Still Time for Peaches – Short Day Trip to Gregg Farms

If you are still hankering to make that last, fresh peach cobbler of the summer, head on down to Gregg Farms, 5634 Concord Rd., in nearby Concord, this weekend.  Only a pleasant half-hour drive south, Gregg Farms features U-Pick or already-harvested peaches. Right now, they are finishing up the late-season, freestone, Elberta’s and harvesting the freestone O’Henry peaches. 

O’Henry peaches are firm, with a dark-red blush, and an orange-yellow base. According to Specialty Produce, the flavor of an O’Henry is a “well-balanced mix of sweet, fruity, and mildly herbal notes, with a tart, slightly tangy finish.” This late-season addition to the peach family ripens in mid-to-late August into early fall.

In addition to peaches, Gregg Farms features fresh muscadines, tomatoes, watermelon, and other fresh vegetables, local honey, jams, jellies, fresh flowers, and much more! Be sure to get a fresh peach ice cream waffle cone while you are there! Blazin Tacos food truck offers wonderful street tacos and quesadillas.  It’s a fun day trip for the whole family and only a short drive away.

My favorite peach cobbler recipe hails from Lauren Allen @tastesbetterfromscratch. She also shared the best tip on an easy method to peel peaches.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and submerge a few peaches at a time into the boiling water (about 30 seconds) and then transfer them immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.  The skins of the peaches will then slip off easily by hand!

Lauren Allen’s “Taste Better from Scratch” Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Servings: About 9
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• For the Peaches:
  • 5 peaches, peeled, cored, and sliced (≈ 4 cups)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
• For the Batter:
  • 6 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup milk
  • Ground cinnamon (to sprinkle on top) 

Instructions

1. Cook the Peaches: Put the peaches, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Heat over medium until the sugar dissolves and the peaches release their juices. Remove from heat. 
2. Prep the Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Slice the butter and place it in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Let the dish sit in the oven as it preheats to melt the butter, then remove. 
3. Mix the Batter: In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk just until combined. Pour this batter evenly over the melted butter in your pan. 
4. Assemble & Bake: Spoon the peach mixture (with juices) over the batter—do not stir. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon. Bake for 35–40 minutes until golden and set. Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of ice cream.

Gregg Farms is open during the late summer on weekends, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon – 5 p.m. (U-Pick ends an hour before closing. They take cash only).