Category: Dessert-recipes

This Easy Peach Cobbler is the best go-to recipe for the Arkansas peach season. It is a classic dessert that is an amazing way for me to highlight some delicious fresh-picked peaches from a local orchard called Peach Pickin’ Paradise!  We’ll learn more about Arkansas Peaches, our local farmer, and then make some cobbler! The recipe is so easy and it is perfect served plain right out of the oven, or with a scoop of ice cream, or whipped cream.

Let’s Talk Peaches and About Our Local Farmer!

Ripe peaches are generally considered hard to beat by most fruit consumers, and I totally agree with them on that.

There is just nothing like biting into the ripe fruit and having those sweet juices run down your chin. Messy you say? Why yes it is messy, but oh so worth it!

Arkansas produces some pretty awesome peaches across our home state, you guys! Did you know that?

No? Well, never fear!

I took the time to grab a little bit of information from online to share with you guys on the awesome peach production right here in our beautiful Natural State! 

Here’s some information about where you can find fresh peaches growing in Arkansas quoted from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas: 

“Peaches are grown throughout the state of Arkansas with the highest concentrations being in central Arkansas  (Pope and Faulkner counties), western Arkansas (Johnson and Franklin counties), southwest Arkansas (Howard and Clark counties), northern Arkansas (Boone, Benton, and Washington counties), and Crowley’s Ridge in eastern Arkansas (Cross and St. Francis counties). Peaches are most successfully produced on light, sandy soil with at least thirty-six inches of soil depth. Orchards are usually placed on locations with raised elevations to avoid or lessen the impact of incidents of low temperature such as frosts.

Peaches were introduced as a crop in Arkansas after the Civil War, as were many other fruits and vegetables, during the New South Diversification movement in agriculture. This movement was brought on by the need to diversify crop varieties to avoid the economic risk of a single crop economy, as evidenced by the overproduction of cotton prior to the war.”

There is much more to read and learn on this subject, but that’s just a quick little look at peaches grown here.

Please hop over if you want to check out this whole article and all the interesting facts about Arkansas peaches here at PEACH INDUSTRY, BY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ARKANSAS.

Now, let’s talk about our local peach farmer featured today, Peach Picking Paradise!

Peach Pickin’ Paradise, Lamar, Arkansas! 

So as mentioned above Johnson County is one of the best places in Arkansas to find peaches and we are blessed to live just a short distance from an amazing peach orchard.

Peach Pickin’ Paradise, in Lamar, AR, has a “You Pick” season every year where they sell their amazing crop of peaches to the public. We love going to the orchard as a family and bringing home tons of their fruit.

I’m not a fan of hot weather you guys, but these peaches have me counting down the days until it is hot and the smell of sweet peaches is in the air!

If you’ve never visited Peach Pickin’ Paradise, you seriously need to plan a road trip to get some of the many varieties of peaches and nectarines they grow.

This orchard grows a wide variety of peaches. They have so many that I couldn’t possibly remember them all but some of them are July Prince Cresthaven, White Diamond, Baby Gold, Contenders, Winblo, Shinn, Bisco, White County, Loring, and my favorites Redhaven.

The whole process of picking peaches at this wonderful local orchard is so fun and is a great family-friendly activity. From pulling up into the line of waiting cars, yes they line up fast folks, to planning out your picking with the map they give you upon arrival.

But don’t waste too much time planning, jump in and get out there searching for ripe peaches to fill those baskets!

They make it super easy to find the type of peaches you’re looking for with markers at the end of each row to tell you which variety of peaches are growing there.

Peach Pickin’ Paradise opens around 7:30 a.m. on picking days, so take my advice get there as early as you can and be ready to pick your heart out.

You can count on large crowds of other peach lovers to join you so you don’t want to sleep in and miss the ripe fruit that sells out fast friends!

For the most part, their 2020 peach season is winding down, but I did see on their Facebook Page that in a few weeks they will have some Indian Peaches ready to pick so please follow their page: Peach Pickin’ Paradise and be sure to keep an eye out for the last few days of the peach picking and get out there quick.

Info or Peach Pickin’ Paradise from there Facebook Page:

• Peaches and Nectarines
• Cash or check only
• 88 cents a pound when you pick your own
• Call before you come. We have to close some days and have to close early sometimes

I highly recommend you take their advice and call before you drive to the orchard so here is their phone number, 479-754-2006,  if you want to reach out to them before going to pick.

That way you don’t drive out to the orchard to find them sold out!

Fresh Peach Cobbler for The Win!

So friends, let me tell you this, buy as many as you can pick!  I mean when you go pick your peaches, be sure to stock up because you can’t beat the price and definitely can’t beat the flavor of these Arkansas Grown peaches.

We eat tons of them fresh. We like to wash and slice them and eat, but I also love canning some for winter, making peach ice cream, and some yummy peach butter with the ones we pick.

However, one of our favorite ways to use these peaches is in a super easy yet delicious Peach Cobbler. This recipe will amaze you at how easy it is and it will knock your socks off when it comes to taste.

The fresh-picked peaches from Peach Pickin’ Paradise were perfect in this cobbler. They pair so well with the buttery and fluffy cake-like top.

I made this cobbler pictured here on one of the days we went to pick these peaches (also pictured above). I was kicking myself the next day because I should have made two of them because it sure when fast!

So trust me when I say give these peaches from this local grower a try the next time you can and definitely make this cobbler with them.

You’ll love it as much as we do and hopefully, you’ll make two if you want it to last very long!

Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe

Peach Filling Ingredients:

• 6 cups peeled, sliced peaches
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, optional

Cobbler Topping:

• 1 stick of butter, cubbed
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup of sugar

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you prepare the cobbler.
2. Combine the 6 cups of sliced peaches, sugar, and the water in a saucepan and stir it up well.
3. Bring the peach mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until peaches are tender and cooked down a bit.
4. Remove the peaches from the heat and work on the cobbler topping.
5. Put the butter in a large baking dish and place in the oven to melt.
6. To make the cobbler topping mix the 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk in a medium bowl and whisk slowly to prevent clumping.
7. When the butter is melted in your baking dish, remove it from the oven carefully.
8. Next, pour the cobbler topping mixture over melted butter. Do not stir.
9. Lastly, you will need to spoon the cooked peaches over the top of the ingredients in the baking dish. Do this gently and remember do not stir. This is where the magic happens because the batter will rise to top during baking.
10. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
11. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or drizzled with heavy cream.