Foraging for the wild peach

We always look forward to September in Asturias. The weather is warm, not too hot, gentle winds, not too strong, and misty dew-fresh mornings. The walnuts trees are laden with fruit, the hazelnuts begin to shed their fruit, the brambles offer up an abundance of blackberries and the wild Asturian peach (Piesco) is ready for harvesting.

The wild peach is small, the skin is slightly tougher than commercial peaches and the sweetness is not guaranteed however the intense peach flavour more than makes up for any other shortfalls. The peaches grow on small trees on the edges of fields and tracks around Asturias and most of them fruit well but are rarely harvested by locals these days as it is easier to go to the local supermarket and buy bigger and standardised fruit. We prefer, where possible, the wild and superior tasting Asturian Peach.

This year we have gathered enough to make a large batch of peach jam and enough to dehydrate for snacks. The flavour is intensified in both processes and is has just enough tang to get the taste buds tingling. The jam is made using our standard recipe of half the amount of sugar to that of fruit. It really is delicious on toast or as a sweet relish with cheese.

The dried peaches will be vacuum packed and will accompany us on walks into the mountains. They are packed with energy and will boost flagging stamina as we explore Asturias and the Picos de Europa in all its glory.