When I was a little girl sitting in Sunday school, I’d always picture the “forbidden” tree as this big gnarled peach tree that grew right up against our tobacco barn. Every summer it was loaded with peaches but no one seemed interested in picking them or eating them. Peaches rotted on the ground, half devoured by rabbits. Why would my grandmother drive a few miles down the road and pick fruits from a friend’s tree? The apple, crabapple, persimmons, and pecan trees were not neglected. Maybe it had something to do with the tree being so close to a road or maybe it was on a boundary line. Land deputes are common in the deep south….land that has been in families for hundreds of years and boundary lines are handed down from generations and judged by trees, fences, shurbs, or out buildings (sometimes even graves). Just down the road was my great granny’s house and even though they were family, land is land. Rights are rights. Guns are guns —and will be drawn! Maybe the peach tree fell into some gray area.
I had a way of feeling sorry for neglected things when I was a kid. At some point I became interested in the tree. I had to investigate. The ground hummed with the swarm of Yellow Jackets but I walked through them, completely barefooted and unafraid. I plucked the nearest peach I could reach. I bit into it, crunchy and a bit bitter. I spit it out. The fuzz of the skin clung to my lips all day no matter how often I rubbed at it with my shirt collar. I could see why the fruits were forgotten.
Then I saw a peach nearly covered with dark pink skin. It turned out to be very juicy and sweet and I loved how the center around the pit was so dark pink, nearly red. The skin was still itchy, but it was delicious and quite beautiful.
The next year (or maybe it was the same summer), my cousin Christy and I were playing around the tree. Maybe I had tried to convince her to eat a peach. She was sitting on her bike and the front wheel was on the white line of the road. An elderly lady, with I’d assume very poor eyesight, hit Christy’s bike and sent it spinning into the ditch bank near the tree. I stood there (probably covered in peach juice) amazed…stunned….shocked. Fear set in. She was ok. But adults would have to get involved. We’d get into trouble. The elderly lady was crying. Christy was crying. I was standing with my mouth open. Christy probably wouldn’t be allowed to play at my house again. I would probably get a whippin’….
Years passed and in my memory that gnarled tree remained a mysteriously neglected fruit tree until one day it was gone, sawed to the ground and removed. Why? I don’t know.
So, in honor of that tree, enjoy the bounty of peaches in August. I’ve started the season by making this vegan version of a peach cupcake with buttercream frosting (also vegan). You could use any type of frosting you like….I think, after making these, I’d actually prefer a lighter frosting like a simple confectioner’s frosting or a whipped cream. But I’ll put the buttercream here just in case you want to try it. Oh, it’s good….
For the cupcakes-
You’ll need:
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or you could just use one whole teaspoon of vanilla instead of 1/2 of each)
1 cup pureed peaches (about two big peaches)
Step One: Two bowls. Take out two bowls. In one bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and sugar. In the other bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, and extracts. Then add the peach puree.
Step Two: Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir to combine (but don’t overmix).
Step Three: Bake. Put cupcake liners in the muffin tins (makes about 14-16 short cupcakes or 12 bigger ones). Pour the batter into the liners, filling only about halfway. I admit…I put more than that because I like tall cupcakes so I divide the batter between 12 liners (which fills them at least 3/4 way full). Bake at 350 degrees for around 25 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Once COLD, frost with buttercream (or icing of your choice).
For the buttercream —
you’ll need:
1 stick (1/2 cup) non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter –at room temp
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
food coloring (I used a very slight touch of orange and a bit of yellow to get a peachy color)
With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth then slowly add the confectioner’s sugar. Unless you like your kitchen to look like a snow storm just passed through, put the mixer on LOW. As you’re incorporating the sugar, also add the vanilla, milk, and food coloring. Once it is all combined, THEN you can put your mixer on HIGH for about 3 minutes. You want it to get light and fluffy. If it’s too dry, add a bit more milk. If too wet, a bit more sugar. Keep the frosting covered with plastic wrap until ready to use because it will dry out.
Once you frost cakes/cupcakes with buttercream, you want to keep them cool. Buttercream (since it is butter based) melts easily. So please, choose a different frosting if your cupcakes are meant to sit on a serving table etc for some time. Store buttercream cupcakes covered in air tight containers to prevent drying (but let it harden a bit in the fridge before covering them, just to let it set a bit).
