Do You Remember your First Nectarine?

There is a reason they only put peaches in a can... Summer 1980. France. Not sure where. Somewhere on the Atlantic Coast. South. Next to the Sea. Hot! In a Village. No. In the Middle of nowhere. An old house. Bare. Simple. A pot sitting on top of the stove. Hissing. Spitting. Bubbling. Simmering. Squid. Boiling. The stench. We had to get outside. Us. The kids. Escaping the parents. Not my parents. French parents. French grandparents. Not mine. Good people. A fisherman. Cooking up his catch. A pot of squid. We were children. We needed outside. A brown paper bag. From where? We escaped. The four of us. One of them handed me a fruit. I felt it. Warm in my hands. Alien to my eye. Smooth. Shiny. Deep reds. Golden oranges. Like a ball of burning sun. Lifted to my nose. Breathe in. The heady peach-like scent. But the skin, smooth. I took a bite. Oh sweet acid. My tastebuds on end. Juice dribbling down my arms. I was ravenous for that nectarine. Until I had sucked every last fibre from its stone. My first nectarine. No looking back.

To this day a juicy, acidic nectarine is one of my favourite fruits. Nectarines. Captured and pictured (above) in a sorbet recipe found in The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. My friend. Who lives in France. Land of my first taste of nectarine. David who says to serve it doused in red wine. I say, yes. That works. Just don't bother to try it with rosé.



?When did you try your first ever nectarine?
Local Resources
Nectarines from Blossom Bluff

Archives
2006 | The Bullpen Baker
2005 | Eating Out whilst Eating In Your Local Foodshed: Piatti Marin
2004 | Roe - for a very special Birthday

© 2008 Sam Breach

Do You Remember your First Nectarine?