Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Peach Pie and Plutonium Have a Lot In Common



It was there one moment, and gone the next.

High-speed filmography was only able to capture these few moments before the lovingly created pie you see here winked out of existence. You can see here that it has already been substantially depleted WHILE it was being observed - a quantum pie if ever there was one! Like plutonium, these things have a very short half-life, so they aren't meant to be stable under natural conditions.

We scarcely remember how delicious it was. This one held a blend of cling peaches that weren't great for eating raw, a couple of beautiful large freestones from the Sunday farmer's market, and we sneaked two nectarines in as well.

Like plutonium and most pies around here, this one took exponentially longer to be created than it did to be annihilated by the inexorable force of nature (in this case, the guy with the fork...). Those peaches were a booger to cut and peel, but the result, however fleeting, was delightful. You really cannot fail with good fruit. Fortunately, POPS acquired a new passel of peaches yesterday -- Last Chance, Summer Lady, and what was that other variety, Shropshire? Braunfels? Idaho Red??? -- so that we can make another. And freeze some fruit for later in the year.

Now is the time to be consuming your peaches and tomatoes like there is no tomorrow, because, as far as those plants are concerned, there IS no tomorrow. Freeze, can, make sauce, salsa, jams, conserves, slice, or just eat them. But above all, MAKE PIE WHILE THE SUN SHINES, my friends. And watch them both disappear.