Gayle Okumura Sullivan and Brian Sullivan at Dry Creek Peach & Produce farm stand

     Sweet, juicy peaches are a sign that summer is in full swing.  I swung by the Dry Creek Peach & Produce farm stand last weekend in Dry Creek Valley, and the peaches were practically flying out the door. Not to mention the peach jam, peach wreaths and delicious peach lemonade.

    The little five-acre farm tended by Eusebio Sayago and owned by Brian Sullivan and Gayle Okumura Sullivan boasts a total of 900, peachy-keen trees. Along with the boxes of hand-picked peaches, Gayle also sells a sweet, little cookbook, jammed with her favorite peach recipes.

   We have a little peach tree in our front yard, and my husband has been keeping a close eye on it. If we don’t pick the peaches in time, someone else will do it for us. So I gave him the go-ahead to pick the ripe orbs and now, I need to figure out what to do with them.

    Thanks to Gayle’s little cookbook, I have lots of ideas. I’ll put aside about a dozen to grill and serve them with    prosciutto and olive oil. Then I’ll make a batch of Dry Creek Peach Bellini mix, and freeze it up for future champagne toasts.  Finally   I’ll make a peach pie. That should take care of this year’s crop.

   Dry Creek Peach & Produce will have peaches through September.

Fresh Peach Pie

1 baked 9-inch single-crust pie

1 package 8-ounce cream cheese set out to room temperature

¾ cup sugar (you will use ½ cup and then ¼ cup)

¼ cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

6 cups firm ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

Combine cream cheese and ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Spread this mixture over base of baked and cooled pie crust.

Place remaining sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, cornstarch and ½ cup peaches in a blender and blend together until smooth.

Toss sliced peaches with lemon juice and set aside.

Pour blended ingredients into saucepan and heat over medium until slightly thickened. Add fresh peaches to coat. Let mixture cool. With slotted spoon, scoop up peaches and place in prepared pie crust.

Cool in fridge for a few hours before serving.

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