When We are Open
Reminder on our days and hours: We are currently in our holiday seasonal schedule. We will be open 9 am to 3 pm on Saturdays through December 18. You can also shop by appointment – just call: 269-244-5690. The inner working area of the barn by the market has been festively decorated with the quaintness of yesteryear. Pull up a chair with a cup of hot cocoa or cider, and enjoy the vintage decorations adorning our 100-year-old barn. They are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit!
Schedule for November and December:
Saturday, Nov. 20 – open 9 to 3
‘Tis the Season’ Holiday Market open
Alcohol sampling/ Hot Cocoa/ Mulled Hot Cider/ Sweet treats
Holiday pie order pickup
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 10 am to 2 pm (walk-ins only)
Saturday, Nov. 27 – open 9 to 3
‘Tis the Season’ Holiday Market open
Alcohol sampling/ Hot Cocoa/ Mulled Hot Cider/ Sweet treats
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 10 am to 1 pm (by reservation)
Saturday, Dec. 4 – open 9 to 3
‘Tis the Season’ Holiday Market open
Alcohol sampling/ Hot Cocoa/ Mulled Hot Cider/ Sweet treats
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 10 am to 2 pm (by reservation)
Saturday, Dec. 11 – open 9 to 3
‘Tis the Season’ Holiday Market open
Alcohol sampling/ Hot Cocoa/ Mulled Hot Cider/ Sweet treats
Last day to order Holiday Pies for December pickup
Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 10 am to 2 pm (by reservation)
Saturday, Dec. 18 – open 9 to 3 – Last day – then closing for the season
‘Tis the Season’ Holiday Market open
Alcohol sampling/ Hot Cocoa/ Mulled Hot Cider/ Sweet treats
Holiday pie order pickup
An Old-Fashioned Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus Starts Saturday
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be returning this year to Corey Lake Orchards. They are looking forward to taking a break from the seasonal frenzy at the North Pole and escaping to the quietness of our farm.
Reserve your spot now to visit with him and Mrs. Claus and take some holiday photos with your family. Photos with family dogs, with or without their humans, are welcome also.
Dates: Saturdays – November 20, 27, and December 4, 11
Hours: 10 am to 2 pm (only until 1 pm on Nov. 27)
Reservations Recommended – Walk-ins only this Saturday
Cost: $20 per family
Make your reservation online at https://www.signupgenius.
Conversation with Santa – When you make your reservation online, you will be asked to provide information (optional) on your children like name, age, city, and gift wish list that will allow Santa to have a personalized conversation. See our webpage for more details regarding the event that will help make this a memorable experience.
Attire – Dress in your warm holiday attire as this is primarily an outside event though we have added some heat by Santa and the photo areas.
Happenings on the Farm
While our regular work of pruning continued, other staff members were busy transforming the farm into a winter wonderland. Several days, as evidenced by these photos, we worked from sunup to sundown to the moon rising!
Cleaning, moving, decorating inside and out. Transforming our production space into Holiday displays!
Some staff members got to work in the warm bakery making cookies!
Holiday Market Gift Giving
Our holiday market has returned and is now open on Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm with seasonal produce, alcohol products, grocery items, and an expanded gift selection for the holidays.
Looking for ideas for Thanksgiving or a holiday party? We have great appetizers or charcuterie boards items such as: fennel salami, meat sticks, crackers, and cheese, sliced apples with Amish peanut butter, Sander’s chocolate candies, and hot cider (buy our frozen cider, heat it up, add cinnamon or other spices).
Our Holiday Market is a Feast for the Imagination!
The Fruit of the Season – the Apple – is perfect on its own as a gift or with a gift basket. Don’t forget the Apple pie, our line of hard ciders, and our apple brandy!
We have hand-crafted products by our staff such as Caryn’s crocheted collegiate items, Barb’s Bowls, Patti’s Pretties (crocheted items), Amber’s cards, and Mary’s glycerin soaps.
We carry offerings from the Three Rivers Artist’s Guild including jewelry, apparel, cards, glass work, paintings, tree cookie designs, photography and more.
And new this week, we will have wreaths – some decorated to pick up and go and some made for you to decorate on your own – plus Autumn floral arrangements perfect for the holidays!
Bags, buckets, baskets, and boxes await you to fill with Michigan edibles including honey, maple syrup products, meat sticks, chocolates, chips and more!
Totally stumped on gift giving? We offer our ‘one size fits all’ Corey Lake Orchards gift certificate.
Below, local author Tom Springer with a gift basket that includes his book.
Holiday Photo Opportunities Abound!
We have photo opportunities set up around the farm for those holiday cards and social media posts including visits with Santa himself on selected Saturdays.
Professional photographers with single sessions or minis are welcome also by appointment. Please contact Brenda@coreylakeorchards.com to schedule a session.
Apples on the Market
- Cameo: Firm, crisp and sweet, tart. Great for snacking or baking. Keeps well in your refrigerator.
- Cortland: A hint of tartness makes this a great baking variety, a descendent of the McIntosh. This variety is a bit sweeter than its ancestor and juices really well. (Only a few left for the year)
- Golden Delicious: A gingery-smooth, sweet taste under a thin skin. It is the most popular yellow apple, good eaten fresh, baked or cut in salads. Makes a nice apple sauce and many people use for canning pie filling.
- Jonathan: Both pretty and popular! Used for fresh eating and cooking. Juicy flavor has a spicy tang that blends well with other apples. Michigan’s cooler climate produces superb Jonathans. A favorite for making apple butter and taffy apples.
- Pink Lady: If you don’t know a Pink lady, you need to meet her! It is a cross between a Lady William and Golden Delicious apple. It has bright white flesh that resists browning when cut. Pink Lady apples are very firm and dense, with a tart flavor and effervescent finish. Very unique apple!
- Red Delicious: America’s most popular apple, known for the “five little bumps” on the bottom. Best for fresh eating and snacks. Full-flavored sweet taste, yellowish flesh, and crisp texture. Come bag your own at special 60th anniversary pricing: $19.61 a bushel, $10 a half-bushel, $6 a peck (1/4 of a bushel), and $4 a half-peck
- Rome: A big, round apple right out of storybooks! Rome’s have a mild, sweet flavor. Most popular for baking because it holds flavor and shape well.
Apples with limited supply, should get these ASAP
- Braeburns: Sweet with a hint of tart, and a firmness that stores well. These traits plus the fact that they bake well have made them a very versatile apple.
- Fuji: Has a fantastic sweet and tart flavor, with a low acid content. An incredibly good keeper, it says crisp for weeks without even being refrigerated. We had a small crop of these so there are just a few left for the year.
- Northern Spy: The professional baker’s dream, cooks up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Stores well, easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”.
New apples (for us) are available in small quantities
These are the late apples we planted in our new orchard. Come try: Goldrush, Granny Smith, and Arkansas Black. These are for someone who likes a hard, juicy, tartish apple with a great flavor.
Apple pricing for the year: $30 a bushel, $16 a half-bushel, $11 a peck (1/4 of a bushel), $6.50 a half-peck, and $3.75 a 1/4 peck.
Animal apples are available – bag your own half bushel for $4.50.
Apple Cider
We are no longer making cider but have some frozen cider from this Fall stocked in the freezer for purchase. Please note that our cider is not pasteurized and requires refrigeration.
Fresh Produce On The Market from Bankson Lake Farms
Celery
Garlic
Herbs
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Radishes
Spinach
‘Take and Bake’ Pies for the Holidays
This Saturday is pick up day for those who ordered “take and bake” pies for Thanksgiving! And if you didn’t order in advance, we still have a good selection in the freezer that you can just pick up when you are here. All pies are 9-inch, frozen, and ready to bake. We have expanded our offerings for the holiday season.
All fruit pies are $13 each; pecan pies are $15. Stop by the market or call us at (269) 244-5690 to place your order. The next pie pick-up date (after this Saturday) is Saturday, December 18.
Pies available for pre-order:
Apple – 2 crust; Apple – Dutch; Blueberry; Cherry; Cherry Berry; Peach; Pecan; Pumpkin; Rhubarb; Strawberry; Strawberry Rhubarb
CLO Made Cookies for the Holidays
We are once again making our own cookies for the holidays. Choose between:
- Monster cookies – available starting this Saturday, November 20
- Sugar “cut out” cookies decorated for the holidays – starting November 27
Spirits, Wine, and Hard Ciders
We have a nice selection of alcohol produced on the farm.
- Fruit brandy in 375ml and 750ml sizes
- Wine – an assortment of sweet and dry
- Hard cider in 12-ounce bottles. You can purchase them individually or mix and match them in a discounted 4- or 6-pack.
Stop by the market this Saturday and taste a sample of our hard ciders, brandies, and wines! This is a great opportunity to try them and see which one(s) will pair well with your holiday meals or for gift giving.
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. Please note that we also follow food safety rules that regulate how produce is harvested and packaged.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you for shopping local.
From everyone at Corey Lake Orchards