Porter Peach Festival

The peach has a short window in which to find that perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy specimen. So it's no wonder that the Porter Peach Festival in Porter, Oklahoma was crawling with visitors even with temperatures soaring into the 100s.  For the past few years I have been itching to go to the festival, held the second weekend in July a short drive from Tulsa, and this past weekend I got to try all the peach goodies I could find.

We arrived on Main Street, Porter shortly after the parade had finished to find a charming street lined up and down with amusement rides, artists, vendors, and lots and lots of food, including all of your fair favorites. This was my kind of place! We perused the stands and formed our plan of attack for trying as many peach-flavored treats as possible. But first- lunch.

An Indian Taco. Chewy fry bread topped with seasoned ground beef, beans, lettuce, cheese and salsa. No, there were no peaches in this. It's a crime I know, but it was so good!

While enjoying our most healthy meal we sipped on peach iced tea. This wasn't peach-scented tea like you can buy at the store, this was tea bursting with peach flavor and made with fresh Porter peaches. Absolutely incredible.

After the tea, I was excited for dessert. Warm peach cobbler, rich in cinnamon topped with ice cream and peach ice- like a fresh peach icee and packed with flavor.

If you were looking to take some of the festival home with you, there were plenty of local organizations selling homemade cobblers, breads, butters and jams all celebrating the Porter Peach. I searched my hardest to find a copy of the festival's cook book but no luck. They must have already sold out!

But the festival isn't all about digging into peachy dishes. Miss Peach and her court helped auction off bushels of peaches to raise money for local organizations- and they went for hundreds of dollars! Those are some good peaches!

Also part of the festivities was a 5K run, Miss Peach Pageant, dog contests, car show, live music and turtle races to name a few. Yes, turtle races. I'm sad I missed that one!

As you can see, this is no small affair for the Peach Capital of Oklahoma. And they have reason to be proud of their delicious fruit! Want to buy some peaches of your own? Get them while they last at Livesay Orchards and The Peach Barn and Orchard.

Not sure what to do with all of your peaches? Check out these recipe collections:

• AllRecipes.com
• Hill Country Fruit Council's collection of peach dishes
• You can always count on Martha Stewart for something delicious
• And Bon Appétite will give you delicious recipes with a sophisticated touch