Southern peach cobbler is a nostalgic recipe for me. My grandmother, Meemee, made the best peach cobbler every time. When the peach season came around, I couldn’t wait to go to my grandparent’s house. I knew cobbler would be on the menu over the weekend.
I carry on the family tradition of the southern peach cobbler in my home. My boys get excited like I did when they see the peaches. We usually go peach picking in the early summer, or I order 40 pounds of peaches from the Peach Truck. I process the peaches by canning, drying, and freezing.
I love cobbler because you can use fruit in many forms. You can plan or be spur of the moment and pull off a fabulous dessert. Keep a few cans of peaches in heavy syrup in your pantry to always have supplies ready. I use peaches that I have frozen ahead of time. The peaches I use from the freezer have about 1/4 cup of sugar. I freeze them in 2 cup quantities, ready for a recipe. Otherwise, 4 to 5 fresh peaches will do the trick, and then I mix them with a can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup.
Yes, the peach cobbler will be best if you peel the peaches first. Sometimes peels can have a tart flavor or be tough. It is best to go ahead and peel peaches for the cobbler.
American settlers heading west were a little lonesome for peach pie on the trail, so the story goes. They stew the peaches and then plop biscuit dough on top to create a sweet treat. Supplies would have been scarce, and biscuits were mostly available ingredients.
I imagine Florida crackers were the same way. Supplies were scarce, especially during the Civil War. Coming up with a sweet treat, you had to be creative with what you had. Cobblers can be made with any kind of fruit. It can even be made in an iron skillet over a fire. I suspect many families’ desserts were peach cobbler and any fruit in the season.
Many family traditions are centered around food. Food has a memory. Eating certain food brings back memories of places, people, and events. Passing down those recipes is important to carry on traditions. I enjoy the digital age, but I still keep a handwritten recipe book for myself to pass on to my boys.
Meemee’s southern peach cobbler will hopefully live on for generations. Make this recipe your own and share it with your family for years.
Holly is an author, storyteller, and Florida Master Naturalist who loves to share heritage skills taught to her by her grandmothers. Florida has been her family home for generations and preserving that lifestyle for the future is her goal. Holly enjoys coming alongside women to share skills and help them discover their own natural gifts and talents.