We are at the height of the summer season – and we are rich! The market is overflowing with a wide array of colorful summer veggies -cauliflower in several colors, yellow squash, green zucchini, red tomatoes, colorful mini tomatoes, green beans, green broccoli, yellow sweet corn, purple and green kohlrabi, colorful peppers, and lots of green lettuces.
This is the time of year to eat abundantly of the things we know are good for our diet while they are plentiful and in season, and some even on special. This is truly the time “from farm to your table” and an easy way to get multiple servings of vegetables each day.
Our Days and Hours
Our Days and Hours
–Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9 am to 6 pm
–Open Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm
–Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
Watch our website homepage for updates or call us. (269) 244-5690
National Vanilla Ice Cream Day
Sunday, July 23 is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day! And we sell some of the best vanilla ice cream you will ever taste, made by Plainwell Ice Cream Company. Stop by Sunday and get some for $1 off a container.
Vanilla is the most common and considered the “default” ice cream flavor. President Thomas Jefferson discovered it while in France and then helped to make it popular in the US. He was one of the first to jot down the recipe in the 1780s. Only ten of his handwritten copies remain, and one of them is housed in the Library of Congress. Today, the ice cream parlor at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota serves the same recipe so that anyone can have a taste.
Blueberries
Already Picked. We have already picked blueberries from Brookside Farms (our long-term blueberry supplier). We sell them in pints and quarts as well as 5- and 10-pound bulk boxes. Blueberry season typically lasts through mid-August.
U-Pick. Our small blueberry field is open for U-pick, keep in mind that it is really for the “experience”. There is a 5-pound picking limit per group. The field will be open during our regular hours Thursday through Sunday and closes 30 minutes prior to the market. You do not need a reservation to pick.
If you want to pick more than 5 pounds of blueberries, we recommend going to Brookside Farms in Paw Paw, (269) 657-3500.
Current picking conditions: Call or check the website for the latest picking conditions and to make sure the field is open for picking. The field will be open as long as there are ripe blueberries. We may close the field some days to let them ripen.
Check in at the market first for containers and directions to the field. Pricing is $2.25 per pound. See our u-pick blueberry page for more information.
Interested in a spicy blueberry sauce that you can serve with pork? See recipe at the end of this newsletter for Blueberry Mostarda.
Our sweet corn is just starting for the summer. Weather permitting, we will try to have an ample supply each day knowing that everyone wants that first ear (or two!). We will be selling it by the ear, half dozen (white bags), and dozen (clear bags). It will not be available in bulk quantities for a few weeks, but we are happy to take your order for bushels (5 dozen) and call you when it is ready.
Other Produce
Green Beans
We will try to pick a few green beans this weekend, they are coming so slow, but we are sure the wait will be worth it!
Lodi Apples
Lodi apples are our first apple of the season. They are green and tart and make a fantastic tart applesauce! They are for sale on the market in quarter pecks through bushels. These are summer apples and must be refrigerated. They will only keep 1-2 weeks. If you are interested in a half bushel or more, please call us at 269-244-5690 and get on our Lodi list.
We will have other summer apple varieties coming after the Lodi so you can always have a fresh apple around the house.
Why are the Hot Peppers so Hot?
It is not your imagination; the hot peppers are truly “hotter” in flavor right now. These long hot days cause peppers to produce more capsaicin, the specific alkaloid that delivers the spicy kick. The absence of water also has an effect. The higher a vegetable’s water content, the larger and juicier it is, but the more diluted the flavor. And we have had less rainfall than usual.
The solution is to use less peppers or remove more seeds and membrane.
Bulk Quantities for Canning and Freezing
If you are interested in large quantities of vegetables for canning or freezing, contact the market (call 269-244-5690) and get on our sign-up sheet. We will contact you when they are available. The growing conditions and production yields are outside our control, but we will try our best to fulfill your order. Sorry, but there are no pickling cukes at this time.
- Green beans (half bu. minimum)
- Sweet corn (bushel minimum, 5 doz.)
- First quality tomatoes (half bushel minimum)
- Second quality tomatoes (half bushel minimum)
- Roma tomatoes (half bushel minimum)
- Green beans (half bushel minimum)
- Bell peppers (half bushel minimum)
- Specialty peppers (quarter bushel minimum)
- Lodi apples (half bushel minimum)
U-Pick Flowers
Flowers from our terrace garden are ready to be picked and taken to brighten up a room! There are lots of lovely ones to choose from to make up your own bouquet.
Check in at the market for a container and directions. U-pick bouquets are $10 each and includes flowers and fillers (greenery). We recommend that you pick your flowers in the morning when it is cooler, they will keep longer.
Alcohol Sampling this Saturday
Sample Wine and Hard Cider, Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm
Sample our alcohol products or enjoy a wine pour or bottle of hard cider. Each Saturday, we feature several of our products to give you an opportunity to find the one that is perfect for you. Tastings are set up in our “breezeway,” the area adjacent to the market with tables and a small children’s play area.
Alcohol Products
We have 8 different wines, 8 different hard ciders, and assorted fruit brandies. Our products are made on-site in small batches. We distill the brandies on the farm and use our fresh apple cider as the basis for fermenting our hard ciders.
Have you tried our Bramblin’ Raspberry Rose? It is a semi-sweet, full on fruit wine that will tickle your taste buds just like its ever-spreading brambles trickle over one’s yard.
Enjoy our Spaces!
If you’ve stopped by the market, you will have noticed that we have several areas where you can sit and relax. The spaces may vary at times depending on our space needs around produce harvest. For years, people have been stopping by with friends and family to enjoy hanging out together at our vintage tables and chairs or picnic tables.
We invite you to use the space during business hours. It is an ideal spot to enjoy a beverage or our many easy-to grab food items on the marke. We have disposable table service available for your convenience.
We can reserve table space for you upon request – just contact us. If you are coming with a group, letting us know in advance is helpful. Bring your friends, family, weekend visitors, and come on over!
Below several groups took advantage of enjoying our spaces with donuts and beverages on a rainy morning.
Others enjoyed our shopping and ‘meet and greet’ with author Sharon Bippus.
Join us for ‘Yoga at the Orchard’
We offer classes on Saturday mornings starting at 10:30 am throughout the summer $15 per person, all ages and yoga abilities welcome. You will receive a check-out slip to take to the market at the end of class that is also good for a free small slushie ($3 value).
Bring bottled water, a beach-size towel, sunscreen, yoga mat, and shoes for walking to the class. Insect repellant as necessary. See webpage for details.
What is on the Market this Week
Produce
- Fruit: apples, blueberries, watermelon
- Mini tomatoes from our greenhouse
- Broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, yellow squash, kohlrabi, and other summer vegetables
- Sweet corn
- Potatoes
- From Bankson Lake Farms: lettuce mixes, spinach, kale, arugula, mushrooms, and garlic bulbs
- U-pick herbs
Faith in Flora will be here with fresh floral bouquets.
Baked Goods
Enjoy these treats from our bakery!
Saturdays and Sundays only:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Donuts – Buttermilk, Blueberry, and Cherry
- Yeast Ring donuts – assorted sprinkles and googly eyes
Anytime we are open:
- Blueberry-Zucchini bread – one of our signature items, seasonal, and very popular!
- Strombolis (frozen, ready to bake) – assorted flavors in breakfast, traditional, and pizza styles
- Cookies – Assorted flavors you will surely enjoy!
- Muffins – A nice selection of flavors perfect for any time of the day
- Breads – assorted types plus hamburger and hotdog buns
- Focaccia breads – assorted types
- Fruit pies (frozen, ready to bake) – Apple, Dutch Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Pumpkin, and Strawberry Rhubarb.
Please contact us if you want to preorder any of our baked goods.
Grocery
Maple syrup products, honey, jams and jellies, salsas, yogurt, and Jake’s meats. We also have assorted cheeses, cheese crumbles, crackers, chips, hummus, mustard, eggs, milk, granola, salad dressings, and more.
Yoder’s fry pies in your favorite flavors: Apple, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Red Raspberry, and Strawberry Rhubarb.
Have you tried our jams and jellies? They are made by Scherger’s Kettle Jams and Jellies, an Amish kitchen in Shipshewana. They start with good fruit, attention to detail, and use basic ingredients to create wonderful flavors. They also make peanut butter and salsas.
Happenings on the Farm
This is the time of year when we get some beautiful produce in from the fields. And the colors are vibrant! We love being able to offer you fresh, high quality, and great looking produce that tastes good, too!
Below are broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash, kohlrabi, and tomatoes.
A bee is busy pollinating in our Russian sage.
Special Exhibit at the Local Library
Check out “Spark! Places of Innovation”, a Smithsonian exhibit at the Three Rivers Public Library, located at 88 N Main Street, Three Rivers. It runs from July 8 to Aug. 19.
Blueberry Mostarda Recipe
Brenda and her husband attended Apron’s Cooking School at Publix this past week. The theme was incorporating blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries into various main dishes. Below is the recipe for Blueberry Mostarda, which was spooned over pork. Hint: you can control the spiciness by using or omitting the hot pepper.
Ingredients:
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped Calabrian (or can substitute another hot pepper)
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1/4 cup yuzu or citrus vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons grain mustard (or can substitute prepared mustard)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pint of fresh blueberries
Directions:
- Chop shallot finely.
- Combine in medium saucepan: oil, shallots, and hot peppers. Heat over medium for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until shallots soften.
- Add to pot: mustard seed, vinegar, honey, grain mustard, salt, and blueberries.
- Stir until blended and bring to a simmer. Cook 15-18 minutes until berries burst and sauce has thickened.
- Remove pot from heat and set aside at room temperature to cool (or chill until ready to serve.)
Thank you for your continued support and for buying local. Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a safe and happy summer!