the pollen count

Next to blueberries, peaches are my favorite summertime fruit and my 3 little trees are loaded with ripe, juicy peaches right now, so it’s peach everything for a few weeks! Life is rough, right?

The last issue of Organic Life magazine had an article on the Masumoto family, California organic peach farmers, who grow amazing Suncrest organic peaches. I have adapted one of their peach recipes for this simple twist on the traditional Caprese Salad with tomatoes and basil. I experimented with mint and arugula as well as basil and the basil and arugula were the best. I also added a glaze of blackberry ginger balsamic vinegar which really was delicious.

I think other stone fruits would be fun to try but it’s hard to beat a fresh peach for that taste of summertime!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 4 to 8 fresh, ripe organic peaches (depending on how many people you are serving)
   1 bunch fresh basil
2. 1 cup fresh arugula
3. 1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese (it MUST BE fresh, not that rubbery blob that pretends to be mozzarella!!)  
4. ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar (blackberry ginger is amazing with peaches, if you can find it)
5. 2 TBSP Balsamic Glaze (see photo: it has a thicker consistency than the vinegar and mixing them together makes the perfect consistency, but you can omit it)
6. Pink or Rainbow peppercorns for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

• Slice the peaches into wedges (peeled or not is up to you).
• Cut the mozzarella into thin slices.
• Wash and pat dry the basil and arugula and tear into 1-2” size pieces.
• Whisk the vinegar and glaze together in a small bowl.
• On a platter, arrange the peaches then a slice of mozzarella in rows. Tuck the greens in between the cheese and peach slices. Drizzle the entire thing with the Balsamic glaze, grate some pink or rainbow peppercorns over the top and DIG IN!
  

  

  

  Fabulous as an appetizer while sitting on the deck with a glass of wine 🙂