A friend stopped by with a bag of peaches from ‘up the road’ last week. They were the first I have seen and although beautiful were as hard as rocks.
  After sitting for a few days, they began to soften up and emit the most wonderful scent. Fresh peaches can smell as good as they taste and sometimes even better.
As they were soft and ripe, I knew the time had come to do something with them. As I washed their suede-like skin I began to wander back in time to the many bushels of peaches I have ‘put up’ over the years. 
I remember riding along as a neighbor from Charleston drove all the way to near Eutawville (it seemed a long way then) to pick up a trunkful from a friend who had more than enough peaches to share.  
We were to pick all we wanted so I helped to fill up the trunk of his car.  By the time we arrived back in Charleston, the peaches were in less than optimal condition due to the ride and the heat so we immediately began to skin them, remove the stones and immerse them in acidulated water. 
We ended up with about 3 washtubs full.  Some we canned, some made into jelly and some used to make the small crescent shaped pies that are iconic in the South – small enough to fit in your hand, fried in oil and butter and incredibly good.
I have taken them to cocktail parties, served them with ice cream as dessert and made many hundred for funerals and birthday parties.  Every 4th of July I make 4 or 5 dozen to share with family and friends.
This makes 8 fried pies. We always made peach but you can substitute any fruit.
8 peaches- dead ripe and soft
1/2 stick of butter  
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of sugar- reserve 1/4 cup for the end
Your favorite ‘double crust’ pie crust recipe or
 any pie crust that is sold rolled in sheets.
Wash, peel, stone and chop the peaches
Place the prepared peaches in a sauce pan with the butter and the sugar.
Cook about 20 minutes until the mixture begins to darken a little and thicken.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Roll out dough to a thin thickness using your Crisco can lid as a template. Everyone in my family did this and it was nice to have all the pies about the same size as the presentation is neater and more attractive.
Fill each dough disk with one tablespoon of peach filling, close the top over the bottom to form a crescent shape.  Seal each pie tightly using a fork to crinolate the edge.
As the combination of oil and butter gets hot and begins to smoke, carefully add a pie or two making sure to leave room to flip them. They will take about 3 minutes per side to become golden brown.  Remove them from the pan and place on paper towels to drain and cool slightly.
In the Corley family it is customary to roll the warm fried pies in granulated sugar just before serving.  I can still see Aunt Bobbie’s hands using a fork on the edge and them quickly flipping them in the sugar.
My favorite way to serve them is on a silver tray covered with white doilies along with a crystal bowl filled with vanilla ice cream and a silver compote of pecans.  
This is a great time to use your fancy silver spoons and cake servers. They add such an elegance to this simple, delicious treat. 
Add a silver spoon called a bon bon or nut spoon to your compote and you are ready to go.
Take a drive to the countryside to explore all the produce this wonderful part of South Carolina has to offer - peaches in particular!