The Sunflowers are Here! The Sunflowers are Here! 🌻 August 23, 2023

We just have one field this year so don’t delay!  They will not stay in bloom for long.  See details below.

This Saturday is our last yoga class for the year, and we have a special session from 9:30 to 10:30 in the sunflower field.  Lucas King, manager of So Flexi yoga studio, is moving the normal 8:30 yoga class held at the studio to the farm to take advantage of the sunflowers.  He will be the instructor and all So Flexy members are welcome to attend for free.

Thanks to everyone who attended this year whether just once or each week.  We hope you feel and look better!  A very special thanks to our instructors from So Flexy Yoga in Three Rivers.

This weekend we are introducing our newest hard cider – Cherry.  Though not cherry season, what’s not to like about a cool, refreshing cherry cider?  Everyone is so enamored with the tart cherry slushy we introduced this year that we decided to take that same great cherry tartness and bottle it into a cider.  See details below.

Now open Tuesdays, limited hours.  Many of you have told us that you wish we were open more on weekdays.  We listened and with our current supply of fresh, perishable produce we have decided to open on Tuesdays, from 9 am to 1 pm, for an indefinite period of time.  This gives many of you a chance to pick up your bulk orders to get working on canning and freezing!

Watch our website homepage for updates or call us.  (269) 244-5690.

Looking Ahead ….
–Fall apples – most likely starting early September (already picked and u-pick)
–Apple cider – usually starting mid-September
–Grapes – typically starting late September (already picked and u-pick)
–Blueberries, peaches, and sweet corn – the season is ending soon, we will try to have them through Labor Day.

• 9:30 am to 5:30 pm – Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
• 9:30 am to 3:30 pm – Sundays
• 9:30 am to 12:30 pm – Tuesdays
• Closed Mondays and Wednesdays
• Please call ahead or check the website before traveling to make sure the sunflowers are in bloom and the field is open.

Admission Fees and Pricing

• $5 for ages 11 years and up
• $3 for accompanied children 37 inches through 10 years old
• No charge for children up to 36 inches tall on our Sunflower measuring stick
• Additional blooms are $2 each or $1.50 each for 6 or more
• Zinnias and other flowers from our Terrace Garden are 50 cents per stem, please ask about this at check in
• Please check in at the market for directions to the field, pay the admission fee, and receive a receipt that will serve as your “ticket” and an informational sheet.

Admission for each ticket holder includes:

• A complimentary sunflower to take home.  A cutting tool, bag, and water provided.
• Walk from the market up the hill past our terrace garden, continue along the marked path beside the grape vineyard and perennial flowering bush fields.  Many flowers in both gardens to stop and admire!
• Walk through the meandering pathway through the field – a long and short path!
• The walk from the market through the long path is just less than a mile.
• General agricultural educational information posted along the route.  Photo opportunities throughout the field with sunflowers and various vintage and unique props, including tractors
• Picnic tables, vintage tables, child’s play area, and pop-up tents for shade (wind permitting!)
• Parking near the field and priority parking for those who need to park closer.

See our webpage for more information on what to bring, caring for your complimentary sunflower, and our rules.  See the end of this newsletter on how we created our field.

Professional photography sessions are available for a fee and photographers will have access to the field during public hours as well as evenings and after hours.  See webpage for more information.

Join us on Sunday, September 3 from 1 to 3 pm
Cost is $37 per person, leave with a beautiful large canvas you can be proud of!

Open to adults and students 16 and over.  Budding artists aged 12 to 15 may participate when accompanied by a registered adult.  Class size is limited.

All supplies are included for this painting workshop taught by Kalamazoo artist Anna Barnhart.  (Wear a shirt you can paint in).  Hard ciders, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks will be available as well as snack items while you work!

Explore your creativity and have some fun!  Register by calling the market at 269-244-5690 or online through the link below.  (If registering through Facebook, press and hold, versus clicking the link.)  Registration link – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44AAA82FA0FDCE9-painting

Keep in mind that peaches are picked firm to not damage them.  Just lay them out on your counter until they are soft.  As soon as they are soft, please refrigerate.

These are our last two varieties.  We anticipate having peaches through Labor Day weekend.

Sweet corn is available on the market by the ear, half dozen (white bags), and dozen (clear bags).  We also have bushel bags (5 doz.) available with advance notice.  Please call 269-244-5690 if you’d like us to make a bushel for you.  We hope to have it through Labor Day weekend depending on the weather.

Earlilblaze apples are now ready.  We are one of the few farms that grow this great summer apple.  It is firm and tart, and great for eating, baking and applesauce.  It is one of only two apples that we use in our bakery because it makes such a great pie.  (The second variety is a fall apple – Northern Spy.)

Early Fall Apples
Zestar (first photo).  A relatively new variety that has the crispness of a fall apple.  It tastes sweet and tangy, with accents of brown sugar, and is known for its unique flavor.  The apple is best used for fresh eating, in a variety of baked goods, sauces, desserts, and salads.  It can be stored for up to two months.

Spartan (second photo).  This apple is a cross between a Macintosh and an unknown variety.  It is a bit smaller in size, has a crisp white flesh that is aromatic, juicy, and crisp-tart.  They are good for fresh eating, baking, cooking, and juicing.

• Green beans (half bu. minimum)
• Sweet corn (bushel minimum, 5 doz.)
• Canning tomatoes (half bushel minimum)
• Roma tomatoes (half bushel minimum) – still contacting people
• Bell peppers (half bushel minimum) – still contacting people
• Specialty peppers (quarter bushel minimum)
• Pickling cukes (peck minimum) – still contacting people

The heat is bringing on lots of tomatoes.  Now is the time to get them!  Call us for more information at 269-244-5690.

The cost of the class is $15, but free if you are a member of So Flexy.  Please check in at the market for directions to the class.  We can’t wait to see all of you this Saturday to close out the summer yoga season!

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.

This time of year with so much produce coming in you may have to share the space with buckets of produce!  Just part of the ambiance!

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!

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.  Currently the hard ciders in stock are: Cherry, Dry, Sweet, Semi-Sweet, Blueberry, and Maple.

We have several red wines – pick up a bottle for National Red Wine Day, Monday, August 28.  Red wine ushers in the flavors of fall.  As the grapes ripen and signal a time for warmer sips, wine drinkers know reds mean tailgating and spicy foods.

This week we are excited to introduce our new Cherry hard cider!  We just finished bottling it in time for the weekend.  It is semi-sweet.  Fresh pressed Michigan cherry juice, sweet and tart, blends seamlessly with the acidity of apples.  A lightly sweet delight with a delicious fruit bite!

• Fruit: apples, blueberries, peaches, cantaloupe, and watermelon
• Tomatoes: red and green
• Mini tomatoes: various shapes and colors
• Vegetables: Zucchini, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow squash, and onions
• Peppers: various types, hot and mild
• Sweet corn
• From Bankson Lake Farms: lettuce mixes, spinach, kale, arugula, mushrooms, carrots, radishes, and garlic bulbs
• U-pick herbs

Note: our watermelon, called Mini-Love, are really good this year.  They are seeded, are medium in size, easy to refrigerate and consume!

We have our first mums of the season!  They are being used to decorate the market area but are also for sale.

Check in at the market for a container and directions.  U-pick bouquets are $10 each and include flowers and fillers (greenery).  We recommend that you pick your flowers in the morning when it is cooler; they will keep longer.

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
• 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.

In time for sunflower season, we are offering Sunflower oil and Sunflower bread!

Yoder’s fry pies in your favorite flavors: Apple, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Red Raspberry, and Strawberry Rhubarb.

Gifts
Come get the new “Spookley the Square Pumpkin: The “First Day of School” book.  And when you purchase it, get a free three-dollar bag of apples of your choice.  A perfect gift for those just starting school along with a healthy school lunch or after-school snack!

We did our first Sunflower Field in 2017 and every year our goal is to ensure that you leave with a beautifully selected sunflower, a smile on your face, and a thumbs up about the entire experience.

Here are pictures of some of the many tasks taken on by everyone here at the farm to cut, mow, weed, put props in place, and try to nail down the perfect details that will hopefully make it a special experience for you.

Cutting a path, clearing sunflowers from the path, mowing, moving props to the field.