Firsts, Lasts, and Baked Peaches

Firsts...
Apples started showing up this weekend. Their little red faces popping up at the market, ready and eager. It was as if they were saying, well it's about time. Yes it is.

Were you at Seattle Tilth's Harvest Fair on Saturday? I hope so. I hope you were one of the people crowding around to look at the most beautiful peppers. Or maybe I ran into you at the book tent where I bought one of my favorite cookbooks, The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook by Debra Daniels-Zeller. Nonetheless I hope you were there too, taking in the harvest, the last bits of sunshine, and the last bites of summer peaches.

Lasts...
I've mentioned that I'm moving at the end of the month. I'm definitely ready and excited for this change, but moving into a much smaller apartment means giving up a lot. Last night, it meant giving up my kitchen table.

I was okay with this idea. I mean, I was the one who posted it on Craigslist for sale. But for some reason, once it sold it was hard to let go. It's not hard to let go of the physical posession, but rather what that dining table meant. It was the first piece of furniture I bought myself. A lot of life happened at that table. A lot of growing up, change, conversations, and food happened there.

So there I sat for the last meal. Waiting for the person from Craigslist to arrive, reading my cookbook by candlelight, letting go, and making room in my life for what's next to come.

Baked PeachesIt would not have been a proper goodbye without baked peaches. I had always considered myself to be a bigger fan of nectarines than peaches, but somehow that changed this summer. It only seems right to spend my last meal at my dining table eating my new favorite food.

Once you try baked peaches - especially over Coconut Bliss ice cream - it will become your favorite too. Even if you're not fond of the fruit itself, there's something that happens in the oven that makes it absolutely magical.

This recipe was inspired by a recipe for baked nectarines in The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook.
Serves 2.

2 peaches, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar (if you want it sweeter, you can add a second tablespoon)
freshly grated nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peach halves, cut side down, in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, nutmeg, and drizzle with agave. Bake uncovered until very tender, about 30 minutes. Serve over vegan ice cream or yogurt with a dash of cinnamon.