The Fruits of our Labor 8-28-2024

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

Please note that we will be CLOSED on Labor Day (Monday).

And starting this weekend we will have pumpkin and apple cider donuts, a true sign that Fall is in the air!  And enjoy the sweetness and crunch of the first Fall apples.  Take advantage of the long weekend to preserve tomatoes for the winter months while they are in peak season.

Check out our special activities this weekend, too.

• Attend a special yoga field trip among the annuals and sunflowers, Friday and Saturday starting at 9 am.
• Enjoy live music on the market from Becky Raines, Saturday from 10:30 am-1 pm.
• Try a sample of our hard ciders and wine, Saturday from 10:30 am-1 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm.
• U-Pick apples – four varieties are now ready
• And our Sunflower Field Experience of course!
• See details below for the various activities.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

• 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 for the year – starting Monday

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.

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.

When: Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31
What Time: 9:00 am
Cost: $20
Free for Harmony Yoga TR Members
Class pack holders may use one of their classes
Check in at the market for directions.

Bartlett Pears
Bartlett pears are available from small quantities to bushels.  If picking up half bushels or larger quantities, please call ahead to see if we have them.  They are almost gone for the year.  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!

Canning Tomatoes 
This is the peak time 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
This is the last weekend for sweet corn!  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).

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.

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

Already Picked
Current apples on the market:  Earliblaze, Gala, Honeycrisp, Jonamac, Mollie’s Delicious, Kindercrisp, and Blondee.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

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

U-Pick Apples
The apples have decided to ripen after all with our recent heat wave!  We will open the u-pick apple orchard this weekend for Spartan, Jonathan, McIntosh and Cortland. See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

Picking will be limited; suggest picking in the morning due to the heat:

• Friday – Beat the heat!  Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished by Noon.
• 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

Below is one of our Spartan apple trees.  The trees are relatively short making it easier to pick from the ground.  You are welcome to bring a kitchen step stool also.

Fall Apples – Gala, Mollie’s Delicious, Jonamac, and Honeycrisp.

Bartlett Pears – quarter pecks, half pecks, and pecks; call ahead for half bushels and bushels.

Fredonia Grapes – an early, blue, seeded grape similar to a Concord, sold in quart and 2-quart boxes only.

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.

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

Sweet Onions – Our sweet candy onion crop is harvested and they have been hanging to dry in the market and surrounding buildings.  Since they are now cured, we are taking them down and bagging them in 5- and 10-pound mesh bags.

Hard Winter Squash for eating and decorating – Specialty squash: delicata, spaghetti, mashed potato, baked potato, carnival.  Fall squash: buttercup.

Fall Ornamentals – Stacking and specialty pumpkins ready for fall decorating along with mini bundles of colored popcorn.

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.

Freshly baked:
— Assorted cookies, breads, muffins
— Focaccia breads made with our fresh farm produce
— Donuts in Fall flavors – buttermilk, pumpkin, and apple cider, available Friday late morning, Saturday and Sunday.
— Iced yeast donut rings decorated with sprinkles and “googly eyes”, available Saturday and Sunday.

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

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.

With the combination of the heat, the long holiday weekend, and spending time with friends and family, we suggest a six-pack of our hard ciders, mixed and matched with your favorite flavors.

• 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

• 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
• Many sunflower gift items

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#/

U-Picked: 
Cortland.  Slightly tart, great for eating, cooking, and baking, a descendent of the McIntosh and slightly sweeter, juices well.
Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
McIntosh.  An old time favorite, aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart, makes good applesauce.
Spartan.  A cross between a Macintosh and an unknown variety, a bit smaller in size, aromatic and crisp white flesh, juicy, good for fresh eating, cooking, and juicing.