While the world has changed over the past 20 years and we now expect to find pretty much all of the staple fruits and vegetables in our grocery stores year round, the next 90 days are the best time of year to enjoy all of the best our land has to offer.

For the fortunate few of us who have a small piece of land they can plant a garden in we, are blessed to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labour throughout the summer. Personally, there is no better feeling than to be able to head to the backyard and grab a head of lettuce and some vegetables to prepare a salad for dinner. Unfortunately though, we are still limited by how much we can grow, and some of us don’t have that option at all.

Thankfully, we can rely on the farmers and purveyors from the area to share their bounty with us. In recent years, we have seen several farmers’ markets make their way into various communities throughout the city. We no longer have to wait for specific days of the week or drive all over town, There’s at least one market taking place every day of the week, and likely there is one closer to you than you think.

Although some of these markets operate year round, with most of them starting up in May, now is the time to pay a visit. The selection is almost endless at this time of year, with fresh corn, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beets, potatoes, cucumbers, you name it, almost everything is in full swing, and it will just keep getting better in the next few weeks.

One of my most appreciated things about going to the market is getting the chance to enjoy the delicious stone fruits that come in fresh from the Okanagan Valley each week. You haven’t lived until you bite into a perfectly ripened peach, and don’t even get me started about the cherries.

So, after making a visit to the City Centre market this past weekend I was inspired to put together a delicious peach cobbler, using some fantastic fresh peaches I found while perusing the grounds, and paired it with some fantastic Pinocchio’s vanilla bean ice cream. That’s the fun thing about making a trip to the market. I never try to go there with some preconceived notion of what I am going to create. Rather, I go to the market and let the produce of the day dictate what we will be eating. I hope this recipe inspires you to get creative and come up with delicious dishes using the great seasonal ingredients that we can find in our own backyards. When you start with great local ingredients, grown with pride, you can’t go wrong!

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Feeds: 8 people

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 50-55 minutes

Resting Time: 20 minutes

Special Tools: 8 cup baking dish

6 cups sliced fresh peaches (about 10-12 peaches)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup or honey

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups AP flour

½ cup rolled oats

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ cup cold, unsalted butter

½ cup homogenized milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Place the sliced peaches in a bowl

Bring the brown sugar, maples syrup or honey, lemon juice and cinnamon to a simmer

Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring

Pour the sugar mixture over the peaches and using a wooden spoon stir the peaches to coat

Place the peaches in an 8 cup baking dish

For the cobbler topping, preheat the oven to 375F

In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt

Using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter directly into the flour mixture and stir it in to coat the butter

In a small bowl, combine the milk, vanilla and egg

Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until it comes together, but do not overmix

Spoon the soft dough onto the fruit, leaving a little space between the spoonfuls, this will allow for expansion during baking, and also allow some of the steam to escape

Bake the cobbler until it bubbles around the edges and the topping is cooked through, lifting a little piece up to check if necessary

Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it.

When ready to serve, scoop out a generous portion of cobbler and serve it with another great local product, some delicious vanilla bean ice cream from Pinocchio Ice Cream.

Pinocchio has been serving up Edmonton’s most delicious ice cream, sorbet and gelato for over three decades now and you won’t meet a nicer guy in Tom. You can find almost all of his flavours throughout the city at several locations, like the Italian Centre Shops, Andy’s IGA, Planet Organic Edmonton North, and several others. For more information about Pinocchio Ice Cream check out their website at http://pinocchioicecream.ca or just pick up a pint and try it for yourself. You’ll never go back to the mass produced junk again!

Who’s hungry?