When We are Open
Reminder on our days and hours: Open 9 am to 6 pm every day, including holidays. Closed Tuesdays. To call us with an order or a question: 269-244-5690.
A shout out to all of the Dads! We appreciate all the fathers and father-figures that enrich our lives. Honor all that they do for us by giving them a special treat this weekend or at least a gift of your time.
Father’s Day Gifts
Check out our Father’s Day gift selections! Not sure what to get your “Fun guy”? How about a “Fun-gi” Carruth sculpture? We also have a selection of meat sticks, 6 packs of hard cider and donuts, hot sauce and BBQ sauce from Maple Row Sugarhouse, some floatable key chains, and books by Tom Springer.
Make Dad some “Macho Nachos”. We have 2 types of tortilla chips, 3 types of ground meat (chorizo, pork sausage, and Italian sausage), 3 types of block cheese, 4 types of salsa, 3 types of seasoning (Cajun, garlic, and black pepper from Maple Row Sugarhouse), and fresh tomatoes and green onions. A perfect treat for dad on Father’s Day!
Happenings on the Farm
Another busy week picking strawberries, planting a second sunflower field, and planting our last sweet corn section (targeted to be ready on Labor Day weekend)! But most of our days and nights have been spent trying to save our crops with the extreme drought in St. Joseph County and most of Michigan. This means watching irrigation lines 24/7, moving them from field to field, and worrying about the stress of the orchards and vineyards which cannot be irrigated. Sigh!
Irrigating the sweet corn field
Irrigating the pumpkins
Irrigating the strawberries
Plants for Your Garden
Still a few plants left, all are on clearance. Please find a spot for them, they want a real home!
On The Market
Asparagus We have a limited amount of asparagus left and expect it to sell out this weekend. Hard to believe we must wait another year for this to return!
Greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers. Tomatoes are sold pre-packed in a 2-pound box. See clerk for smaller amounts. Cucumbers are in limited supply right now due to the May frost. Below are cukes growing in the greenhouse.
Herbs. We have some herbs ready to pick in the herb garden, see the list on our blackboard on the market. (Chives, some cilantro, some basil, tarragon, some mint, sage, and lavender.)
Today we started picking zucchini and kohlrabi!
Kale/ Broccoli/ Swiss Chard/ Cauliflower. We are starting to pick these vegetables now for the season. Below we are picking fresh kale!
Bankson Lake Farms Produce. Dan will be bringing us fresh lettuce mix, mushrooms, green onions, Chinese cabbage, and garlic scapes this weekend.
Grocery Items. Assortment of local cheese, yogurt, eggs, jam, jelly, salsa, maple syrup, honey, chips, tortilla chips, ice cream and more.
Strawberry Update
Strawberry season is going by too fast for any of us who love this sweet, red berry. Given how many we lost to the frost, the extreme heat and lack of rain, it is going to be a short season and anticipate it ending within a week. We are no longer taking orders for flats and are struggling to fill the orders that we have taken. We will do our best to get the orders done before the season is over. Given the berry shortage on top of a long list of orders, please realize that we are selling out of berries by mid-day. If you call us and we have berries here, we are happy to hold them for you until you can come. We have had to impose an 8 quart limit, just to be able to share our limited crop with as many as we can. We appreciate your understanding.
Already Picked Pricing: $5 a quart when available
Below, the sun rises over the strawberry field as we begin another day of picking.
U-Pick Strawberries
We opened the strawberry field for u-pick on Monday, June 14th. To pick berries, you need to use our reservation system which we put in place to avoid crowds, lines to get into the field, and to be sure there are enough berries for picking when you come.
To reserve a date and time, please go to our website or Facebook page See the latest strawberry update on the home page of our website. (hyperlink). There is no fee. You only pay for the strawberries that you pick.
We will only post a few days out at a time as we simply do not know how many more days we will have good berry picking. In addition to your contact information, the system will ask you how many individuals in your group are picking and the approximate number of quarts you plan to pick.
Please check back for additional days and times as we will continue to open new slots based on the weather and the number of strawberries available to pick. If you need assistance, please contact us at (269) 244-5690.
If you are trying to find other strawberry farms, go to michiganfarmfun.com and search by strawberry to find other local farms who have them picked or for You-Pick.
U-Pick Pricing: $3.50 a quart; $3 a quart for 8 quarts or more
Sweet and Tart Cherries
We will not have any U-Pick for either of these this year as we have about 10% of a crop left due to the spring frost/freeze. We will try to bring in cherries from other local farms if we can.
Bakery
Donuts. We make fresh donuts on Saturday and Sunday – the current flavors are Buttermilk, Cherry, and Blueberry. We are also making our homemade strawberry shortcakes to take with your strawberries, and yes, there is vanilla ice cream in the freezer and whipped cream in the market fridge.
Fruit Pies. This year our pies are frozen “take and bake” only; we no longer offer “ready to eat” pies. Having them frozen allows us to offer a full variety of pies every day the market is open, not just on weekends. If you are driving far, bring a cooler or insulated freezer bag. The pies are simple to bake, take about an hour, ready to bake when you need them, and give your house a mouthwatering aroma! So far customers are liking this better. The pies are hot right out of your oven, plus extra pies can be tucked in the freezer for that time when you need a dessert! Baking directions are included on each pie.
Pie Varieties: Apple, Dutch Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Cherry Berry, Peach, Rhubarb, and Strawberry-Rhubarb.
Slushies. With the heat of summer already here, enjoy a nice cold slushie! We have Strawberry, Mango, Strawberry-Mango mix, or Cider.
Baked Goods from Yoder’s
We are offering additional homemade baked goods from Yoder’s Country Store.
- Each day the market is open – cookies and breads.
- Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only – Amish fry pies and cinnamon rolls
Amish Fry Pies (pocket-sized, half circle pie): Apple, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Lemon, Peach, Red Raspberry, Strawberry-Rhubarb
Breads (pre-sliced, ready to use!): Dill, English Muffin, Italian Cheese, Jalapeno Cheddar, Multigrain, Raisin Cinnamon, and Sourdough
Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese icing
Cookies: Chocolate Chip, Molasses, Oatmeal Raisin, Oatmeal Sandwich, Peanut Butter, Sugar Cookies, and Whoopi Pies
Spirits, Wine, and Hard Ciders
We have a nice selection of alcohol produced on the farm.
- Fruit brandy in 375ml and 750ml sizes
- 2 sweet wines – Double Cherry and Peach and Honey. Look for several drier wines coming soon!
- Hard cider in 12-ounce bottles. You can purchase them individually or mix and match them in a discounted 4- or 6-pack.
Strawberry Hard Cider. Enjoy one of our cold strawberry hard ciders this weekend! This is a semi-dry fruity cider that we know you will love!
Visit us at local Farmer’s Markets
We participate in two local farmer’s markets. Please stop by and check out our items. See schedules and addresses for both locations. \https://coreylakeorchards.
COVID-19 Guidelines
We are following operational guidance from the CDC as well as State and local health rules. We are an open-air market and masks are optional though we encourage you to wear them if you have not been vaccinated. Our staff has been vaccinated and are not required to wear masks. Please note that we also follow food safety rules that regulate how produce is harvested and packaged.