My Grandma Velma Pennington Wine canned A LOT of peaches. She seemed to have an endless pantry of quart-sized jars of peaches. Beautiful, golden peaches in thick, clear syrup. Sunday suppers in the summer at the Wines were an institution. The menu represented continuity: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, canned green beans, and peach cobbler. It bubbled. It oozed. It called to you.

Grandma Velma’s cobbler, and subsequently became my mother’s, was a cobbler like no other. It was a softer, cake-like batter. Rational people can differ here, but being a cobbler purist, a cobbler does not have an oatmeal crumb topping–that is called a crumble. Most recipes have a biscuit dough topping, similar to a shortcake. But, it’s the Southern-style cake-like cobbler that Velma and Betty claimed. It’s basic. It’s true. It’s not hidden with cinnamon, vanilla, or lavender. Just pure ripe peach flavor. Serve it up with light cream (my Betty’s preference), or a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Did I say how easy it is?

Betty’s Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler