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Got Peaches?

It’s about 6 weeks before prime peach season here in good ol’ Alabama, but tell that to the peach groves in Chilton County. I may be bragging, but everyone around this area of the nation knows that Georgia is known for their peaches but Alabama has a sweet spot in Chilton County. We even have a water tower to prove it.

So yes, if you live over the GA-AL border, you can’t go wrong by driving a little farther south of Birmingham and tasting some genuine Chilton county peaches.

Check out this lovely box of Freestones.

peach

My sister (in law) brought these for me after she was traveling back from a Cattlewomen’s association meeting in Montgomery. (She’s the President this year..and it’s kind of a big deal. Another shameless brag. I should just title this post “I’m Bragging and I know it….”) Anyway, she knows my passion for peaches and had this box waiting for me at church. It was too hot to leave them in the car, so I risked my life by carrying them around. If I was low down rotten swindler, I could have made a pretty profit off some sweet old ladies and gentlemen, but kept my eye on the prize and never let go.

Last year, I made peach butter. This year, I plan to make more peach butter, but because it’s SO MIND-NUMBLINGLY HOT (103-106*), I’m trying to eat as many cold things as possible. Peach Pecan Ice Cream is the way to go. Recipe at the end of the ramblings and pictures 😉

Pour in lots of good stuff that makes diabetics such as Paula Deen and myself scrambling for glucose monitors.

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Add in the pecans and even better if they are toasted. The few minutes it takes to taost them are worth it. It’s like taking a Pinto and turning it into a Caddy. Really. icecream

Carefully pour all that peachy, pecan stuff into the ice cream maker that hasn’t seen the light of day since it was opened at my wedding shower 10 years ago.

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Wait for the magic. Invest in earplugs. Trust me. When it’s still 98* at 8pm, setting this baby outside in the garage or patio is not going to work.

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Recipe:

  • 2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and chopped
  • 1/3 cup white sugar. Add more if you like it really sweet.
  • 1 pint half-and-half cream
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole milk, or as needed
  • 1 cup of chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
  1. Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor. I didn’t puree completely. We like little bits of peaches.
  2. In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pecans, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups.
  3. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice cream.