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This is an excerpt from an article called "Drunk on Peaches" at Jellypress.com Peach Cordial Gather ripe cling-stone peaches, wipe off the down, cut them to the stone in several places, and put them in a cask; when filled with peaches, pour on as much peach brandy as the cask will hold; let it stand six or eight weeks, then draw it off, put in water until reduced to the strength of wine; to each gallon of this, add one pound of good brown sugar--dissolve it, and pour the cordial into a cask just large enough to hold it--when perfectly clear, it is fit for use. The Virginia Housewife, 1824 Mary Randolph It’s over.  I know it is.  No matter about the warm snap of the last few days.  The tomatoes remain stubbornly green.  My cucumber vine is shriveled.  There are a few last beans and peppers.  I keep meaning to plant some cold weather spinach, but it’s not happening.  That’s what happens when it’s over.  And that’s why I’ve been busy the last month trying to save the last bit of the end-of-season harvest.  These peaches are the last ones of the season from my favorite New Jersey orchard.  I was flummoxed at first about the recipe asking for a cask.  A cask?  I asked Sandra Oliver at Food History News.  After we bemoaned that gosh you just can’t get a cask anywhere--not at William Sonoma or all the other gazillion cook’s stores out there now--Sandy counseled me to use glass.  So I did. When I told Nancy about my project and sent her this photo of my drunked peaches, she sent me back a link to this Monet painting of . . . peaches in a jar. Amazing resemblance don’t you think?  http://www.monetalia.com/paintings/monet-jar-of-peaches.aspx In the meantime, my peaches are marinating in brandy for a couple of weeks now.  In about six weeks more, Nancy and I plan to podcast ourselves drinking this stuff--who knows what could happen.  Stay tuned. Here's the link: http://jellypress.com/article/harvest_time_peach_cordial_from_mary_randolph/