The Spot: Schnepf Farms, Open Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
See Also: - Baiz Market in Phoenix: What We Bought, What We Skipped and What We're Still Lusting Over - Peach Festival at Schnepf Farms 2013 - Heirloom Tomato Dinner at Binkley's in Cave Creek June 19
What We Bought: After the peach envy we felt from seeing our friends' peach fest pickin' pics, we decided to head down to Schnepf without the massive crowds and get some of our own. If you want peaches too, get your buns out to Queen Creek and pick the last Schnepf peaches from now until Sunday. At $2/pound, you can either pick your own from the orchard or just grab some at the small shop and bakery. We definitely think picking your own is more fun, but either way you go, it's definitely better quality peaches than the bitter, mealy junk we've been finding at supermarkets lately. Schnepf also has pickable apples ($1/pound) and plums ($2/pound) available right now.
The peach fun doesn't stop there though. In the shop you can get the last of the sweet and tart freshly baked peach pies ($17), peach cobbler jars, peach rhubarb preserves and peach chutney. They also have a wealth of other jarred items--from chile relleno salsa to picoso apple spread, which are all abour $8 or 4 for $25.
What We Skipped: Not every jarred, pickled and preserved item in Schnepf's arsenal was a slam-dunk. While we love pickles and we love quail eggs, pickled quail eggs just did not make the cut. We also weren't fond of all the peach-flavored junk food like gumballs and rip-off twizzlers. Speaking of junk food, with fresh farm goodies at your disposal, why does Schnepf even offer puffed corn cheese balls in the store. More veggies, less junk please.
What We're Still Lusting Over: While we know we just went on a junk food tirade, even we were tempted by the peachy, gooey fresh baked cinnamon rolls ($9), which come in either hand or head sizes. We'd also like to come back some day and buy a bunch of the Arizona Rose local flour made from Arizona white Sonora wheat from the folks at the Hayden Flour Mills. Finally, we plan to come back their seed packet selection from Sweet Garden Organics, which is a local company that uses organic and heirloom seed, to start our own "U-Pick" garden some day.
