Frosty Peach Smoothie

It’s July and it’s beyond hot. While July is usually my “fig” month, figs don’t seem to find the current weather conditions particularly conducive to growth. So I’m turning to a different favorite fruit for a cold, icy, frosty peach smoothie. With emphasis on the cold, icy and frosty…

A fresh ripe peach is a sublime fruit, fragrant, juicy and sweet. Rarely experienced on the farm, unless someone was lucky enough to hit a local market at just the right time of the “season.” And the season varied tremendously over the span of a summer, with peaches coming from many locales. And honestly, one never knew the quality of the fruit hiding inside that fuzzy little package. A poorly ripened peach is a sad experience to say the least; mealy and tasteless. I do recall one year Mom ordering a bushel of peaches at their perfection point to be canned. It was quite the undertaking, and required processing in sugar syrup. They of course were nothing like a fresh peach, and while we appreciated them come winter, we didn’t repeat the effort. 

We are fortunate indeed here in southern Arizona to find delicious small local peaches early in the season, both at our CSA and the local farmer’s market. (Even in this weather.) Followed by large luscious yellow peaches from California. These are the beauties that will go into my frosty peach smoothie.

We have come to enjoy smoothies as part of breakfast.  They provide a balance of nutrients that satisfy us throughout the morning. Unlike the precision of baking, whizzing up a smoothie is a flexible process. If I use a high protein milk, I omit the protein powder. No protein powder? Add chia or hemp seeds. If my mix of fruit is ultra sweet, I don’t need the date. And one could certainly add vegetables if desired, but I personally don’t find many mornings when I desire them. At the most, I’ll toss in a handful of broccoli sprouts if I’m feeling guilty about the whole thing, but I’d really prefer getting my veggies later in the day. I understand that there are people who drink green smoothies on purpose, but my morning appetite assures me that smoothies should not be green…

My frosty peach smoothie is a terrific antidote to the heat and humidity being offered up across the country. Frozen fruit with added ice chips blend up into a cool frappe with flavor notes of luscious peaches, sweet-tart cherries and almond. Hints of cinnamon and cardamom thread their way through the fruity mix. Thick and creamy, smooth and icy, it literally melts in one’s mouth, cold and delicious. All the while offering up fruit, protein and healthy fats to fuel the body for the morning.  

Seems hard to believe that only five months ago I was crying about the persistent damp cold, searching for a warm smoothie. I’ll probably do it again, come January… but for July and August, this refreshing peach smoothie is all I could ask for.