Taste of the Weekend: Summer Peaches

Head to your local farmers market to stock up on peaches!

Few fruits sum up summer like a peach. Their bright, sweet flavors are a type of indulgence unmatched by any other seasonal fruit, each bite bringing with it a taste of the sunny, warm days ahead.

Pennsylvanians are sitting on the edge of peach season, and soon, local purveyors will be inundated with the stone fruit, giving every eater a chance to fill their bellies with peaches before they’re gone for the year. This weekend, stop by your favorite market or stand to stock up - we’ve got the perfect gingered peach and blackberry pie to satisfy sweet cravings.

But, if you can’t bear to turn your oven on (we get it!) check out a few of these local spots offering a summertime peach special.

Gingered Peach and Blackberry Pie

Erica Bruce of Le Beau Gâteau uses fresh, seasonal peaches and blackberries in this buttery, flaky, fruit-filled pie. Source your peaches from a local farm like McConnells’ Farm in Beaver County, which has been specializing in peaches since the 1930s, seven-generation Shenot Farm in Wexford, or 450-acre Soergel’s Orchard. Head to Triple B Farms to pick your own – just call ahead to reserve a spot!

Wigle Whiskey & Threadbare Cider

On July 29, Wigle Whiskey will release their first cross-state peach spirit, made in collaboration with Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey. The spirit, made with Wigle’s scratch whiskey, was aged four years in charred oak barrels before being transferred to Tröegs Freaky Peach beer barrels and steeped with apricots and peaches. Wigle says the whiskey is a “sweet way to celebrate a Pennsylvania summer,” with notes of peach, mango, brown sugar, and spices.

While you wait for the release, head to Wigle’s sister cidery, Threadbare Cider, and grab a glass or bottle of their Sweet Peach cider, carrying tastes of “stone fruit, green apple, and peach cobbler.”

The Coop Chicken and Waffles

Satisfy your sweet and savory cravings at The Coop on the Northside. Their peaches & cream waffle, a crispy-edged, fluffy Belgian waffle topped with homemade peach compote, whipped cream, and powdered sugar is the perfect match for bites of their crunchy fried chicken. It’s classic chicken and waffles, taken to a whole new (and utterly delicious) level.

Leona’s Ice Cream Sandwiches

Still riding high on the last Freestone peaches of 2020 (and stocking up on 2021 peaches to last them through next year) Leona’s Ice Cream Sandwiches is currently offering two peachy treats. One sandwiches their fresh, sweet, and tangy peach ice cream between snickerdoodle cookies, the other between two oatmeal lace cookies.

Keep an eye out for their fall varieties! The cookies will switch to ginger molasses and “a peach crumble situation” owners Katie and Christa say they haven’t decided on yet.

CobblerWorld

The story of CobblerWorld begins with peaches. Owner Terina J. Hicks discovered her love of baking through her mother, who, every holiday, made “amazing” peach cobblers. At the age of 14, Terina learned to make her own. Try the restaurant’s namesake cobbler, a golden-brown crust topping sweet, peach filling, by ordering from their Downtown location.