I was happy to see peaches available at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market and thrilled to enjoy their sweet juiciness. In the photos, you can see the few remaining on my countertop when I sat down to write this article, as well as the chopped pieces ready to stir into my breakfast yogurt. Fortunately, there’s both a Wednesday and Saturday market, so I can keep myself well stocked.

Peaches have soft, fuzzy skin in shades of gold and yellow with hints of red. They come in two varieties, clingstone and freestone, a description of whether or not the flesh adheres to the pit. The flesh itself can be white (which has lower acidity) or yellow (which has tangy sweetness). Peaches will continue to ripen after being picked, so the growers at the market brought fruit that would be perfectly ripe within a day or so.

Long before peaches were one of Delaware’s largest crops, they were cultivated centuries ago in China and widely in Persia – hence their botanical name, Prunus persica. They were brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 15th century. By the time William Penn claimed land in what would become Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, there were large stands of peach trees across the region.

During the 17th century, there was so much of the fresh fruit available, it was fed to pigs and distilled into brandies. These trees were primarily wild stock, and it wasn’t until 1832 that we saw the first commercial peach farmer. Isaac Reeves originally planted 30 acres of stock and continued to extend his holdings to cover hundreds of acres.

Watching his success, other famers across southern Delaware took advantage of the hospitable, sandy loam soil to plant orchards of their own. The fruit was destined for one of several uses. Some peaches were canned, some were sent through a conveyor belt evaporator to remove the moisture content and others went to the distillery, while a small percentage were sold fresh to markets in Philadelphia and New York.

In 1875, during the heyday of the commercial peach industry, almost 6 million baskets of peaches were shipped from southern Delaware. Twenty years later, the peach blossom was named the Delaware official state flower, followed by the crowning of peach pie as Delaware’s official state dessert. However, just after the turn of the century, the fatal disease called “peach yellows” struck and began to kill off the orchard stock.

As a result, many peach farmers turned to other crops, such as apples, leaving only a few remaining large-scale growers. Today, Delaware produces about 2 million pounds of peaches annually. You can find fresh peaches available from Delaware growers T.S. Smith & Sons in Bridgeville, Fifer Orchards in Wyoming and Bennett Orchards in Frankford. The latter coined one of my favorite slogans, Take a Peach to the Beach.

Now that you have brought home peaches from the market, treat them with care. Don't crowd them in a bag or on the counter, or they may become bruised. Watch them closely, as they will be too hard to eat on one day and perfectly ripe the next. To peel them easily, drop them for a few seconds in a pot of boiling water; the skins will slip off with just a few tugs.

In addition to a yogurt or cereal stir-in, you can also make a simple peach compote that can be spread on pound cake, drizzled over ice cream, or served as a sauce for roast pork or chicken. I’ve include a recipe for a simple peach compote and a Joy of Cooking recipe for baked peaches filled with toasted almonds.

Peach Compote

4 C peeled, chopped peaches
2 T honey
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1 T orange juice
3/4 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
pinch salt

Combine peaches, honey, juices and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peaches soften and the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Allow to cool to room temperature; transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. Yield: 2 cups.

Stuffed Peaches*

4 freestone peaches
1/2 C orange juice
1/4 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C toasted slivered almonds
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 t orange zest
1 T cold butter, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, halve and pit the peaches. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Combine the orange juice and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle over the peaches, tossing to coat completely. Arrange the peaches cut-side up; set aside. In a blender or the bowl of a food processor, combine remaining ingredients. Pulse until crumbly. Spoon evenly into the hollows of the peaches. Bake until pan juices are bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Yield 8 servings. *Adpated from Joy of Cooking.