What could be more magical than a trip to Oxford, Maryland on a sunny summer day? Heading toward town on Route 333, we were enjoying the scenery – a mix of agricultural land and waterfront estates – when a family-run farm stand called Taylor’s Produce popped up. The opportunity to buy fresh-from-the-fields corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers and melons was too good to pass up. The corn looked great and was going for $6 per dozen ears. But it was the heavenly scent of peaches right off the tree that drew me like a bee to honey.

I buzzed right past the other produce and purchased some with visions of the peach shortcakes my grandmothers used to make.

Arriving in Oxford moments later, the trip that began with an offer to treat sons Eric and Jan to a birthday lunch at a restaurant of their choice turned into an all-day adventure.

Once a colonial port, the tiny Eastern Shore town on the southern bank of the Tred-Avon River fell out of use after the American Revolution and became the town that time forgot.

A stroll through four-century-old streets took us past some lovely old homes – a few dating to the 1700’s. Set against the backdrop of the river, several homes could only be approached down shady lanes like Swan’s Way or behind picket fences like River House. Gardens surrounding a majority of the well-kept residences were fully in bloom and beautiful. Historic buildings still in use included a market, a museum, and a small library.

One of three houses of worship, St. Paul’s Wesleyan Church was originally constructed in 1865. Known, at one time, as St. Paul’s Pilgrim Holiness Church, the structure was added to over time.

In a town surrounded by water, I assumed “fish” would star on restaurant menus but was only partially right.

At Capsize, the beer was cold and the wings with Old Bay seasoning delicious as we spent a lazy hour or two watching weekend boaters tie up at the docks in search of the ice cream for which Oxford is apparently famous.

Seafood was featured prominently on the Capsize menu too with Scallop Risotto an especially tasty entree.

We had more exploring to do, of course, and another restaurant to try. A steel band concert taking place on Sunset Grille’s outdoor deck and the tropical vibe of the place hooked us as did exotic drink specialties and seafood-based entrees. The crab imperial stuffed mushroom caps truly tickled my taste buds.

The lasting reward to our day away was my haul of produce – I’d gone back for corn – but especially the peaches.

Recalling that both my grandmothers preferred their peaches straight off the tree and unadorned, I initially found a cutting board and sliced some directly into dessert dishes.

Having invited friends to taste them, I added a few berries from my own patch to fancy them up. Unlike my grandmothers who sometimes topped peaches with cream straight from the cow, I offered Reddi-Whip. They were great. Luckily, I reserved enough peaches for that shortcake I was craving.

I first prepared the peaches by slicing them into a bowl, sprinkling a tablespoon or two of sugar over the top and placing them into the refrigerator. Then I got to work preparing the shortcake dough . Both grandmothers’ recipes are lost in time but I believe they modeled their shortcakes on biscuit recipes while my mother used Bisquick . I prefer to use a recipe for a sweeter lighter biscuit I adapted from one in Lighthearted Everyday Cooking by Anne Lindsay which is still in print.

Perfectly Peachy Shortcake

Between six and nine peaches depending on size with sprinkling of 1 or two Tbsp. of sugar
2 cups flour (I use unbleached)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. softned trans fat free margarine (I like Land O’ Lakes)
3/4 cup non-fat or low-fat milk

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Divide margarine, add to flour, and use two knives to cut butter in till mixture is crumbly. Combine with milk.

Gather dough into a ball and pat into a circle approximately 3/4 inch thick.Use a three inch cutter or glass dusted with flour to make rounds of dough and place on a cookie sheet. (I use my faithful old aluminum one.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown (though my oven runs a bit hot so I cut cooking time to 11 minutes or lower oven temperature to 440 degrees.

Cool shortcakes on a rack for 10 or 15 minutes.