We're lucky to have a bunch of different farmers markets in our area. Oakland had four or five that I know of, and Berkeley has even more. These markets are great for getting superfresh produce at reasonable prices.
Yesterday I went to the market at Jack London Square, on Oakland's waterfront. June is "stone fruits" month here -- apricots, nectarines, cherries and peaches. I bought some organic yellow peaches to make a pie (2 pounds for $5), plus a white peach to eat on the spot. A few minutes later I found a second organic peach seller and bought even more peaches. I also bought green beans ($1 for a 1 lb bag), curly kale (high in iron and minerals, and only $1), long skinny Moroccan cukumbers (to make tzatziki), and some yellow and green zucchini. My backpack was FULL. I probably spent too much on peaches, but everything else was innexpensive, so I splurged a little.
Is fresh peach pie something that makes sense on a Food Stamp budget? Well, it cost $6.90 (peaches $5, butter $1.40, and $.50 for salt, sugar, and flour), or $1/serving. If I'm careful with my other meals, then this is an affordable luxury. Pie might seem hard to make - and the first time it is - but after the third one you learn that you can make a pie from scratch in less time than it takes to go to the store and cook a frozen one.
Recipe
Peach Pie
Pastry Dough: 1-1/3 C butter, 1 tps salt, 1-1/3 C flour, 5 T ice water
Mix butter flour and salt (I use my food processor, but you can cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives) until it looks like coarse corn meal. Then add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until it all forms a ball. Divide the ball in half, wrap the two clumps of dough in plastic wrap (or use old plastic bags, like I do) and refrigerate.
Filling: 2 C fresh fruit (peaches, cherries, apricots), 1/4 C sugar, 2 T flour, 1/4 C bran
Slice fruit into bite size pieces. (peeling is optional, I don't) and combine with other ingredients. Roll the cold dough out into two pie-sized diskes, put one in the bottom of a pie tin, dump the fruit filling in, and then cover with the other crust. Bake at 375 for about 25 to 30 minutes.
It really is "easy as pie".
