Days and Hours Open 

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

Call us at (269) 244-5690 or check for updates on our website: www.coreylakeorchards.com
With the school buses out on the road and parents shopping for apples for school and work lunches, we know that we are turning the chapter on another summer season and heading into fall.  Another marker of summer being over is that the blueberries and peaches are gone for the season.  Peach and blueberry seasons are just too short.

The sunflowers have started to bloom and show us their beautiful flower faces!  We look forward to this very special time each year.  The field will open starting Friday, see information below.

We look forward to seeing you soon!
Produce Update
Our seasonal produce is continuing to ripen several weeks ahead of schedule due to our warmer than usual weather.  Please watch our newsletter for updates so you don’t miss your favorite fruits and vegetables!

Bartlett Pears
Bartlett pears are available from small quantities to bushels.  If picking up half bushels or larger quantities, please bring a container to take them home in.  These are wonderful pears for fresh eating and canning.  They are picked green, you need to lay them out in a cool, dark place to ripen.  Pears are an easy to take along fruit for school and work lunches!  We will have them about one more week, so don’t delay!

Canning Tomatoes 
This week and next are the peak times for canning tomatoes!  Tomatoes are available in bushels and half bushels.  We will also have a limited supply of Romas available.  Please call 269-244-5690 to schedule an order.  We will also try to keep canning tomatoes available for walk-ins.  Please bring containers to take your tomatoes home in.  We expect to have them through Labor Day weekend and possibly into early September, so don’t delay!
Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is still in season, and we are predicting it will go through Labor Day weekend!   We sell it by the ear, half dozen, dozen, and 5-dozen bushels.  We try to keep a few bushels on hand, but if you can call in advance (269-244-5690) that helps us to have it ready for you.

Peppers – Bulk Quantities
If you need vegetables in bulk for canning, freezing, etc. please call the market for pricing and to preorder.  269-244-5690.  We grow several types of peppers for processing – bell (and variations in color), yellow banana, hot Hungarian, and jalapeno.  They are sold in half bushels and bushels; peppers are also available by the peck (quarter bushel).

Fall Apple Update
Our apples are trending towards ripening 1-2 weeks ahead of usual this year.  The late frost impacted our early apple varieties, but we will have a good supply of the mid- to late variety apples.

We are picking the first of our Fall apples – Gala, Mollie’s Delicious, and Jonamac – and will have them on the market as soon as we get them bagged.  They will only be available in smaller quantities right now until more ripen over the next several weeks.

Two of our early and popular apples – Kindercrisp and Blondee – were hit hard by the frost and we are picking very few.  We will only be able to sell them in quarter peck bags this year.

With the light yields on our early varieties, we will NOT be able to open the u-pick orchard on Labor Day weekend as we have for many years.  We know that is a disappointment to many of you who make it a family tradition.  It is possible we will open for mid-apple varieties on the weekend of Sept. 7-8, if the apples are ripe enough.

Please watch the newsletter and website for updates on specific varieties and u-pick information.

Grape Update
We will have grapes this year but the crop will be lighter due to some frost damage.  Grapes typically don’t get ripe until mid- to late September.  Please watch the newsletter and website for updates.
Visit our Sunflower Field
Our sunflower field will open starting this Friday.  We are busy putting the last minute touches to it to give you another great experience.  Sunflowers usually last about 10 to 15 days depending on the weather.  Please check the website for updates.  The bloom is dependent on the weather conditions.
The field is open:

  • 9:30 am to 5:30 pm — Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • 9:30 am to 3:30 pm – Sunday
  • Last admission: 5 pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday
  • Closed – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • Please call ahead or check the website before traveling to make sure the sunflowers are in bloom and the field is open.

Admission:  $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.

What you Receive:  An amazing time with thousands of stunning sunflowers, a sunflower to take home, photo opportunities throughout the sunflower area, picnic tables and family areas, a walk through a variety of colorful annuals and perennials, educational information, and priority parking close to the field for those who need it.  Additional sunflowers and annuals available to pick for an additional fee.

As you walk along the meandering path through the sunflower field, we invite you to “slow down and enjoy the flowers” and allow the noise of everyday life to fade away.  With each step, we hope you feel the stress of the day melt away as you immerse yourself in the calming embrace of this natural sanctuary.  We have added a number of unique photo ops and places to just relax throughout the sunflower and flower blooming areas.
See our sunflower webpage for more information on admission fees, what your admission covers, caring for your complimentary sunflower, what to bring, photo op areas, and our rules.

Professional photographers can access the field in the evenings and on the days we are closed as well as during public hours.  Please contact Brenda@coreylakeorchards.com  to schedule an appointment.  See the website for our photo policy and fees.
 What is on the Market
Summer Apples – EarliBlaze, a good eating and cooking apple, excellent for pies.

Fall Apples – Limited quantities of Gala, Mollie’s Delicious, and Jonamac on the market starting this weekend.  We are just “spot picking” the ones that are ready, so no bushels or large quantities yet.

Bartlett Pears – quarter pecks, half pecks, pecks, half bushels and bushels.  Only one more week.

Bankson Lake Produce
Fresh vegetables: Just Lettuce, Spicy Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, lettuce heads, kale, garlic, radishes and mushrooms.  The lettuces are prewashed, bagged, and ready to use.

Stanley Prune Plums – very few this year, sold by the quart only.

Vegetables this week – yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, cukes, cabbage, onions, shallots, peppers, eggplant, sweet corn, broccoli, and tomatoes.

Hard Winter Squash – We just started picking the delicata and spaghetti squash.
Sweet Onions – Our sweet candy onion crop is harvested and hung up to dry in the market and surrounding buildings.  Soon the  onions will be cured, and we will have them available in mesh bags for you to take home for the winter.  We also have some available for you to enjoy now!
Flowers
Cut your own bouquet from the terrace garden of flowers next to the parking lot this week.  Check in at the market first for scissors and directions.  Flowers do better when picked in the morning, before the stronger sun and heat of the day.
Baked Goods
We have lots of wonderful baked treats available!

In our freezer section, just “bake and enjoy”:
— Fruit pies in assorted farm fresh flavors.
— Stromboli’s – various types in breakfast, sandwich, and pizza styles.
— Cinnamon rolls, a favorite of many of our customers, are now available in our freezer to defrost and enjoy.
— A few loaves of blueberry zucchini bread that we made and froze for those of you who must have some!  With blueberries being gone, we can no longer make it. ☹

Freshly baked:
— Assorted cookies, breads, muffins
— Our specialty cinnamon bread (last weekend)
— Focaccia breads made with our fresh farm produce
— Donuts in buttermilk, blueberry, and cherry along with iced yeast donut rings decorated with sprinkles and “googly eyes”

Special Sunflower products:
— Sunflower bread
— Special made sunflower cut out cookies
— Sunflower oil
— Sunflower butters in three flavors
Alcohol
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.

Have you tried our Unwinding Rose wine?  It is a white zinfandel Rose’ style that is semi-dry and fruity with berry character that brightens any occasion.  Chill a bottle, open, and let the unwinding begin!
Grocery
We have a great selection of local products we know you will enjoy.  Please note that we are no longer carrying local eggs for sale.

  • Amish Fry Pies from Yoder’s Deli, 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, Jones.
  • Gluten-free items from Gluten Free Sensations, Three Rivers.  Find cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, granola and more in the freezer section.
  • Oat Bites snacks and granola in several flavors.
  • Amish made jams, jellies, and salsas, made by Scherger’s Kettle, Shipshewana
  • Pure honey from bees buzzing just a couple of miles away at Babcock’s Apiary.
  • Maple syrup products including the new Barrel-Aged Bourbon Maple Syrup (non-alcoholic) made by Maple Row Sugarhouse using our bourbon barrels.
  • Olive oil, vinegar, and salad dressings
  • Snacking items: potato and tortilla chips, sweet potato chips, crackers, pretzels, flavored mustards, and snacking cheese.
  • Greek style freshly made yogurt in pints and quarts from Mattawan Creamery.
  • Locally made vanilla ice cream from Plainwell Ice Cream
  • Fresh, local, milk in gallons, half gallons, and single-serve bottles from Amish Country Dairy.
  • Dried cherries and blueberries, dark and milk chocolate covered cherries
Gifts
Check out our wide range of hand-crafted gift items and original artwork, most of it made by our local artisans.  And check out our seasonal sunflower gifts display area!

  • Paintings
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen items
  • Tote and shopping bags
  • Candles
  • Note cards
  • Seasonal lakeside living gifts
  • Corey Lake Orchard branded items – golf balls, insulated bags, notebooks, coffee cups, key chains, magnets, shirts
  • Corey Lake Orchard gift certificates
Save the Date – Paint and Sip Class, Aug. 8
Make plans to join us for a Pumpkins and Gourds Paint and Sip Class! 

Michigan artist Anna Barnhart will guide us through a fall-themed watercolor class and create a set of at least three unique notecards to frame or send.   Capture the essence of autumn with pumpkins, gourds, and even a mischievous black cat in your designs.  All supplies are provided for this engaging workshop, open to participants ages 16 and up (max 16 people).  Don’t wait – sign up soon to secure your spot!

Sunday, September 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Cost: $39 per person

Hard ciders, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, and snack items will be available while you work!  Check-in at the market prior to the start of the class.  Pay at that time.

Register at the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44AAA82FA0FDCE9-50761395-pumpkins#/
Happenings on the Farm
Apple Picking
Below are the first boxes of Mollie’s Delicious and Gala for the year!  All the recent rain has made them nice sized!
And sadly, this is all the Kindercrisp and Blondee on our trees for the year.
Tomato Picking
We have canning tomatoes and they are at their peak!  This is one of many loads coming in from the field this week.  We may need to rename the Onion Barn to the Tomato Barn!
Preparing the Sunflower Field 
It’s always so much fun to get all the items out of storage that we use in the sunflower field!
And even don our sunflower costumes to get us in the mood!
Yes, one sunflower always has to be different!
Getting wagons ready to transport the smaller children!
And setting up the field to add to your enjoyment!
Thank you for your continued support and for buying local.
Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes our students and families a safe and enjoyable school year!