Weaver’s Orchard, Morgantown, PA, PYO for Peach and Blueberry Tart
I hadn’t anticipated the length of time in a Kitchen Redo that would not provide me the hope and plan of scheduling in a lovely luncheon to celebrate the first anniversary of Spiced Peach, so I admit the timing of this summer was not ‘the shared table’ of my dreams.
So we all know the saying ‘when life hands you a lemon’, well in this case, pick a peach anyway, and some blueberries too, and this is exactly what I did in a different type of acknowledgement of the day gathering the family and spending an afternoon at Weaver’s Orchard in Morgantown, PA, and such a lovely afternoon it turned out to be.
With the sun shining through the lined rows of green trees covered with ripening peaches we actually spent more time up and down the orchard paths than the amount of peaches we collected. The rows seemed like secret hiding places along mildly scented paths with bright green leaves hugging varying shaded colored hues of peaches snugly interspersed.
Weaver’s Orchard easily reached off the PA Turnpike, then shortly beyond the toll road narrows into two lane streets quickly transposing an old-fashioned country calm sort of feeling. The views are spectacular, in some ways breathtaking from above and so it didn’t really matter that the fully ripe pick your own peaches were still a week out, still, I figured a small amount would be perfect for a Peach Tart and that’s just what we did, Pick-em.
Having picked the limited number of peaches we chose to collect on this visit we hopped onto the durable wooded flatbed with seats that happened to be driving by at the top of the ascent and made our way over to the fruit that was in perfect season and ready for picking, the Blueberry vines.
Rows and rows of blueberries filled the green bushes and there were so many good pickings that we could hardly keep up with the baskets.
The girls at the Pick Your Own Checking In and Out shed were just genuinely friendly besides enthusiastic to discuss the peach varieties and eager to share any information about peaches that one might inquire.
Once down to the Farm Market area at the bottom of the hill, the farm friendliness continued from the girl scooping the fresh Nelson’s ice cream (the absolute best ice cream cone I have had in years) to the folks working the market counter. I’m inclined to think it’s just plain part of the nature at this Berks County fourth generation family farm.
Once home, with a little more than enough peaches, and all of those plump, sweet blueberries, I decided to combine the fresh picked fruits and prepare a Peach and Blueberry Tart. Greasing a ten inch tart pan, the crust is easily made in the food processor, wrapping in plastic wrap and chilling for less than an hour before lining the bottom and sides and filling in the thinner spots of crust in a bit.
Below is the dough round which is rather sticky requiring a nicely floured rolling pin, and only a bit of rolling before easily fitting the dough into the pan grooves.
Once the dough is pre-baked for about twelve minutes, you can take it out of the oven and spread some lovely Peach Preserves covering the bottom before coordinating the next step with fruits and an egg mixture.
Weaver’s Orchard offers the very same things as other Pick Your Own places, with a little more laid-back atmosphere. They offer Cooking Classes sponsored through the Reading Eagle as part of a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Free Classes are offered every Wednesday at 11:00 am June through late August on topics ranging from Canning and Making pies in Mason Jars to DiBruno inspired Food Pairings. Also on Wednesdays at 10:00 am, a Read and Pick Story Time entertains children sharing a story book on a specific in- season fruit following a ‘pick their own’ filling a container of that fruit afterward.
For the remainder of August you can pick your own Peaches, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Apples. Weaver’s has 18,000 Apple Trees on 35 acres so there are plenty of apples to choose from beginning now and continuing as a fun fall activity through October. The website is up to date so you can check on current availability of Pick Your Own choices seasonally.
So if life gives you lemons and its not peach season just remember, shortly up you can pick your own apples and even make an apple tart, applesauce, or a big ole apple pie all to your hearts content as the fall season nears.
An anniversary is a time to make note on a special occasion. Thank You to all of the Spiced Peach Blog readers and subscribers, Facebook and Twitter friends for being a part of this new and growing community over the year and for being a special part of our Shared Table along the spice road of food and friendship.
Perhaps I did have incredible expectations on events I wanted to occur during the Blogs anniversary season, still, while the day might not have brought in the essence of what I had planned, still, being out picking Peaches and Blueberries at Weaver’s Orchard, Morgantown, PA really made things, well, just Peachy after all.
Happy 1st Anniversary to Spiced Peach Blog!
Weaver's Orchard, Morgantown, PA, PYO for Peach and Blueberry Tart
Ingredients
- 1 Greased Ten Inch Tart Pan
- For Preparing the Sweet Pie Crust
- For the Sweet Pie Crust:
- 1 stick cold Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Cold Vegetable Shortening
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
- 4 Tablespoons Ice Water
- For Preparing the Tart:
- 1/2 cup Peach Preserves
- 3 1/2 cups sliced Peaches
- 1 cup fresh Blueberries
- 5 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream.
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Preparing the Sweet Pie Crust: In the bowl of a food processor combine the cold butter and shortening then add the flour pulsing to a cornmeal consistency. Add in the sugar, then the egg yolk, salt and then the ice water 2 Tablespoons at a time. Remove dough from processor then shape into a flat circle, cover with plastic wrap and chill for one-hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface, shape to fit dough into the tart pan. Use a fork and prick some holes about the bottom of the pie crust. Bake for ten to twelve minutes. Remove from oven and prepare Peach and Blueberry Tart.
- Preparing the Tart: Spread the Peach Preserves around the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell. In a large bowl stir together the fresh peaches, blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice then pour the mixture over the Peach Preserves. In a mixer beat the egg yolks and sugar until well incorporated and the mixture turns a pale yellow color, add in the heavy cream and beat another minute, stir in the chopped pecans then pour over the Fruit Mixture. Bake for approximately thirty five minutes until the tart is set and the top is golden brown and puffy.
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