Trucks brimming with homegrown bounty rolled into the barren parking lot of Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday. Undeterred by the fall’s lingering twilight, vendors unloaded buckets of hearty butternut squash alongside tables bearing leafy bunches of broccoli and heaps of crisp green beans. By sunrise the vacant lot was transformed into the Market at the Square, an event that draws thousands of locals from May through November.

The weekly bazaar offers shoppers a chance to socialize and solicit their favorite vendors for home-baked treats, blooming bouquets and farm-fresh produce. Browsing the market from 7 a.m. until noon has been a community tradition since 1979. However, the tender summer crops that most customers cherish have reached their peak and will soon be replaced by hearty fall fare.

“Thanks for your business this season!” read a sign propped against a wagon of silk-husked Schottman Sweet Corn.

Aleiss Produce Farms was also pushing the last of its summer crop.

“Peaches and cantaloupe are done. We’re in full swing on just about everything we have left,” said Bob Aleiss, owner of Aleiss Produce Farms. He stood just a few feet away from a tray of overripe tomatoes with a sign reading, “seconds-not perfect.”

The veggies may have merited the label, but the gargantuan apples on the other end of the sprawling display needed no such disclaimer. Flawless tubs of Yellow Delicious, Gala, Ozark Gold, Jonalicious and Jonagold fruits were tendered for $1.50 a pound.

Perfection was also present in the pots at Danville Gardens. Nathan Campbell, owner of the nursery, stood among rows of burgundy mums, an ideal cool-weather flower.

“The warm weather brought out some more blooms,” he explained, gesturing to some yellow blossoms.

The late season warmth added variety to the First Fruits Produce stand. “Fall and winter squash like butternut and acorn have come on. Leeks and potatoes are getting more popular,” explained Wesley Schell, employee of First Fruits Produce Company. “People start cooking again because it’s not a burden to heat up the house.”

Professional chefs made a seasonal shift as well. Great Harvest Bread Company packaged sweet loaves of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake Bread and spicy Apple Cinnamon Scones for its market display.

Ashley Pullen, graduate student and a frequenter of the market, scanned the tables with a small sack of late-season tomatoes swinging on her arm, hoping to spot a head of cabbage. She smiled brightly in her lightweight sweater.

“I’m excited for those fall foods. No more salads, but root vegetables and soups,” Pullen said. “It’s time for hearty fare.”