Did you know that August is National Peach Month? Peaches are also the official state fruit of Georgia, so you should definitely be taking advantage of the fact that they are in season in the late summer. If you love cooking up creative eats around your fire pit, there are lots of ways to incorporate peaches into a variety of dishes. Here are a few great ways to add peaches to your rotation of fireside eats this summer.
- Grilling peaches directly over your fire pit
You might be surprised to learn that you can actually grill peaches directly over the fire on your grill grate. All you have to do is make sure that the slices are large enough that they don’t fall through the holes and into the fire pit! (If you’re particularly worried, you can always lay the slices on a skillet and place the skillet on the grill grate, just to be safe). It’s also important to be aware that firewood for sale burns hotter than traditional firewood, so you don’t want to leave the peaches on the grate for long--just a minute or two will do the trick!
- Adding peaches to kebabs
As a connoisseur of fireside eats, you’re probably always looking for new ways to spice up your kebabs. Indeed, one of the most fun things about fireside grilling in summer is finding all of the ways to mix and match seasonal fruits and vegetables on your roasting forks. Peaches can simultaneously contribute a pop of flavor and color to any summery kebab.
- Including peaches in your foil packs
Aside from making kebabs with roasting forks, one of the easiest ways to use your fire pit for cooking in the summer is to grill foil packs over the flames. You can cook up pretty much anything in a foil pack--including meat, vegetables, and (of course) fruits like peaches. After you’ve filled a foil pack with your desired ingredients, all you have to do is lay it on the well-heated grill grate on your fire pit for a few minutes, and you’ll soon have a warm, summery meal!
- Using peach-based sauces for your steaks and sausages
Incorporating peaches into your fireside eats doesn’t necessarily mean grilling up the peaches themselves. You can also mix up a homemade peach salsa or include diced peaches or puree into a unique barbecue sauce. These sauces can significantly enhance flavor of the steaks and sausages you cook over your fire pit. They can also complement the sweet flavors that are naturally infused into your meats when you grill them using gourmet firewood for cooking like cherry firewood.
- Adding peaches to your s’mores
If you’re looking for a way to make your s’mores more interesting, consider adding a peach slice. You can top your graham cracker with cool, fresh peaches as a contrast the warm marshmallow, or you can give your peach a few turns over the fire on the roasting fork before smushing it into your s’more for a gooier treat.
- Including peaches on your pizza or flatbread
Forget pineapple--when you want to add a touch of sweetness to a pizza or flatbread, choose sliced or diced peaches. High-quality pizza cooking wood burns at an optimal temperature to bake a pizza dough, so you’re already guaranteed to have an excellent crust. Topping the ctrust with peaches and giving it a few minutes over your grill grate will only make it taste even better.
- Flipping peach pancakes for brunch
Not all of your summer fireside experiences have to be at night. Lighting your fire pit on a summer morning is actually a fun way to start your day and impress your friends at brunch. It also gives you the chance to use your firewood to cook up traditional breakfast foods, like pancakes. Using a skillet, you can flip pancakes directly over your grill grate. To give them a peachy flavor, you can add diced peaches directly to the batter, or you can top use a traditional pancake recipe and slice your peaches on top.
- Warming up a peach pie
It’s probably a little over-ambitious to try to cook peach pie directly over your fire pit, given the delicate nature of the crust, but a few minutes over the fire is actually a great way to warm up a previously-baked pie. Instead of having to turn on your oven and heat up your kitchen to an uncomfortably high temperature in order to serve warm peach pie to your family and friends, place the metal pie pan on the grill grate for a few minutes. That will give your family time to admire the appearance (and the smell!) of the pie before you slice it up and serve it with a cool scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Regardless of how you decide to use peaches in your fireside eats in recognition of National Peach Month, Cutting Edge Firewood wants to know about it, so don’t forget to tag us in your Instagram photos! And to get all of the supplies you need for a great fireside experience this summer, visit our order page now!
