Days and Hours Open 

Please note our modified days and hours open to accommodate grape picking for the next two weeks:

Wednesday – 8 am to 6 pm
Thursday – 8 am to 6 pm
Friday – 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday – 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday – 9 am to 4 pm
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Closed

Call us at (269) 244-5690 or check for updates on our website: www.coreylakeorchards.com
Autumn arrived with much needed rain and more seasonal temperatures!  The apples and grapes, (and us) were delighted!  We prefer using Mother Nature’s refrigeration whenever possible.

The magic of fall is here, and we are in full harvest mode with grapes and apples.  We have a nice selection of apples on the market right now, see list below for which are in season.  How about an apple dessert this week?  There are so many ways to cook and enjoy apples, here are a few recipes on our website.

So, stop by and enjoy everything fall in Michigan!  We look forward to seeing you soon!
This past weekend we had a very magical moment in our apple orchard!  Haydon and Torie came to pick apples and while there, Haydon surprised her with a proposal of marriage.  She said yes!  The couple are from White Pigeon and have been together for over four years.  So why the apple orchard?  Haydon chose it knowing that Torie loves the peacefulness, serenity, and beauty only found in an apple orchard.  (And the trees, which do talk to each other, are still murmuring over witnessing this happy occasion).  We are delighted for them and wish them a future of much happiness together!  Thank you Brandi Barry for taking the photo!
Fall Apples
Please watch the newsletter and website for updates on specific varieties and u-pick information throughout the season.  Keep in mind that apples are starting and ending earlier this year.  Watch for your favorite varieties so you don’t miss them!

Already Picked
Processing and Animal Apples
And if you are canning apples, making applesauce, or pressing your own cider, we have some apple deals right now.  We are selling our second quality/processing apples for $10 a half bushel.  The apples are perfectly fine, they just have blemishes or are an odd size or color.  Our third quality apples are ideal for cider or animal feed and sell for $5 a half bushel.  It is “potluck” – the availability and apple varieties vary each day depending on what we are sorting and bagging for the market.

Current apples on the market:  Cortland, Early Fuji (not the later variety, keeping kind), Gala, Golden/Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp, Ida Red, Jonagold, Jonamac, Jonathan, Mutsu, and Northern Spy.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

Below are just picked Golden Delicious.
Apple Cider
We now have apple cider in gallons and half gallons.  This year our cider is being done for us by our local friends at Schultz’s Fruitridge Farm.   The cider is not pasteurized, but is UV treated.  Keep refrigerated and use within a week.

U-Pick Apples
We were amazed at the turnout for U-Pick apples this year and this past weekend, we finished up our U-Pick apple orchard, three weeks earlier than normal!  This weekend we will open some rows in our large orchard for those who still want an apple picking experience, however there will only be three varieties available: Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Yellow/Golden Delicious.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

Reminder, the price of U-pick apples is the same as already picked, so if you missed picking your favorite kind, hopefully we still have them available already picked on the market.

See the webpage for more details on our u-pick apples.

  • Saturday – Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished by 5:30 pm
  • Sunday – Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished by 3:30 pm.
  • Check in at the market to prepay, get directions, and get your picking bag(s).
  • Need to pick a minimum of one peck

Last weekend we loved seeing these young apple pickers in their matching dresses!
Fall Grapes
We grow two varieties of seeded grapes, ideal for juicing, jelly, and wine – Niagara (white) and Concord (blue).  We have a decent crop of Niagara but the Concord are lighter this year due to late spring frost damage.

We encourage you to pick grapes sooner than later.  The rains this week will cause them to split.  Also, you must make a reservation to pick grapes.

Already Picked
Both available are available on the market in small quantities.  We try to have larger quantities like bushels and half bushels available for walk-in, but we recommend you call the market at 269-244-5690 to place orders in advance.  For bushels and half bushels, please bring containers to take them home in if possible.

U-Pick
Both grape varieties are available for u-pick.  We have modified our days and hours open to accommodate grape picking.

Picking is by reservation only.  Please see our grape u-pick webpage for more information on how to pick, what to bring, what to wear, pricing, and the link to the reservation system.

Reservation days and times:
Wednesday: 8 am to last at Noon, 3 pm to last at 5:30 pm, must be done by 7 pm.
Thursday: 8 am to last at Noon, 3 pm to last at 4:30 pm, must be done by 6 pm.
Friday: 8 am to last at Noon, 3 pm to last at 4:30 pm, must be done by 6 pm.
Saturday: 9 am to last at 4:30 pm, must be done by 6 pm.
Sunday: 9 am to last at 2:30 pm, must be done by 4 pm.

The pricing will be the same as last year.  You will need to pick a minimum of one 5-gallon bucket (20 pounds).
Fall Ornamentals
The Pumpkin Patch
The Pumpkin Patch is open for those who wish to pick their own pumpkin.  They are priced by size.  The pumpkins in the field have been precut, so you just need to select the one(s) you want and carry them to your vehicle.

The pumpkins are early this year and Halloween is over a month away.  To make your pumpkin last until then, you will need to keep it out of direct sunlight and as cool as possible.  Do not carve it until Halloween.
The Giant Pumpkins
Be sure to stop by and see the great pumpkins!  They weigh in at 608, 595, and 505 pounds!  And the Spookley storyboards are out for you to read.

A little one visiting a great pumpkin!
Fall Ornamentals
Lots of mums, stacking and specialty pumpkins, gourds, mini straw bales, mini colored popcorn, full-sized colored corn, and more for your fall decorating.
Photo Ops
We have several photo ops close to the market where you can get pictures of your family and friends.
 What is on the Market
Fall Apples – Cortland, Early Fuji, Gala, Jonagold, Jonamac, Jonathan, Northern Spy, and Yellow/Golden Delicious available in quarter-pecks to bushels; Honeycrisp available in quarter-pecks and half pecks.  Now gone: McIntosh

Grapes – Concord (blue) and Niagara (white) sold in quart and 2-quart boxes.  Also bushels and half bushels, must order ahead.

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.

Sweet Onions and Shallots – Our sweet candy onions are cured and available individually and in 5- and 10-pound mesh bags.  Shallots are sold by the bunch.

Hard Winter Squash for eating and decorating – Specialty squash: delicata, spaghetti, mashed potato, baked potato, sweet dumpling, carnival.  Fall squash: acorn, buttercup, butternut.
Baked Goods
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.

Freshly baked:
— Assorted cookies, breads, muffins
— Donuts in Fall flavors – buttermilk, pumpkin, and apple, available Saturday and Sunday.
— Iced yeast donut rings decorated with sprinkles and “googly eyes”, available Saturday and Sunday.
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.

Join us for hard cider and wine tasting this Saturday from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm on the market.

It’s time for football, fishing, and enjoying those fall days – all done better with an ice-cold hard cider!  We have a range of flavors from just apple to apple with flavorings, and dry to sweet.  Let us help you find your favorite!
Grocery
We have local grocery products we know you will enjoy.  As we transition to Fall, we are focusing on items that you will want to have handy for the winter months, like honey.  We still have other grocery items in stock, but we will not be reordering them.

  • Pumpkin cake rolls (find in the fridge)
  • 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 Barrel-Aged Bourbon Maple Syrup (non-alcoholic) made by Maple Row Sugarhouse using our bourbon barrels.
  • Sunflower oil and butters
  • Olipop prebiotic sodas
  • Pork products from Jake’s Country Meats, Jones.
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
  • 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
Happenings on the Farm
The “Heavy” Harvest
We are truly in that season of heavy lifting again.  Some of us are in constant motion picking up 20 pound baskets of grapes, some are wrangling with a 50-lb bag of donut mix or flour, some are lifting large trays of donuts or pies, some are picking up bags of apples, usually two half bushels at a time for a 40 lb. arm workout.   Our hats are off to our apple picking crew, going up and down ladders with 35 pounds plus on their backs.  Motrin is part of our daily routine, and we all sleep really good at night!!  We come into fall knowing this is what we must do, but we also know that it will come to an end.
Too Much Heat
As you know, this past week of heat and humidity was hard on our produce and fall ornamentals.  Sadly, one of our decorative pumpkins didn’t make it to see the first day of fall….
Sunrise
Sunrise this weekend over a display of fall ornamentals.
Apple Variety Descriptions
Already Picked:
Cortland.  Slightly tart, great for eating, cooking, and baking, a descendent of the McIntosh and slightly sweeter, juices well.
Early Fuji.  Sweet flavor with a low acid content, good for all purpose use like snacking, baking, and cooking
Gala.  A great eating and cooking apple, a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness.
Golden/Yellow Delicious:  A gingery-smooth, sweet taste under a thin skin. It is the most popular yellow apple, good eaten fresh, baked or cut in salads.  Makes a nice apple sauce and many people use for canning pie filling.
Honeycrisp.  A popular favorite, crisp, an excellent sweet flavor with 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.
Jonagold: Superbly crisp and juicy with shades of tart and sweet in each apple, very large and aromatic.  Cross between a Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
Jonamac.  A good cooking or eating apple, combines the best qualities of a Jonathan and a MacIntosh, a favorite for apple sauce.
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.  Keeps well.
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”.

U-Pick: 
Golden/Yellow Delicious:  A gingery-smooth, sweet taste under a thin skin. It is the most popular yellow apple, good eaten fresh, baked or cut in salads.  Makes a nice apple sauce and many people use for canning pie filling.
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”.
Red Delicious.  A favorite, best for fresh eating and snacks, full-flavored sweet taste, crisp texture.
Thank you for your continued support and for buying local.
Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a blessed and bountiful Fall!
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