Shortly after we moved to Cuenca I was cruising the Supermaxi trying to learn what was available. This was back in the days when I hoped if I stared at labels without pictures long enough they would somehow magically translate themselves from Spanish into English. Needless to say grocery shopping took a while back then.
When I got to the produce section there were several vegetables and a lot of fruits I didn't recognize, but one immediately jumped out at me.
Peaches!
I'm a Southern boy and it was summertime. What more do I need to say? Even though they were small, hard, imported and pricey, I bought several so I could enjoy a little taste of home.
I waited until they seemed sufficiently ripened and anxiously sliced into one. It was dry and mealy. Ugh. Another one. The same. All of them turned out to be nasty and inedible, and had to be thrown away.
Where I come from it's almost a sin to throw away peaches. This incident left such a lasting impression that I've never bought another one here.
Until last week.
I wheeled into the produce section and there they were, gorgeous beauties beckoning me to come over and give them a squeeze. They were bigger and, well, more "peachy" looking than normal. I picked one up, looked at the label. California!
When we lived in Vegas peaches from California were all we could get. They aren't in the same league as ones from Georgia and especially South Carolina but were at least edible. I couldn't resist. But I bought only two in case of further disappointment.
Yesterday morning I peeled, sliced, and macerated those babies in sugar. I set the stage with a bacon, eggs, and grits breakfast. Then with hesitation I tried a slice----.
Yes! Real peaches! Hallelujah!! I savored each bite with undisguised pleasure. The bowl was empty much too soon.
Once they're gone who knows when we'll see them again. I'm heading back to Supermaxi today. There may be a peach cobbler in the Staton's immediate future!
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