One of summer’s true indulgences, peaches originated in China and made their way to Persia, Greece, and temperate European countries including Italy, Spain, and France. They were first introduced to the southeastern United States more than 
One of summer’s true indulgences, peaches originated in China and made their way to Persia, Greece, and temperate European countries including Italy, Spain, and France. They were first introduced to the southeastern United States more than 300 years ago by Spanish explorers. It is thought that English and French settlers brought peach seeds with them to the northeastern United States. At first peaches in America were mostly grown in private orchards until commercial production took off in the nineteenth century. Today peaches are commercially produced in roughly 20 states. Pennsylvania is among the top five peach producers alongside California, South Carolina, New Jersey and Georgia.
Today we can get most fruits pretty much any time of year, shipped from far-away places when not in season, but this wasn’t always the case. Many fruits, including peaches, are fragile and can spoil easily, so in the days before refrigeration, shipping and storing them was often difficult. In the nineteenth century, a popular way to enjoy fruit such as peaches year-round was to preserve them in sugary syrup. They were pared and cored or pitted, then cut in half, quartered or sliced. Peaches could also be preserved whole, which involved peeling them first, then using a skewer to push out the pit. They were boiled until tender in a preserving kettle, then carefully removed and set aside. The juice that remained was strained and combined with sugar (the general rule was a pound of sugar per pound of fruit). Sometimes flavorings such as lemon, cinnamon, or brandy (also a preservative) were added to the syrup. The fruit was put back in the kettle and boiled in the juicy syrup until thick. It was then transferred to large glass jars and the syrup poured over top. When cool, a sheet of paper that had been dipped in brandy was laid on top to form a seal between the preserves and the lid. Sometimes the underside of the paper was also coated with egg white, which helped create a tighter seal, keeping out air and insects.
Brandied peaches are just one of the many fruit preserve recipes featured in Abby Fisher’s What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, the oldest known American cookbook written by a for