As is most all things in the spring and summer come from fruits and vegetables that in most cases come to us in availability but once a year. As I had written about strawberry season was one example. We can hardly stand the wait for those berries to become ripe so we can get a good taste of this once a year product. So the same can be said for just about any and all items that we look forward to getting at least one serving of if not more.
One such fruit that arrives to us comes at just about the mid-season of the summer. That would be peaches. Yes about this time of the year some men would drive south to maybe Georgia and load up their trucks with as many bushels of peaches as they could haul and bring them back to Ohio. Now when they arrived the time to buy them was a short amount of time as a great tasting peach is one that is dead ripe. So since, they didn’t last long after ripe canning and freezing was done quickly. I know my mom would take a bushel and as the term she used was, work them up. This process was a lot of work but must have to been in short order.
The thing was that all of that effort that she put into it and I’m going to guess so did many other housewives of that time paid off in dividends from those who got to enjoy the rewards from their work. Mom didn’t just can and freeze them. She would make preserves, pies and cobblers along with sliced up bowls full with only some milk pored over them and probably more of mom’s secret ingredient. (SUGAR.) Here is one thing that has improved so many items in the world and has never failed.
Now with all the hubbub of peach season going on and mom working full speed ahead the season was in no way lost upon my dad. When it became peach season, the makers of some of the ice cream companies would produce a limited amount of peach ice cream. A vanilla based ice cream that had fresh peaches diced up and added to the ice cream with I think some of the peaches syrupy juices blended in. All in all, it was a special treat and it only came but once a year. I learned early in life just as the rest of the family did that dad was quite partial to peach ice cream. Maybe because it was only a limited time to have it or he just liked the taste.
It didn’t matter as mom was working up her peaches dad was getting in the car and headed up to Felicity. Now as I have stated before if dad was getting into the car or truck so was I. Where my dad went I felt so there was where the world was turning. In this particular event, we were headed to Swopes’ Drugstore. It was there that Howard Swope sold Seal test brand ice cream and was for sure one of the companies that made the limited edition of peach ice cream. I was never told just why dad had to have that brand but that was where he went and there waiting for him was a half a gallon of Peach ice cream. Howard knew for sure that my dad would be there to get it so he would hold one back for him.
I know I have made it sound like dad was the only person at home who was hooked on this stuff but that is misleading. When he walked into the kitchen however many of us who were at home would grab a bowl and a spoon and get in line behind dad as we all were more than ready to enjoy this specialty together. Even mom who had been working at a break neck speed seemed to always have enough time to stop and grab a bowl and a spoon like the rest of us. What happened next was my family sitting together, taking part in a kind of special event, and doing so as a family. Now not only was this special but getting to have ice cream period was special in itself.
So for a period of two weeks to a month the peach took the place as most important item for a while. There had been strawberry season as I had mentioned. There would be raspberry and blackberry seasons also. As the summer moved onward our table would be graced with ears of sugar corn with butter slathered all over it. To a lesser extent were green beans. They were ok and better than cabbage or carrots in my personal opinion. Of course, as we neared the end of the summer the harvests would take place. (Those friends will be a topic for another time I am sure.)
Sorry folks as I have drifted away from the topic of ice cream. Now most importantly was the peach flavored delicacy as it was but a once a year item. Just as when it got between Thanksgiving and Christmas when there was a limited Peppermint flavored ice cream.
(Yes, you are right in that we got ours at Swopes’ Drug Store.)
Other than these two flavors, it was always left to mom to select the flavor. She almost always stuck with vanilla.
The trick here was that she also would buy a can of Hershey’s Chocolate to pour over that ice cream. (For a little woman my mom had a huge sweet tooth!)
When the planets were in a line and all the stars were right either my dad or Aunt Margaret or probably Cousin Tom would drag out the ice cream maker and make a gallon or two of what can only be referred to as heaven on earth. Yes, a bowl of homemade ice cream tasted so good that even the thought of peach ice cream would fall into second place in the world of ice creams. We didn’t get to have this rich desert often but when we did, it went down in the books as a red-letter day.
These days ice cream can be purchased way too easy it seems. I really am not certain that we should have it so often.
Then again just because it is available doesn’t mean we must buy it. In addition, I can buy peach pie and cobblers the same way. I think even though I don’t practice it but maybe once a year was the best way to enjoy the best things in life. Maybe.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.