It was early one Saturday morning last summer, before the day heated up to its usual steamy 90s, when I first discovered The Peach Truck.

I was on my way to tend the garden behind my brother’s office. I barreled down 12 South, and had to immediately double-back. Parked in the lot of a one-time gas station turned designer jean shop was an old green pick up truck. A young man was working out of the back of the truck, filling and setting out brown paper sacks. A sandwich board sign placed on the sidewalk had been painted in bold letters: FRESH GEORGIA PEACHES.

Georgia Peaches? Really? The ones that I had come across over the years at our markets never lived up to their stellar reputation. Still, there had to be an element of truth in the assertion that the best peaches hail from GA. I had to check ‘em out.

I opened a bag and inhaled its aromatics. Sweet-scented, peachy and floral. I gingerly handled a couple–they had the right heft and supple give. Then, the young man, who introduced himself as Stephen Rose, cut a wedge out of one for me to sample.

Mercy. It was firm, yet gushed sweet juices. It might have been the best bite of peach I’d ever had. SOLD!

Chagrined by the lack of true Georgia peaches in Nashville, Stephen set out to change all that. He started trucking in the harvest from his aunt and uncle’s farm in Crawford Georgia. That Saturday morning, I was one of his first sales. It didn’t take long for word to get out. People all over the city, chefs from scores of restaurants, were all clamoring for the peaches brought by the man in the 1964 Jeep Gladiator. Over a five week run last summer, Nashvillians had purchased 10 tons of these remarkable fruits.

Summer is back, and so is The Peach Truck. This year, Stephen and his wife Jessica have made it their mission to spread the Georgia peach gospel. From now until the end of August, you can find these blushing beauties any day of the week in Nashville, at numerous locations.

I’ve made terrific peach salsa, not to mention peach cobbler. Mornings have been brightened with fresh slices over Greek yogurt and cereal. And, here’s this show-stopped recipe I made for our latest potluck supper: rosemary, sage, chives and The Peach Truck’s finest stuffed, rolled and roasted into pork loin.

Without question, all sorts of fruit make luscious partners for pork, (think apples, pears, pineapple…) their natural sweetness enhances the meat while tempering its inherent richness. Fresh herbs and juicy peaches transform a simple pork loin into an elegant, succulent roast that slices into pretty pinwheels.

The trickiest part is in butterflying the meat. Keep slicing horizontally down and into the round of meat, unrolling it as you continue your cuts. This does not need to be smooth. You can see where I started and stopped, with some gashes into the meat. No worries. It’s very forgiving, this recipe. You’ll be filling the interior of the meat, covering all this up.

After you’ve layered the interior with abundant chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, strips of chives) and red tinged slices of peach, you’ll be ready to roll it back to its somewhat original form, and secure it with twine.

I prepared two such roasts for our potluck crowd. Wonderful. It was a night for peaches and The Peach Truck. Someone brought a peach salad, another an almond-peach crisp. And Rick churned a batch of Peaches-and-Cream.

PEACHES-N-HERBS PORK ROULADE
3 lb. boneless pork loin
1 bundle fresh sage
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3-4 fresh ripe peaches, pitted and sliced ¼” thick
kosher salt
coarse ground black pepper

kitchen twine—cut into 4 14” pieces

Butterfly the pork loin: place clean, dried roast onto cutting board. With a sharp knife, begin slicing horizontally into the roast, about 1 inch from the bottom. As you continue slicing the length of the roast, pull back the meat, effectively unrolling it.
Press the meat flat. Liberally sprinkle the interior first with salt and black pepper, followed by chopped rosemary and sage. Arrange the peach slices to cover the
Roll the loin back into its original shape.

Slide the pieces of twine underneath the loin. Secure the roll by tying each one. Place in roasting pan, fat side up, seam side down. Sprinkle the top of the meat with kosher salt and black pepper.

Place roast into a preheated 425 degree oven. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees for another 25-30 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, remove from oven.

Allow the meat to rest 15 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, add water to roasting pan and deglaze the juices and cooked-on bits. Remove the twine and slice the roast into ½” thick rounds. Arrange slices on a platter and pour deglazed juices over the meat.

Serves 10

1. ernestine Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 4:14 am

   Oh
   this looks so good.
   I will be driving to Farmers Market
   to pick up some of these peaches.
   Disappointed
   with the peaches from grocery store.
   Thank you
   and another thank you
   for commenting while my computer was being repaired.
   My soninlaw in Bellevue
   has his business there
   MouseCalls…

2. Good Food Matters - Peaches-n-Herbs Pork Roulad... Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 4:47 am

   [...] It was early one Saturday morning last summer, before the day heated up to its usual steamy 90s, when I first discovered The Peach Truck. I was on my way to tend the garden behind my brother's office.  [...]

3. Barbara Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 6:20 am

   I remember driving through Georgia years ago with my daughter and stopping to buy a big bag of peaches. They were divine. We had juice all over ourselves AND the car. What a mess!
   Have made a cobbler this season, but not a salsa. Great idea to combine with pork…seems like an excellent pairing to me.

4. Heather Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 6:50 am

   This is really a delicious recipe and the tanginess of the peaches brings out the pork flavor. Highly recommended. Thank you Nancy!

5. goodfoodmatters Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 7:46 am

   Ernestine–so glad you (and your computer) are back.

   Barbara–you and your daughter got to experience the true Georgia peach, indeed a juicy messy affair!

   Heather–You know firsthand how good this dish is! hope your return to Rome was easily done. have fun in Sardinia, and we’ll see you in a few weeks.

6. fluffy Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 8:54 am

   I am so excited, sweet peaches.

   makes me wanna dance and sing.

7. Denise | Chez Danisse Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 9:56 am

   Your post has me thinking back to the old Seinfeld Mackinaw peach episode. I am one of those with a passion for spectacular fruit. Enjoy those peaches!

8. Michele | Cooking At Home Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 10:33 am

   The aroma of a fresh peach can be quite inspiring as evidenced by your spectacular dish. Enjoy!

9. Adri Says:
   July 9th, 2013 at 12:51 pm

   How wonderful – the real deal – a Georgia Peach. They are the stuff of legend out here in California. Although our peaches are sweet and fragrant, I bet they do not hold a candle to yours.

   And that is one very unique and utterly tantalizing pork roast. I simply have got to try it. Kudos to you on what looks like an absolutely wonderful recipe!

10. Barbara Greene Says:
    July 9th, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Oh, Nancy- this looks beautiful and delicious. I too, have been very disappointed with peaches at the grocery store. Perhaps our local farmers market will have nice ones. I would like to make this, but might need your supervision!

11. Kitchen Belleicious Says:
    July 9th, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    why on earth have I never added peaches to my pork? It is a genius idea and I have done pecans and apricots before but not peaches and I can;t wait to try this! Looks delicious

12. Teresa, food on fifth Says:
    July 10th, 2013 at 6:28 am

    Well it seems The Peach Truck is getting it’s due this month and for that I am glad. Including my recent post, this is the 3rd post done by Nashville food bloggers highlighting the wonderful peaches from Pearson Farms.
    Your roulade looks smashingly delicious and I am sorry I missed it. Peaches and pork seem like such a natural combination. Lovely.

13. Patricia Says:
    July 12th, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    That pork roast looks simply luscious
    and you have made it look simple to prepare
    Thanks!

14. Cheryl W. Says:
    July 13th, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Just back from GA last night. Stopped at Lane’s and bought peaches. Making this tonight but going to try with pork chops.

15. FOODESSA Says:
    July 13th, 2013 at 6:09 pm

    Nancy…wow…have I missed so much?!? I went all the way back to your impressions from Rome…and felt a little disappointed your Rome didn’t seem like the Rome I experienced a few years ago. All in all it did seem like you made the best of it ;o)

    Now for this last post…peaches and pork are certainly a match for dating any day of the week…most impressive however would be to show off this fabulous dish to guests ;o)

    Will try to do better in keeping touch with some of my favourite cooks ;o)

    Ciao for now and have a wonderful week.
    Claudia

16. Beth Says:
    July 14th, 2013 at 6:49 am

    Great blog title! I’ve never been lucky enough to eat a Georgia Peach, but I hope I can someday.

17. Jemma @ My Hungry Stomach Says:
    July 15th, 2013 at 6:30 am

    Pork with peaches – Mmmmm… That sounds so delicious! Too bad it’s hard to find peaches here in our country. Can you suggest an alternative to peaches?

18. goodfoodmatters Says:
    July 15th, 2013 at 7:47 am

    Hi Jemma-
    Are you able to find other “stonefruits” such as apricots, nectarines, or plums? Those would work in the pork roulade filling.
    Nancy

19. Jemma Says:
    July 16th, 2013 at 4:23 am

    Thanks Nancy! Cherries would be perfect ’cause there are lots of those in the supermarket. :)

20. Kelli Says:
    July 16th, 2013 at 10:27 am

    I have updated my weekly calendar appointment “Donelson Farmer’s Market” with “GET PEACHES”. Can’t wait to meet The Peach Truck!

21. nancy Says:
    July 18th, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    Nancy thank you for this wonderful dish.
    I found this wonderful site. You and some of your readers might be interested in, with a easy (different) way of gardening.
    Vimeo.com in search box back to eden. what an amazing site, introduced to me from the UT demo garden in Jackson TN.
    Thanks for your blog

22. Dedy@Dentist Chef Says:
    July 23rd, 2013 at 7:52 pm

    Wow, this is definitely fancy upscale restaurant dish from your kitchen…..
    well done!