You would pretty much have to be in a coma to be unaware of this season’s bumper peach crop. (My apologies to anyone who is actually in a coma — sadly, you are missing out on some good eating.)

At any rate, WFIR, WDBJ-7 and The Roanoke Times have all run stories this week about how last year’s dismal peach crop has been rejuvenated into a boom crop this year. Our friend Amy Hanek, a frequent reader of this blog and a blogger herself, has also posted a couple of entries about peaches this week.

After an early warm spell and late frosts nipped last year’s stone fruits in the bud, the stars aligned this year. Warm weather during pollination season, moderate rainfall during the fruits’ developmental stages and Mother Nature’s tendency to push for a comeback the year after a loss have put us in Peach Heaven.

You can find the best peaches, in my opinion, down at your local farmer’s market. My husband brought home one of the biggest peaches I’ve ever seen — it’s nearly the size of a softball — from Ikenberry Orchards this week.

If you’ve bought a big mess of peaches, it’s possible that you’ll get your fill of raw ones and need to cook a few up before they are overripe. Amy’s peach crisp recipe, my mom’s cobbler recipe and peach pie are all wonderful ideas. But I’ve been thinking about some less common recipes for peaches, too. Maybe something with a savory punch instead of dessert. I scoured a few cookbooks and located what I believe are some devilishly good-looking peach recipes.

A few of them are ridiculously easy, too. Take a look and see what you think. And, as always, if you’ve got a great recipe you can share, fire away!

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