Though it has been delightfully warm lately, frosty nights and cooler temperatures hit us a few weeks ago and will soon be here to stay.  This great weather has in in high gear working around the farm.  We have wrapped up our 2022 harvest and have lots of apples, squash, and onions for your holiday and winter needs.  Stop by soon while the selection is good!

Our Days and Hours  

We have begun our seasonal days and hours as we wind down the rest of the year.  We will be open Saturdays from Nov. 5 through Dec. 17 from 9 am to 3 pm.  You can also shop by appointment – call and leave a message: 269-244-5690.

Looking ahead:

  • Our Holiday Market debuts Nov. 19
  • Santa stops by for weekly visits starting Nov. 26 through Dec. 17.  Reservations can be made online at our website starting next week

Our Sweet Onions   

We have finished curing our sweet onions and are bagging them in 3-pound and 9-pound bags.  We have both red and yellow onions.  They are smaller than in past years due to a storm that ended their growing season early, but they taste just as sweet as ever!  They are ready for you to pick up to use now or store for the winter.

Pie Pumpkins  

We still have pie pumpkins for making all those wonderful Fall pumpkin treats like pies, muffins, bread, dip, cookies, and soups.  They are easy to roast – cook them like a squash.  They are now $2 each (half off).

Check out Allrecipes tried and tested ways to use pumpkins – “Our 20 Best Pumpkin Recipes of all Time are a Fall Sensation“.

Grape Picking

The grapes are still holding on if you want to pick some for making juice or jelly.  It is not too late!  We have both Concord (blue) and Niagara (white) grapes.  They have not frozen (yet) though more are split due to the recent rain.  The white Niagara grapes are very ripe, so you will need to pick over some of the overripe bunches.  The grape leaves are dying back exposing the grape bunches.  This makes for fast and easy picking!

Vineyard hours are Saturdays from 9 am, must be finished by 2:30 pm.   Can’t make it Saturday?  Please call to schedule an appointment for another day.

Pricing for 2022:
  • $7 per 5-gallon bucket for 5 buckets or more (100 pounds, 35 cents per pound)
  • $14 per 5-gallon bucket for 2 to 4 buckets (70 cents per pound)
  • $18 per 5-gallon bucket for 1 bucket (90 cents per pound)
  • A 5-gallon bucket of grapes weighs approximately 20 pounds, and is also considered a half bushel

Apple Gleaning / Orchard Clean Up 

Orchard Cleanup is still underway.  There are apples to be picked that were left behind (skipped over) on the trees by our crew and apples on the ground.  Please note that the apples have excessive hail damage, however they are fine for processing, cider making, or animal feed.
  • Price is $8 a bushel
  • Minimum picking quantity of two (2) bushels
  • Sold in whole bushels only.  For example, if you pick 3.5 bushels, you will be charged for 4 bushels.
  • Hours – Open Saturday only starting at 9 am, you must be finished by 2:30 pm
  • Please bring containers to take the apples home, you can borrow a bushel basket for measuring.
  • Check in and out at the market, do not go directly to the orchard.
  • You are welcome to bring a kitchen stool or small ladder; regular ladders are not allowed.
  • No climbing trees

Feed Your Animals all Winter  

We have plenty of animal apples to sell in bulk this year.  You can purchase an 18-bushel bin and take out what you need on a weekly basis.  We will keep them in the cold storage for you.  Call us at (269) 244-5690 for pricing and more information.

Shop our “Hail of a Deal” on Apples!   

We have a wide selection of apples still available in first and second quality.  Smaller bags (quarter and half pecks) are sold as first quality.  Pecks, half bushels, and bushels are available in second quality only.  The second quality apples are discounted and perfect for your processing needs.  (See explanation of first and second quality at the end of this newsletter.)

We also have “bag your own” animal apples on the market for $4.50 a half bushel.  Bring your own half bushel basket or 5-gallon bucket and save 50 cents.

Thanks to all of you who have been accepting of and buying our Processing apples!  Sadly, most of our apple crop was damaged and we appreciate you buying them and supporting our farm.

Apple Varieties Available Now

  • Braeburn:  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.
  • Cameo:  A firm, crisp, and sweet apple that resists browning.  Great for fresh eating, applesauce, or baking.  Stores well in your refrigerator.
  • Fuji: Has a fantastic, sweet flavor with a low acid content.  An incredibly good keeper, it stays crisp for several weeks without even being refrigerated.  Excellent all-purpose use like snacking, baking, and cooking.
  • Golden Delicious:  A gingery-smooth, sweet taste under a thin skin.  It is the most popular yellow apple, good eaten fresh, baked or sliced in salads.  Makes a nice apple sauce and many people use for canning pie filling.
  • Goldrush.  Tart when initially harvested, but when kept in storage, the flavor balances, creating a sweet, acidic, and tangy taste.  A cross between Golden Delicious with Rome Beauty and Winesap.  Stores for months.  (Limited supply, available in half-pecks only).
  • Honeycrisp: A favorite of many!  It is crisp with an excellent sweet flavor and a “bite” to it.  Great for eating fresh or using in salads.
  • Ida Red:  Suits your every use!  Eat fresh or for cooking.  Taste is both tangy and tart.  Flesh is white, crisp and juicy.  Favored for sauces, pies and desserts.  Texture holds up well when baked.  (limited supply)
  • Jonathan:  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
  • Mutsu:  Also called Crispin, it is a cross between Golden Delicious and the Japanese Indo apple.  It has a sweet-honeyed flavor mixed with sharp, tangy, and acidic notes.  They can be stored until spring. (limited supply)
  • 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”.  We should have them on the market starting Saturday.
  • Pink Lady: Medium size apple with a firm, crisp flesh, and a tart taste with a sweet finish.  Stores well.  (Limited supply, available in peck and smaller size bags only)
  • 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.
  • Red Rome: A big, round, red apple right out of storybooks!  They have a mild, sweet flavor.  Popular for baking because it holds flavor and shape well.

Back by Popular Demand.  We’ve bagged 1/2 pecks of Golden and Red Delicious apples for you starting this Saturday.  These are great to give away to a helpful neighbor, a teacher, or yourself!

Community Apple Donations   

This Saturday we will have our “community bin” at the market if you’d like to buy an extra bag of apples to donate.  We have been supplying food banks on a weekly basis this year, but requests have come in to support around 600 families for non-profit organizations who are providing holiday food boxes in November and December.

We are always grateful for the completed harvest and want to give back to the community which supports us and invite you join us in this if you wish.

What is Available on the Market this Week    

  • Broccoli
  • Eggplant
  • Kohlrabi
  • Onions
  • Shallots
  • Squash – butternut, buttercup, acorn, and other fall varieties
  • Apples
  • Pears – Bosc
  • Niagara (white) juice grapes
  • Concord (blue) juice grapes

 

From Bankson Lake Farms

  • Arugula
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Kale
  • Lettuce blends
  • Spinach

Below are Kohlrabi and eggplant that we harvested yesterday while we were cleaning up the fields.

Other Items

Winter Squash Special.  Our winter squash – acorn, butternut, and buttercup – are on special.  Individual squash are 50 cents off their marked price or fill up one of our handle bags with squash of your choice (about 1/2 bushel and around 10 squash depending on the size) for $20.

U-Pick Herbs.  Any of the remaining herbs in our herb garden can be picked for $1.50 for a snack size bag.  Scissors and bags are on the market, see clerk for assistance.

Local Grocery Items.  Fresh products from our local suppliers – honey, maple syrup products, jams and jellies, salsa, eggs, and Jake’s meats.  It’s time to stock up!

Alcohol Products 

We have a nice selection of hard ciders, wine, and fruit brandy perfect for relaxing.
  • 8 total wines from red, white, dry to sweet
  • 8 total hard ciders from dry to sweet, made onsite
  • Various fruit brandies made onsite from various fruits
  • Rufus Rye, our new straight rye whiskey
We sell hard cider in singles, 4-packs, and 6-packs.  You may mix and match to make your own unique pack.

From the Bakery

The bakery is closed for the year so the only baked goods available will be frozen pies and strombolis. 

Holiday Pies.  Plan now to pick up your “take and bake” pies to have ready for the Holidays!  Since we keep the freezer stocked, we will not be doing holiday orders, just come and get them!  All our pies are made onsite and are 9-inch, frozen, and ready to bake.  Flavors include: Apple-2 crust, Apple-Dutch, Blueberry, Cherry, Cherry Berry, Peach, Pumpkin, and Strawberry Rhubarb.

Strombolis.  We have frozen strombolis in assorted breakfast and pizza flavors.

Other Baked Goods.  Sorry, we are no longer making donuts, breads, or cookies.

Community Events

Stop by the 5th Annual “Happy Holidays” Community Expo and Cooking Show this Sunday, November 6.  The event is from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm at Constantine High School.  Click here for details.

Corey Lake Orchards is a proud sponsor of the event.  You can win a gift certificate for our farm plus many other great prizes!  Our staffer, Barb, will be there with her lovely pottery and bowls.  Stop by to see her and start your holiday shopping.

The Norton Elementary Craft Fair is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 19.  Make time to visit our Holiday Market and their event – the school is just around the corner.  While at Norton, pick up a discount coupon for apples at CLO.

Happenings on the Farm 

The year is coming to an end, and we will soon transition the barn into our Holiday Market.  We have started pruning the apples, cleaning up the fields and greenhouses, and winterizing the equipment.  There is always work to be done!

What is the Difference between First and Second Quality Apples?

First quality apple bags will contain apples that are medium to large size, have few (1-2 minor hail marks or indents) or no blemishes, and may have full or partial color.  More apples than normal will lack full color this year because we picked them from the inside of the tree, where they were protected from the hail, but then were also shaded.  Those lacking color will still taste the same, they just look paler.

Second quality or Processing apples will be medium to large size and have multiple hail marks.  The marks will not be deep and can be easily cut out or eaten around.  If you are making applesauce or pies, cooking, freezing, canning, or baking these apples are perfect for your use.  They have the same flavor and are discounted – a much more economical way to get useable apples.  This is the first time we have sold processing apples as in the past we used all of them for our cider.

If you are new to processing apples (or any produce), you may want to check out the resources on our Food Preservation page on our website.

We are also selling food mills on the market; everyone must have one of these!  They are best way to make applesauce ever, without peeling!

Thank you for your continued support and for buying local.  Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards appreciates you!