the best kind with whole milk and cream from their milk cows, eggs from their chickens, sugar and good, strong vanilla. It would be cooked in a double boiler, very slowly until thickened and then it was put in the refrigerator until it cooled. Meanwhile, Gandy would go to the ice house in town to get a big block of ice. He would wrap it in a croker sack and put it in the cool smoke house until we needed it.
The ice cream freezer would be gotten out, the ice cream salt and finally the ice cream custard. Now the freezer was a tad old and the metal holder thingey that held the container for the ice cream was broken. This was no big deal for Neenie would put the custard in the container, put the dasher in, set in the freezer, put the ice and salt around it and then get and old quilt, fold it on top of the freezer and we would take turns sitting on it to hold the thing together. We had to take turns for our bottoms would get cold and we would swap around. Back in the olden days, there were no electric ice cream churns so we had to turn the handle, that turned the ice cream container by hand. We also took turns turning for the longer you turn, the harder it gets. By the time it is ready, Gandy or one of the other men would have to turn while we sat on the freezer.Then you have to take the dasher out and there would always be a "discussion" about who would get to lick the dasher. I can't remember who would win, but knowing Neenie, it was chosen fairly. She was a wonderful lady.
Homemade ice cream, is one of my favorite summer treats and I don't make it except in the summer. At our church each summer, one of our men's Sunday School Class has a homemade ice cream social after our evening worship service in August. There will be as many recipes as there are churns - peach, blueberry, fig, chocolate, and wonderful vanilla. The blueberry is really special and one of our ladies makes ice cream with chocolate chips. I usually get a big bowl and put a scoop of each for I surely don't want to hurt any one's feelings. Right?
Summer is wonderful here in the South with all it's good fruits, vegetables and melons. We are blessed to live in a farming area and we can buy or grow most everything. My squash, cucumbers and tomatoes are almost ready and our grapefruit tree is loaded! The orange and tangerine not as loaded, but there are some. Wish you were here to share.
Enjoy your summer and store up these precious memories.
Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach
