Millions of peaches

I like to joke that I'm a lazy gardener. When you plant a fruit tree, fruits drop by the bushel every year. I live in the city, so I have to be judicious with what space I have. Rule of thumb: Don't grow things unless they fruit or flower.

But there's more to it than cutting back branches every spring. From April to October, there's an all-out war on my property. It's me against the birds and bugs who try to decimate my crop. I'll get emotional if I bring up squirrels. I'm armed with netting, a fake owl to spook them, a dog to chase them away and thorny raspberry borders. Nevertheless, they persist. This year, I snagged what I could from those freeloaders and made myself a peach cobbler.

Organic fruit is imperfect, but with a good wash and a sharp knife, backyard peaches are heaven. And so was our dessert. Peaches are in season and it's the perfect time to buy it by the bushel and make some cobbler! They'll never taste better or be more wallet-friendly than they are in the summertime. 

Here's how we did it:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cups of sugar (separate)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 cups fresh peach slices (skin on is fine)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
• Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
• Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). 
• Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm.

And if you know how to live, serve it with vanilla ice cream!