The Tasty Pies of Summer: Blueberry and Peach

The sticky, humid weather has certainly been uncomfortable these last couple of weeks. My plants have struggled to stay cool in this mid-summer heat and physical activities outdoors have been challenging. But I find it important to continue my regular exercise, as I have been eating just as much as usual! Although some people claim that hot weather suppresses their appetite, I am not one of them, particularly with summer fruit coming in. Peaches and blueberries are my favorite of all, and I recently made pies that used them in delicious ways.

The "Lavender Blueberry Pie" is from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by the Elsen sisters. I had been fascinated by the mixture of blueberries and lavender, another summer treat. The recipe is basically like many blueberry pie recipes, with sugar (minimal) and fresh blueberries. But a few drops of edible lavender oil, Angostura bitters, lemon juice, grated apple, and allspice make this blueberry pie unique. Also, the thickener of choice with most of the Elsen pies is ground arrowroot instead of basic cornstarch. In this case, the arrowroot is the perfect thickening agent for the blueberries, as it keeps them naturally juicy. I must say that this may be my favorite pie from this cookbook thus far. The fresh blueberries from the farmer's market are at their peak and combine exquisitely with the lavender and liquor. Only two slices have been eaten so far, but then it was only made last night, and I am trying hard to stick with a one slice daily allowance! Otherwise, I will have to exercise more in the 90 degree weather. This pie is so good, though, that I am motivated and determined to grow those blueberry bushes that my neighbor gave me, so that I will have a constant supply of fresh blueberries next summer!

I have made several peach pies this summer, as peaches really are my favorite summer fruit of all time. In this case, I actually combined several recipes, using the crust from the Elsen sisters' pie book, and a combination of recipes for peach pie that I found online. I think that the most important ingredients for this pie are good fresh peaches. These should ideally be local peaches from the farmer's markets or grocery. My recipe also included cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and sugar. Cornstarch is a good thickener for peach pie, since peaches are so naturally juicy and the cornstarch makes the filling thicker and tasty. I have made three peach pies thus far, but have only enjoyed one, as one was taken to a Fourth of July party and another was made for a friend. It is probably a good thing, because the pie was as good as I imagined, and it would be hard not to eat half of this pie at one time! I will say that one should not go an entire summer without enjoying at least one slice of fresh peach pie.

Finally, I decided to combine my two favorite fruits and make a peach/blueberry pie. In this case, I again stuck with my trusty crust and combined several online recipes. This one was simple and consisted of the fresh blueberries and peaches, flour, allspice and cinnamon. We ate this one quickly, as it was refreshing and seemed to be a necessary part of our diet, particularly topped with vanilla ice cream. After writing about these great summer pies, I have suddenly remembered the lavender blueberry pie sitting on my kitchen counter. Literally right after I wrote that, my husband came into my office holding a slice of the blueberry pie and 2 cucumbers from his garden, saying that this was the perfect lunch! Now that is a creative use of summer fruit as well as summer vegetables!