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

Sunday, Oct. 27, last regular business day for the 2024 season.  We will be open limited days and hours.  Watch for announcements!

Call us at (269) 244-5690 or check for updates on our website: www.coreylakeorchards.com
Fall has finally arrived – jackets have come out of the closet and the trees are starting to display their autumn colors.  There’s a crispness in the air, and we have lots of crisp apples!

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed October to be Michigan Apple Month, recognizing the importance of the Michigan Apple industry.

Michigan is known for its diverse agriculture, which includes many specialty crops such as apples.  Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in the Great Lakes State.  Growers dedicate their lives to the industry, operating 850 family-run farms with over 17.6 million apple trees, covering 38,000 acres in Michigan.  Consumers can find Michigan Apples at over 150 U-pick orchards and farm markets.

Our harvest is almost wrapped up.  The grapes are gone, and we are nearly done picking apples.  We will open the orchard for gleaning/ orchard clean up this week (see details below).

This is the last week for apple cider.  Pick up some to enjoy or freeze for another time.
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by for the Fall Color Tour Festival last Sunday.  The morning started out cool and drizzly, but things finally cleared up making for a nice afternoon.  Several people commented that they had done part of their holiday shopping with the unique offerings of our vendors.  See highlights from the event near the end of the newsletter.
Fall Apples
Already Picked
The apple harvest is almost complete!  We are just waiting for the Pink Lady to ripen which is about another week away!  U-pick apples are finished for the year, but we have lots of apples still on the market for sale!!

Current apples on the market:  Braeburn, Cameo, Cortland, Fuji, Golden/Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jonamac, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Red Rome.  Ida Red and Mutsu available upon request.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

Honeycrisp Special
Our Honeycrisp are picked for the year and are on sale.  Buy 2 bags, get one free (of the same size or smaller bag)!

Cortland Special
Our Cortland are on sale – buy 1, get 1 free (same size or smaller bag).  These apples are semi-sweet and juicy, good for applesauce, cooking, and juicing.

Processing and Animal Apples
If you are canning apples, making applesauce, or pressing your own cider, we have some apple deals right now.  It is “potluck” – the availability and apple varieties vary each day depending on what we are sorting and bagging for the market.

  • Processing apples (second quality) are $10 a half bushel.  The apples are perfectly fine, they just have blemishes or are an odd size or color.
  • Animal apples (third quality) are ideal for cider or animal feed and sell for $5 a half bushel.  These make a great treat for all your “horsey” friends.
  • Bulk.  Call us if you want to get 18-bushel bins of either of these.
Apple Gleaning / Orchard Clean Up
Starting Thursday, October 17, we will open the orchard to gleaning or orchard clean up for what you can find on the trees or on the ground.  Apples remaining on the trees are Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Jonathan and Northern Spy located in two orchards.  Orchard is open during our business hours.  Allow sufficient time to check-in, go to the orchard, and return to the market to check-out before closing.

Price is $10 a bushel, sold in whole bushels only.  For example, the price for 2.5 bushels is $30, not $25.  Orchard clean-up is an economical way to get apples for animals, applesauce, apple cider, or any need for a lot of apples.

Please bring your own containers.  If you don’t have bushel baskets, we will loan you some to pick in for measuring, then you can transfer them to your own containers.  You can also purchase our half bushel bags to pick in for 50 cents each.

Other useful items (optional) to bring include a small kitchen ladder/stepstool and wagon.  Dress appropriately for uneven ground, no climbing trees please.
Apple Cider
We have apple cider in 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.  This is the last weekend for cider. Stock up now if you need some for Halloween.
Pumpkins
Pumpkin Patch
Still time to go to our pumpkin field for pumpkins!  What is left is small to medium sized, $4 each or 3 for $10.  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.

We also have pre-picked pumpkins for sale by the market parking lot for $4 or $8, depending on size.

Pie Pumpkins
We have many pie pumpkins available.  These are perfect for making pies, bread, or muffins, and are also the perfect size (about 4-6 pounds) for small children to use for Halloween or decorating.

Pie pumpkins are available on the market for $3 each.

We have a lot of pie pumpkins left in the field.  They are precut and some are in a pile for easy pick up.  These are now $1 each.  If you are interested in 20 or more for a club meeting, classroom, or other event, please call us in advance to check on availability.  269-244-5690.
 What is on the Market
Fall Apples – Braeburn, Cameo, Cortland, Fuji, Jonamac, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, Red Rome, and Yellow/Golden Delicious available in quarter-pecks to bushels.  Honeycrisp available in quarter-pecks and half pecks.

Grapes – A few Niagara available in quart and 2-quart boxes and half bushels.

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

Hard Winter Squash – All squash are now 50 cents off so you can stock up for the winter.  Specialty squash: delicata, spaghetti, mashed potato, baked potato, sweet dumpling, carnival.  Fall squash: acorn, buttercup, butternut.

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

Stop by this Saturday between 10:30 am and 2 pm for Wine and Hard Cider Tasting.  Try samples and find a new favorite!

For a true taste of Fall, try our Maple Cider.  It is a fresh apple taste mingled with rich local maple syrup and vanilla.  A finish of crisp fresh undertones and strong effervescent bubbles go great with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Grocery
We carry local grocery products.  Please note that we are no longer stocking many grocery items and inventories are decreasing as we near the end of our season.

  • 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 – insulated bags, notebooks, coffee cups, key chains, magnets, shirts
  • Corey Lake Orchard gift certificates
Happenings on the Farm
Highlights from the Fall Color Tour
We hope you enjoyed meeting the Michigan Apple Queen and getting an apple or two to eat from our special bins.
Thanks to Dorothy Brueck (TRHS art teacher) for her pottery wheel demo and clay tile decorating activities.
Kelly Wiseman (author) for her children’s activities and Katy Trattles (TRMS art teacher) for the face painting.
Our food stops – Maple Row Sugarhouse and Three Rivers Promise – had some great warm bites for a cool day.  And many enjoyed the CLO happy hour hard ciders and wines, and slushies on the market.

Below, Three Rivers Lions Club was busy making kettle corn for the Three Rivers Promise.
Music was in the air thanks to the sweet sounds of our two bands – Becky Raines (acoustic guitar) and Dismembered (bluegrass)!
Our vendors were great as always with a nice variety of arts and crafts, information, and food products.  We love our vendors, some of which have been with us for several decades!  And we thank you for supporting them.
We enjoyed seeing all the families out enjoying the nice day and our stop on the Three Rivers Area Fall Color Tour.

Below, these boys are no match for a pumpkin ten times their weight!
This young girl holds a Red Rome apple, the favorite of Snow White.
End of Season Closing
With the fall season starting early, it will also end early.  Our last official day to be open for the year with regular days and hours will be Sunday, October 27.

We will continue to sell apples and local goods that you want to continue to stock up on.  Watch for announcements of special days and hours for November and December.
Apple Variety Descriptions
Already Picked:
Braeburn: Sweet with a hint of tart, and a firmness that stores well.  These traits plus the fact that they bake well have made them a very versatile apple.
Cameo:  A firm, crisp, and sweet apple that resists browning.  Great for fresh eating, applesauce, or baking.  Keeps well in your refrigerator
Cortland.  Slightly tart, great for eating, cooking, and baking, a descendent of the McIntosh and slightly sweeter, juices well.
Fuji.  Sweet flavor with a low acid content, good for all purpose use like snacking, baking, and cooking
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.
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.
Northern Spy: The professional baker’s dream, cooks up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”.
Red Delicious:  America’s most popular apple, known for the “five little bumps” on the bottom. Best for fresh eating and snacks.  Full-flavored sweet taste, yellowish flesh, and crisp texture.
Red Rome: A big, round, red apple right out of storybooks!  They have a mild, sweet flavor. Most popular for baking because it holds flavor and shape well.

Gleaning: 
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.
Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
Northern Spy: The professional baker’s dream, cooks up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”.
Red Delicious:  America’s most popular apple, known for the “five little bumps” on the bottom. Best for fresh eating and snacks.  Full-flavored sweet taste, yellowish flesh, and 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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