Michigan Peach Season: Where to Find Fresh Peaches Near Ann Arbor

If you’ve been checking your CSA box or a Washtenaw County farm stand for peaches and coming up empty, there’s a simple reason: Michigan peaches are mostly grown on the west side of the state, in the fruit belt along Lake Michigan where the lake effect keeps orchards warmer in spring and cooler in early fall. That’s great news if you live near Traverse City or South Haven — less great if you’re shopping in Washtenaw County, where the soil and diversified vegetable farms that dominate the area aren’t generally set up to grow stone fruit at scale.

That doesn’t mean local peaches are out of reach here in August, just that you have to know where to look.

Where to Actually Find Them

Community Farm of Ann Arbor is the exception worth knowing about. This biodynamic CSA farm maintains its own orchard and grows peaches alongside its vegetable shares, so if you’re a member, keep an eye on your box in August — and if you’re not, it’s worth checking whether they sell fruit separately at their farm stand.

Argus Farm Stop is your best bet if you’re not tied to a specific farm. Argus sources from more than 200 Michigan farms, including growers from the west-side fruit belt, so peaches from Michigan orchards regularly show up on their shelves once the season is rolling — usually by early-to-mid August and continuing into September depending on the variety.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market (Saturdays 7am–3pm, Wednesdays 7am–3pm) is the other reliable option. Several vendors bring in peaches from west Michigan orchards during peak season, though availability varies week to week — if you see a vendor with a good batch, it’s worth buying enough to freeze some for winter.

Kapnick Orchards in Britton is primarily known for apples and cider, but as a working orchard with a market that carries broader seasonal fruit and produce, it’s worth a call or a visit if you’re already headed that way and want to check what’s currently in stock.

Why It’s Worth the Effort

Peaches picked ripe and sold within a day or two — which is what you get from a farm stop or market stand rather than a grocery store shipment — taste dramatically different from anything trucked in underripe to survive a longer supply chain. They bruise easily and don’t keep long, which is exactly why grocery chains pick them early and why local sourcing matters more for peaches than for almost anything else in the produce aisle.

If you time it right, a few pounds of properly ripe Michigan peaches are worth building a weekend around — sliced onto cereal, grilled and topped with burrata, or baked into a crisp under a buttery streusel while the last of summer is still here.

Plan Your Trip

Peach availability shifts week to week depending on which orchards are shipping, so it’s worth checking in more than once during August rather than assuming a single trip will catch peak season. Browse the full farms directory and farmers markets page to plan your next stop, and check out our Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad or Peach Crisp with Oat-Almond Streusel recipes for what to do once you’ve got a bag of them.