Each week, in addition to the thousands of pounds of freestone peaches, vendors will be selling peach banana bread, peach cinnamon rolls, peach smoothies, peach danishes, peach cobbler, peach doughnuts and even barbecue with peach bourbon barbecue sauce.
The event is held in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Co. from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., but "Don't come late," organizer Betsy Hess warns. "Because, even though they will bring like 3,000 pounds of peaches... they do sell out every market."
"Get there early and get home and start making your pie and your cobbler," she says, though those desserts aren't the only options for what you can make with your peaches.
"There's so many things you can do with them," says Hess, a self-described "farm girl from Michigan" who has also run the Fountain Hills Sweet Corn Market for 12 years and the Fountain Hills Farmers Market for four. "Not only sweet pastries, but you can use them for savory dishes like they're great on pork chops and with chicken. People tell me what they do with the peaches all the time, and it's absolutely amazing."
Of course, you can also just eat them fresh from the market. The event's signature freestone peaches are set apart by their easily removable pit (in contrast with clingstone peaches), which makes them ideal for eating straight-up.
"You can't deny that people just absolutely love biting into a peach and the juice running down their chin," Hess says.
Beyond the peaches, there will be about 30 vendors, such as Noble Bread and The Tamale Store, about two-thirds of which will incorporate the fresh peaches into their own items. Other vendors include Wiki-licious Donuts, Yvonella and The Bomb Pie Company.
The Arizona Fruit Lady will also have fresh tomatoes, nectarines and pears from Utah farms.
"So it's a farmers market plus lots of peaches and peach products," Hess explains.
Guests can bring their own bags, as well as their pets. Plenty of parking is expected to be available.
The Sept. 20 iteration will also include a Children’s Entrepreneur Market, with handmade items and baked goods made by kids ages 5 to 16.
