Ela Family Farms Peach Crips

For many years we have been eating the best peaches in Colorado from Ela Family Farms. Since I first found out about the farm, the family and the grower himself, Steve Ela.

Every year we anxiously wait until the first fruit of the season starts showing up at the market and to ensure we always get our fix, as they sell out pretty often, we buy a CSA - Community Share Agriculture in the spring, before the trees have even flowered, making the wait even more painful.



But wait no more they are here!

The first peaches of the season, the Earlistar peach, is juicy with a great balance of sweet and acid and highly aromatic. Great for eating by itself or made into a delicious dessert.

I am not a huge dessert eater, go figure, but I can't pass a great fruit dessert and since I had some organic cherries laying around it seemed only fair to make a summer fruit crisp.

Crisps are the easiest desserts to make and can actually be "good" for you if make it with the right ingredients. I love using oat bran as part of the flour, organic brown sugar and real butter (why bother with substitutions full of unknown ingredients) and with the use of a food processor, a mixer or just your hands -grandma' style- blend all the ingredients.

The fruit needs nothing but a quick wash and chopping, as the crisp topping gives it the final touch. I like eating it by itself, but you can put a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream.

 Summer Fruit Crisp

3 Peaches, sliced or diced
1 cup pitted cherries
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries

Topping
1 cup oat bran
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
8 oz cold butter, diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger, powder

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a food processor or mixer add all the topping ingredients and pulse (mix) until the butter has blended with the flours

Add 1/2 cup of the topping to the fruit and toss, pour into a 9" x 3" baking dish. Cover the fruit with the remaining topping (you might not need to use it all, a lot depends on how juicy the fruit is)
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the fruit bubbles on the sides of the dish and the topping is nicely browned.

 Enjoy
By Paula Thomas