Peach Delight Salad

Peach Delight Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

The thought of fresh peaches instantly conjures up visions of summer days. I’m hoping that the last freezing spell we had didn’t kill this year’s peaches in my orchard. It is during these tantalizing warm sunny days that promise summer is ahead that I like to make up a Peach Delight Salad. I got the recipe for the Peach Delight Salad from my daughter, Dawn. On one of our get-to-gethers a couple of years ago, Dawn made up this salad and I was instantly charmed by the cool summery taste of peaches. Not only does the salad taste delightful but it is healthy too.

I blame my Swiss, German, and Dutch ancestry for my fondness for many kinds of cheese. In past generations women became experts at cheese making often telling by the touch of their experienced finger how much to scald the milk and when the curd had aged sufficiently to bring out the desired flavor. The worn limb outside a kitchen window bore testimony of cheese makings where the bag of scalded curds hung to drain. Today many folk are becoming disenchanted with our fast paced society. Organic grown food and livestock is becoming quite popular as people become educated about the dangers pesticides have on our land and food. Many are turning back to learning basic traditional skills enjoying a slower life style of living. Cheese is one of the first man-made foods. Well preserved cheeses were discovered in the tombs of the pharaohs and in 1948 a 2,000-year-old cheese was found in Siberia reportedly still edible. Different regions of the world have developed their own recipes and methods for handling milk. In Eastern Europe and the Middle East yogurt is popular while Calabash is an African specialty. More than a thousand varieties of cheese have been developed over the centuries in Europe and America. With a plentiful supply of raw milk you can convert skimmed milk into yogurt or cottage cheese. My Mennonite cookbook gives a simple recipe for home-made cottage cheese. Heat one-and-one-half gallons of sour milk until it is too hot to hold your finger in. Drain thoroughly in a cloth bag or strainer. Let stand in bag overnight to drain. When dry, crumble cheese curds until fine and add one teaspoon of salt. Mix in one half cup of sweet cream. Chill until ready to serve. This makes approximately three-and-one-half cups of cottage cheese.

I confess I am part of the younger generation that simply picks up a container of cottage cheese at the store when a recipe calls for it. Each shopping trip finds me stopping at the cheese section amazed at the many varieties of cheese to choose from and enjoy. Canned peaches take on new life in the Peach Delight Salad when mixed with cottage cheese and the other ingredients. This Peach Delight Salad recipe is quick to make (taking around five minutes to mix up) and makes a large batch serving approximately twenty. It can be made ahead of time and is excellent for church or family dinners.

Peach Delight Salad

Mix together thoroughly and chill:
2 small cans (or one large can) sliced peaches diced and drained
1 can chunked pineapple drained
16 oz container of cottage cheese
2 pkg peach jello
16 oz container of cool whip
You may garnish single servings with a sliced peach!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by email at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.