Early Treat Peaches

I love it when I'm wrong. Not really, but this case was an exception.

I don't buy the first of the season. Somewhere I planted in my head, fabricated rather than from a reliable source I'm sure, that the first picked fruits and vegetables of the season are forced; brought to the table too soon. There was an imagined immaturity, a lack of taste, of refinement. Too early meant too much pushing and pulling. Ha.

Last week I bought the first peaches on the market; Early Treats. They're way to early, I told myself. I put three, the size of golf balls, in my purse. Half an hour later at the office the peaches were ripe. Mistakenly I took a bite at my desk. Juice flew while I watched, motionless.

For a split second I expected to see someone flicking water from a glass over the papers in front of me. The juice was easier to explain than the flavor in my mouth though. Flowers, I thought. I'm eating flowers. Soft pink flowers.

The peach dripping in my hand and onto my blouse brought me to.

I moved away from the desk, grabbed a napkin and studied the taste. It was unmistakably peach. As real and ripe and honey laden as those in the heat of summer.

Being wrong never tasted so good.

8 comments:

Kendra @ A Sonoma Garden said...

I'm the same as you, I never buy the first of the season, but those peaches at the market yesterday were too tempting. I bought some too. They were extremely good!

Donna said...

I think it depends on the fruit. Here in Oregon, the strawberries are sweeter later on in the season. I love it that I've gotten to the place where I can tell the difference. :)

Lucy said...

Amen, to being wrong. I almost missed the plums for exactly the same reasoning.

The thought of juicy peaches...ah, I miss the summer already!

Green Bean said...

I'm impatient. I can never wait. Sometimes, there is a reward like your peaches. Sometimes, the fruit is not quite ready and a little too pricey. I enjoy it nonetheless.

Kale for Sale said...

Kendra - If you remember, ask them specifically for the Early Treats variety. They had one flat stashed yesterday so it may be too late. But next year I'm on it. Although to quote you, their peaches are extremely good. I wonder how they do that?

Donna - You're good! And I do agree with you that it depends on the fruit. And the grower.

Lucy - I keep thinking the same thing about fall. I'm so not a summer girl. Except for the fruit. I love the fruit. And growing things. Okay, I'm a little bit of a summer girl, but mostly not.

Green Bean - Have the peaches made it to your market? I would think you'd have them too. You're right about the early pricey piece that often comes in to play. I forgot about that. The price of the peaches seemed fair. I bought three of them for less than the cost of a double latte (my economic gauge).

Theresa said...

I think I had a bit of a Pavlovian response to your peach story! Sounds like their taste was good enough that you couldn't focus on anything else for the moment - that is pretty darn good alright!

BTW, did you receive the Thich Nhat Hanh book yet? I sure hope so, otherwise it might be lost in the mail...

Kale for Sale said...

Theresa - Yes to everything. Deliciousness and receipt of the book. All very happily. Thank you!

Christina said...

I just bought my first nectarines of the season last week. Oh MY GOODNESS. I forgot how much I loved them and was so happy to rediscover them.