One of the summer highlights in South Carolina is the wonderful selection of delicious fruits grown here. 

Every spring, when we get some late, plummeting temperatures, we all wonder, “Did the peach crop survive? What about the blueberries?” It just wouldn’t be summer without these delectable fruits.

Linda: I have a very easy recipe for blackberry cobbler.

I visited a beautiful seven generation herb farm, Stream Cliff Herb Farm, in Commiskey, Indiana. While there, I purchased one of the cookbooks highlighting the farm.

They share some of the recipes from their tea room. “Easy Blackberry Cobbler” is one of my favorites. If you find yourself traveling through southern Indiana, be sure to plan a visit to the farm.

Lucy: When I lived in Florida, I was a master gardener. My friend, Pat, another master gardener, and I often found ourselves working together on gardening talks to the various garden clubs in the area. We also would share recipes incorporating the produce grown in Florida.

During blueberry season, I would visit the U Pick farms and gather blueberries for pies and jams. I love traditional blueberry pie, but Pat’s recipe is another favorite.

Linda: I went searching online for a peach recipe. Peach cobbler is plentiful in the South, but I wanted something different. I found a recipe from Taste Of Home for “Peach Upside Down Cake” that looked spectacular. Knowing that Lucy loves to try new recipes, I passed it on to her.

Lucy: This was easy to make. Be sure you have ripe peaches.

I used a square cast iron frying pan to bake it in. A round pan would also work. I think cast iron really lends itself to this recipe.

The most difficult part is removing it from the pan. Don’t worry, it comes out easy enough and looks professional. But the pan is heavy to tip over.

Linda: She called me when she took it out of the oven. I drove the few minutes to her house and brought a flat cookie sheet that we covered with parchment. Lucy turned the pan over while I held the cookie sheet against the pan, catching the cake. It turned out looking scrumptious.

Lucy: Let’s share our recipes and get people cooking!

EASY BLACKBERRY COBBLER

1 quart blackberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup flour

½ cup water

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups sugar, separated

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup milk

1/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 350 F.

In a large saucepan, place berries, water and 1 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

In a 2-quart baking dish, melt butter (I use pyrex and melt it in microwave).

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and 1 cup sugar, then stir in milk. Pour this batter over the melted butter. Spoon in berry mixture, but do not stir.

Bake for 45 minutes. Batter will rise to the top and form a crust as it bakes.

It’s especially wonderful served with a scoop of ice cream. I prefer vanilla.

PAT’S BLUEBERRY PIE

1 pie crust, unbaked (Marie Calendar’s is the best)

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons flour

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg, beaten

2 ½ cups blueberries

Heat oven to 400 F.

Combine first five ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in berries.

Pour into pie shell and bake for 25 minutes

TOPPING

¼ cup flour

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup cold butter

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of pie.

Bake 10 minutes more.

Chill before serving

SOUTHERN PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

2 cups sliced peeled peaches or frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed

2 tablespoons bourbon, optional (we left this out but could be tasty)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

BATTER

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup 2 percent milk

Heat oven to 350 F.

If desired, in a small bowl, combine peaches and bourbon; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 1/4 cup butter in a 10-inche ovenproof skillet; heat in oven 5-7 minutes or until butter is melted. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.

Arrange peach slices over brown sugar in pinwheel design.

For batter, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition until just combined. Spread batter evenly over peaches.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.