It’s high summer, folks — and peach pandemonium rules!

…nearly ideal weather conditions have resulted in an exceptionally fine crop this year

By: Pat Tanner

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Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski
At Terhune Orchards, two generations of the Mount family — from left, Tannwen Mount, Pam Mount and Gary Mount — proudly display some of their peach crop. Terhune Orchards recently hosted the statewide kickoff for Jersey Fresh Peach Month. Who would have thought that a state as small and urbanized as New Jersey is No. 4 in the United States in peach production?


   What better place to kick off Jersey Fresh Peach Month (otherwise known as August) than at Terhune Orchards in Lawrence? Farmers Pam and Gary Mount recently hosted a group of peach industry experts, chefs, government policy makers and the media for an afternoon of peach-centric touring and tasting.
   Gary Mount informed the assembly that Terhune Orchards grows 30 varieties of peaches, with the support of experts from Rutgers University. "Gary grows them and I sell them," added Pam Mount.
   "We’ve been in the business for 32 years. Back then almost everyone who came to the farm told us they had a relative with a farm. That’s no longer true. We have taken the place of the family farm," she said, adding that her 200-acre farm receives 500,000 people annually and supports 12 families that work on the farm year round. "We take this commitment to the community very seriously," she said.
   As chefs from Mediterra, Brothers Moon, Chambers Walk, Milford Oyster House, The Frog and the Peach, Pennington Market, Tbone at the Bridgewater Marriott, the bent spoon, Wegmans and Cherry Valley Country Club put finishing touches on their peachy-keen dishes, Phil Neary of the New Jersey Peach Council told the group that nearly ideal weather conditions have resulted in an exceptionally fine crop this year. New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus thanked State Senator Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence), who was in attendance, for sponsoring a school nutrition bill that would bring more fresh fruit into cafeterias, and mentioned the synergy between the state’s farms and restaurants.
   That synergy was exemplified by the peach-ilicious dishes served up that day, including an array of cutting-edge treats conjured by Cherry Valley’s executive chef Michael Giletto. His table, laden with beakers, flasks, test tubes, pipettes and canisters of nitrous oxide, looked like a mini chemistry lab. Using techniques favored by today’s masters of molecular gastronomy, he created beads of peach "caviar," peach "tingles" with fennel pollen and fig syrup, and peach Pop Rocks, the recipe for which follows.
   When Pam Mount mentioned that many people avoid cooking with peaches because of the time and trouble of dealing with the pit, the fuzzy skin and the juicy mess, I recognized myself as one of them. But that changed the following day when I used a plastic gadget called the Pit Popper. This simple tool effortlessly removes pits from ripe peaches, nectarines and other fruit ($4 plus shipping at www.pitpopper.com).
   The Mounts say that chicken grilled with their peach marinade, recipe below, is an easy summer dish served hot or cold. Their peach salsa recipe is great on top of chicken and fish, as well as with corn chips. Additional peach recipes, including delicious homemade peach lemonade, can be found at www.jerseypeaches.com.
BALSAMIC PEACH MARINADE
FOR GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST
Terhune Orchards
   1 cup fresh peaches, mashed (about 3 medium)
   1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
   1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
   1 teaspoon honey
   Salt & pepper to taste
   ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
   1 tablespoon fresh thyme
   ½ cup olive oil
   Combine vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Whisk until very well blended, then add olive oil and whisk again. When ready to marinate chicken, stir peaches into the marinade. Pour marinade over 4 chicken breasts and marinate, covered and refrigerated, for at least 2 hours before grilling.
FRESH PEACH SALSA
Terhune Orchards
   1 cup ripe, peeled peach flesh, chopped
   1 cup ripe tomatoes, diced
   ¾ cup red onion, diced
   Juice of 1 large lime
   ½ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
   1 fresh jalapeno pepper, deveined and finely chopped
   Salt to taste
   Combine all ingredients. Makes 3 cups.
PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
"New Jersey Peach Festival
Bake-off Recipes" Booklet
   9 peach halves, peeled
   4 tablespoons butter
   2/3 cup brown sugar
For the cake:
   2 egg yolks
   2 egg whites, beaten stiff
   ¾ cup sugar
   ¼ cup boiling water
   ¾ cup flour
   1/8 teaspoon salt
   ½ teaspoon baking powder
   ½ teaspoon vanilla

  1.    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the peaches: Melt butter
    in an 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter and set peach
    halves, flat side down, in the butter-sugar mixture. Set aside.
  2.   Make the cake batter: Sift together flour, salt, and baking
    soda and set aside. Beat egg yolks until very thick. Beat in sugar, then
    boiling water, then the flour mixture, and then the vanilla. Fold in the
    stiffly beaten egg whites.
  3.   Pour batter evenly over peaches. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from
    pan while warm.

JUMP’N JETSON’S
PEACH CANDY
Michael Giletto, Executive Chef,
Cherry Valley Country Club
   10 peaches, preferably New Jersey peaches
   2 ounces Pop Rocks candy
   2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sugar
   Wash and peel peaches, pat dry, and place in a dehydrator overnight or in
a low oven for 24 hours. Remove dry peaches and grind them into a dust. Place
the peach dust and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir together. Using a test
tube, place layers of pop rocks and peach-sugar dust about halfway up the
tube. (To eat, shoot the contents of the test tube into your mouth.)
   Makes about 25 test tubes.