| Days and Hours Open for May
Thursday – 9 am to 6 pm
Friday – 9 am to 6 pm
Saturday – 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday – 9 am to 4 pm
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Closed
Wednesday – Closed
We will be open Memorial Day weekend from Thursday through Sunday, closed on Monday. Please be sure to pick up everything you need for Memorial Day (or your return home if visiting) no later than 4 pm on Sunday!
Reminder: We are often working somewhere around the farm, so if you need something on a day we are closed, just call for an appointment and we can try to meet up with you. 269-244-5690.
We look forward to seeing you at the market this week! We have expanded our offerings – see details throughout the newsletter.
- Additional grocery items like eggs, milk, yogurt, ice cream, fry pies, gluten free products, cold brewed coffee, granola oat bites, and granola
- Jake’s Meats here for your grilling needs
- More delicious baked goods coming from our bakery
- U-pick herbs
- Fresh floral bouquets
- Our first Hard Cider and Wine Sampling of the year (Saturday from 11am-1pm).
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| Memorial Day – a time to honor and remember the US military personnel who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces. We salute our heroes who fought for our freedoms and graciously thank those serving our country today. Take time to reflect on this special day and enjoy your time with family and friends. |
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The most frequently asked question – When will strawberries be ready?
We are no longer growing strawberries on our farm and will be getting them locally from River Valley Farm in Constantine, as we have done for the last two years due to our partial crop failures. This means that we will also not have any u-pick strawberries available. River Valley Farms will have U-pick when the berries are ready, and they will provide details later. Our first U-pick crop will be blueberries, starting around the beginning of July.
We anticipate strawberries to start around the first week of June, but it all depends on the weather. As you can see, they need to gain a lot of size and color. Please watch these newsletters, check the homepage of our website, call, or talk with one of our staff for updates. |
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| Initially they will be sold in quarts with flats and half-flats available when strawberry production increases. Prices are TBD.
We are getting ready for the season. Today a load of 6,000 berry boxes arrived. Will it be enough? |
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| Celebrate National Asparagus Day this Friday |
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| National Asparagus Day is Friday, May 24, a day near and dear to us growers.
A vegetable walks into a bowling alley and asks, “What is it called if I knock half the pins down on my first roll, then knock the rest down on my second roll?” The person behind the counter looks up, shrugs, and says “A spare I guess” (Asparagus) |
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| It is that time of the season! But it’s almost over, so be sure to get some to grill this weekend and freeze for another day! See the end of this newsletter to learn some fun facts about asparagus and how it is grown. |
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Asparagus
Asparagus and rhubarb will probably end sooner this year due to the unseasonably warm spring. We are hoping to have it available through the end of May. So please make sure to enjoy it before it goes away for another year.
We have freshly picked asparagus pre-bagged on the market in various pound sizes. If you are looking for bulk quantities to freeze or can, (over 10 pounds) please call ahead so we can get those orders ready. 269-244-5690. Call or follow us on Facebook for updates on asparagus availability.
Grilling Tip. If you are grilling asparagus this weekend (please do!), we recommend you try our purple asparagus. It will turn green when it’s cooked, but it is a touch thicker and bigger, yet still tender, so it grills more consistently. Find Asparagus Recipes on our website. |
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Rhubarb
Tangy rhubarb on hand for pies, crisps, and other favorite recipes. Sold by the pound. If you are looking for 5 pounds or more, please order in advance so we can get it ready for you. 269-244-5690. Find rhubarb recipes on our website. |
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Bankson Lake Produce – arriving by Friday
Fresh spring vegetables – Just Lettuce, Spicy Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, head lettuce, radishes, and mushrooms. The lettuces are prewashed, bagged, and ready to use. |
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U-Pick Herbs
Some of our u-pick herbs are ready to be picked, like these chives in bloom with lovely purple flowers. But please leave our newly planted basil and dill as they need to grow. Find a list in our market of which herbs are ready to pick! |
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Straw Bales
Perfect for your gardening needs.
Hanging Baskets
Only a few left so don’t delay!
Flowers
Starting Thursday, we will have fresh cut flower bouquets from Flowerfield Farmstead, a local flower farm in Three Rivers. Pick up one of these lovely bouquets for the holiday weekend! |
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Baked Goods
We have lots of baked treats for the holiday weekend, guaranteed to please any crowd! Our Stromboli maker Moe has been gone for a few weeks but has returned and got us caught back up on your favorite Stromboli’s, especially the onion-asparagus one.
In our freezer section:
- Fruit pies and stromboli’s – just “bake and enjoy”
- Apple crisp made from our apples – just “thaw and enjoy”
Freshly baked:
- Assorted cookies, breads, muffins
- Dessert bars in assorted flavors
- Saturday and Sunday only, or until we run out:
- Donuts in buttermilk, blueberry, and cherry
- Special iced yeast donut rings decorated with patriotic sprinkles and “googly eyes”
- Cinnamon rolls, a favorite of many of our customers
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Alcohol
Hard Cider and Wine Sampling – this Saturday, from 11 am to 1 pm
Stop by the market and try a sample of several of our hard ciders and wines. It’s a great way to discover which one(s) are your favorites so you know which to buy!
Saturday, May 25 is National Wine Day, a day worthy of celebration any time of year! Our wines are $1 off a bottle, Saturday only.
May is Michigan Wine Month
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed May as Michigan Wine Month – a time to celebrate our incredible and progressive industry. We are pleased to be a part of this industry and help lift Michigan wine’s prestige. |
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Check out our assortment of alcohol products – wine, hard ciders, and spirits. 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.
- Choose from 8 types of wine ranging from sweet to dry and red to white.
- Martini lovers will enjoy our dirty martini kit that includes a bottle of our Lazy River Vodka.
- We have various fruit brandies, vodka, and white whiskey also.
- Hard ciders range from plain apple to flavored and sweet to dry. You can mix and match them for a 4- or 6-pack.
- Our Rhubarb Hard Cider is in season! It’s delightfully tart and dry.
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Grocery
We offer a wide variety of local grocery items, some new and some returning for the year.
- Brown eggs, large, free range, from local farms
- Amish Fry Pies from Yoder’s Deli in Centerville. These individual, hand-held size pies are available in Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Strawberry-Rhubarb, Black Raspberry, and Red Raspberry.
- Pork products from Jake’s Country Meats in nearby Cassopolis, perfect to grill this weekend!
- For all our gluten-free lovers, we are pleased that Gluten Free Sensations in Three Rivers is back! They have a range of products – cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, granola and more – all found in the freezer section.
- Amish made jams, jellies, and salsas from Scherger’s Kettle Jams and Jellies in Shipshewana.
- Hand-crafted popcorn (new) – in Lavender Lemonade, Cheddar Gold, and Birthday Cake flavors.
- Pure honey from bees buzzing just a couple of miles away at Babcock’s Apiary.
- Honey sticks in several flavors.
- Maple syrup products including the new Barrel-Aged Bourbon Maple Syrup (non-alcoholic) made by Maple Row Sugarhouse using our bourbon barrels.
- Olive oil, vinegars, and salad dressings
- Snacking items: potato and tortilla chips, sweet potato chips, crackers, pretzels, flavored mustards, snacking cheese, meat sticks, and summer sausages.
- Greek style freshly made yogurt in pints and quarts from Mattawan Creamery. We also sell granola, and dried cherries and blueberries!
- Locally made vanilla ice cream from Plainwell Ice Cream
- Fresh, local, milk in gallons, half gallons, and single-serve bottles from Amish Country Dairy.
- Dog treats in three flavors for everyone’s favorite pup!
- Below are our new Oat Bites snacks in several flavors.
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Gifts
Check out our wide range of hand-crafted gift items and original artwork, most of it made by our local artisans.
- Paintings
- Jewelry
- Kitchen items
- Tote and shopping bags
- Candles
- Seasonal lakeside living gifts
- Corey Lake Orchard golf balls
- Corey Lake Orchard insulated bags
- Corey Lake Orchard gift certificates
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Inviting Spaces
While at the market, we invite you to take a moment and relax in our “onion barn” and breezeway next to the market that has a small play area for children. It’s a place to savor our baked goods and beverages like slushies, milk, coffee, hard ciders, and sodas while conversing with friends or families, or just taking a much-needed “escape”.
We also rent out the space for private events such as this bridal shower last week for Drew and Beth who are getting married next month. For more information on reserving the space, please see our event space website page or contact Brenda@coreylakeorchards.com. |
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Life in our “Hot” Greenhouse
The August-like weather is making the greenhouse almost unbearable to work in and making everything grow like crazy. Below you can see the size of the tomatoes, both the regular-sized ones, and the minis, as well as the cucumbers growing. |
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| Yes, we are really blowing a leaf blower across the tomato plants to pollinate them since they are not out in the environment with wind or bees. |
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| Yes, we know everybody wants a tomato for that first BLT, but we need a few more weeks. Patience please. |
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| We are at the peak of the asparagus season and here are some fun facts about this nutritional and versatile vegetable!
Did you know that Michigan is the top producer in the U.S. followed by California, New Jersey, and Washington? Michigan harvests about 26 million pounds a year from 9,500 acres.
Much of the state’s asparagus is grown near the Lake Michigan shoreline where the moderate temperatures and soils make for good production conditions. Michigan asparagus is hand-snapped above the ground, which yields a more tender and flavorful product. We hand pick ours also! |
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Did you know?
- Asparagus is a member of the lily family and is related to garlic, onions, and leeks.
- It takes nearly 3 years after asparagus has been planted to reach maturity so that it can be harvested.
- Asparagus plants are very long-lived and can last up to 15 years! Our current field is around 15 years old.
- On a hot day, asparagus can grow as quickly as one inch an hour and produce a 12-inch shoot.
- Asparagus has been cultivated all over the world for over 2,500 years.
- White asparagus and green asparagus come from the same plant! Exposure to sunlight turns the stalks green. When dirt is piled on top of the plant, photosynthesis is inhibited, and the stalks remain white.
- Asparagus spears have no fat or cholesterol and are low in sodium.
- The National Cancer Institute states that asparagus is one of our most potent antioxidant defenses.
- Asparagus is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, & Thiamin. It is also high in Folic Acid, which helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer and to pregnant women to help prevent birth defects.
- According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, foods high in folate like asparagus may lower risk of cancers of the colon, pancreas, and esophagus.
- The word asparagus is derived from the Greek word “aspharagos” meaning “sprout” or “shoot.”
Oceana County, in West Michigan, known as “The Asparagus Capital of the Nation”, is one of the leading areas for asparagus growth in the entire country! Asparagus lovers may want to attend the National Asparagus Festival, June 8, 2024, in Hart, MI to be surrounded by all things asparagus!
www.nationalasparagusfestival.org |
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Thank you for your continued support and for buying local. Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a great long weekend and meaningful Memorial Day!
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