Current Days and Hours
Just check our website, FB, Google, or call us at (269) 244-5690 for days and hours as needed.Closed      Monday
9 to 2       Tuesday
Closed      Wednesday
9 to 4       Thursday
9 to 6       Friday
9 to 4       Saturday
9 to 2       Sunday
This past Labor Day weekend was truly a great time to visit our farm!  Perfect Pure MI weather, u-pick apples, thousands of vibrant sunflowers, lots of fresh produce and products on the market, and apple cider donuts!  We thank the many of you who came out, we thank you for enduring the long lines with patience and grace, and we thank you for sharing your smiles, your thanks and photo’s which reminds us why we do what we do!

And thank you for supporting our family farm – we hope you had a great visit and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Apple-U-Pick.  This past weekend, many of you visited our apple orchard to pick the first fall apples of the year!  We have good news for you!  The orchard will now be open for apple u-pick every day the market is open, not just on Saturdays and Sundays.  This change allows for access during less busy times, including after school hours for families.
This Friday is the last day for our 2025 Sunflower Experience! If you didn’t get a chance to see the field in bloom, make plans to stop by before they are gone for the year.  The field is open during business hours, check in at the market.  (See details towards the end of the newsletter.)

Thanks to all of you who stopped by the past several weeks and Labor Day weekend to enjoy the sunflowers!  We hope you found the blossoms uplifting to your day and took many photos (which you will appreciate seeing next Winter)!  Thank you for taking the time to visit us and experience nature’s beauty!
Looking Ahead

  • Concord and Niagara Grapes – starting mid- to late- September
  • Fall apples – assorted varieties, see below for which ones we currently have on the market or in the orchard for u-pick.
  • Pumpkins and Jack o’ Lanterns – end of September, October
U-Pick Apples
The fall apple season is underway.  Check the homepage of the website for any updates before driving out.Current varieties available are: Blondee, Jonamac, Jonathan, McIntosh, Mollie’s Delicious, Sansa, Spartan.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter.

  • Orchard open each day the market is open
  • Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished 30 minutes before the market closes
  • Closed Mondays and Wednesdays
  • Check in at the market to prepay, get directions, and get your picking bag(s).
  • Need to pick a minimum of one peck ($12 value)

See the u-pick apple webpage for more details on pricing, picking tips, orchard etiquette, and more.
On the Market
Here’s what we will have:

  • Fall Apples – Blondee, early Honeycrisp, Gala, Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Mollie’s Delicious
  • Summer vegetables – carrots, eggplant, garlic, onions, peppers, red potatoes
  • Tomatoes – individual quarts, 5 pound bags, last week!
  • Fall squash – assorted varieties
  • Lettuces and produce from Bankson Lake Farms (produce arrives on Friday mornings and typically lasts through the weekend)
  • Assorted fresh baked goods including ‘take and bake’ fruit pies and strombolis
  • Local products – maple products, honey, jams, jellies, and salsas, Jake’s meats, eggs, cheeses, yogurt, and ice cream
  • Alcohol products – hard ciders, wines, spirits
  • Nice selection of gifts made by our local artisans, perfect for birthdays, hostess, pet/house sitters, or yourself!
  • Ice-cold slushies – small and large, in three flavors.
  • Fall ornamentals – gourds and stacking pumpkins, mini straw bales, mums, and more ornamentals
Across the Market
Bulk Produce – Last Call!

Produce currently available in bulk quantities through this weekend only.  We try to have these available for walk-in, but preordering is helpful.  269-244-5690.  If you miss us, please leave your name and phone number on the recorder and someone will call you back to get the details and confirm.  We do not accept orders left on voicemail.If possible, please bring containers to get your items home.  Boxes, tubs, laundry baskets, reusable grocery bags, etc. are helpful.

  • Peaches – freestone, bushels, half bushels (last weekend)
  • Bartlett Pears – bushels, half bushels (last weekend)

Note on Bartlett Pears: These are picked green and ripen from the inside out.  Lay them out (single layer) in a cool area away from direct sunlight for 7 to 10 days to ripen and turn yellow.
Announcement on Fall Color Tour

Please note that CLO will not be participating in the Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce Fall Color Tour, scheduled for October 12 this year.  While we have participated for over 20 years and loved hosting it, but this year we came to the realization that we do not have sufficient resources to hold this event at the level of quality it deserves.  Though it’s a valued community event, we believe this is the best decision for us now.
Sunflower Experience 2025

Visit the Sunflower Field – last day is Friday!
This is our largest field yet – 3.5 acres of stunning blooms!  Two different walking paths – short and long.  The field is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm this Friday.

Please check our Sunflower Experience 2025 webpage for more information.

Admission Fees and Flower Pricing

  • $5 for ages 11 years and up
  • $3 for accompanied children through 10 years old
  • No charge for babies and toddlers
  • Additional blooms are $2 each or $1.50 each for 6 or more
  • Please check in at the market for directions to the field, pay the entrance fee, and get your ticket.
Happenings on the Farm
Where are our Big, Hanging, Sweet Onions?
For over 50 years, you’ve seen our large, sweet onions hung on every available rafter and pole to “cure” so that we can all enjoy them through the winter months.  We even built an “onion barn” to have an open space with ventilation for them. (see photo from last year below).Many of you have asked, “where are they?”  The bottom line: they are not here because of a crop failure caused by the excessive summer heat.  The bags of small onions for sale on the counter are all that we could save and harvest, about 5% of our normal crop.

We are heartbroken by this loss, but it’s part of the risk associated with farming.  Mother Nature controls the weather.

Though our onions are small, they are grown here with the same love and care as we give them every year, which you will taste in their (unchanged) flavor.
Apple Descriptions
Already Picked Apples
Blondee.  A medium sized apple, crispy and crunchy, white flesh slow to brown, sweet, and low acid.  Great for eating or baking.  Part of the Gala family.
Early Honeycrisp.  This seems to be many people’s favorite.  It is crisp with an excellent sweet flavor and a “bite” to it.  Great for eating fresh or in salads.  Keep refrigerated.
Gala: a great eating and cooking apple.  It has a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness
Ginger Gold.  One of the best early seasons eating apples.  Sweet and mildly tart flavor.  Great for salads and snacks as they are slow to turn brown, and cooking and baking.
McIntosh.  Aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart.  The tender white flesh of the McIntosh makes it an old time favorite.
Mollie’s Delicious.  A crisp, sweet, and juicy apple with white flesh, originated from Golden Delicious.  Great for fresh eating.U-Pick Apples
Blondee.  A medium sized apple, crispy and crunchy, white flesh slow to brown, sweet, and low acid.  Great for eating or baking.  Part of the Gala family.
Jonamac.  A good cooking or eating apple.  It has the best qualities of a Jonathon and a McIntosh apple, resembles the McIntosh in flavor.  It is a favorite for apple sauce.
Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
McIntosh.  Aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart.  The tender white flesh of the McIntosh makes it an old time favorite.
Mollie’s Delicious.  A crisp, sweet, and juicy apple with white flesh, originated from Golden Delicious.  Great for fresh eating.
Sansa.  One of the first sweet apples of the year.  Juicy and crisp – great for fresh eating.  A cross between Gala and Akane.
Spartan.  A cross between a Macintosh and an unknown variety.  It is a bit smaller in size, has a crisp white flesh that is aromatic and juicy.  Good for fresh eating, cooking, and juicing.
The Recipe Rack
Ideas for Using Fresh Produce
Over the years, we’ve collected an assortment of recipes that use our produce.  We haven’t tried them all, but we look for recipes that we would like to eat and are relatively easy to make.  We invite you to visit the recipe page on our website for ideas.Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe
You don’t have to spend time boiling pasta for this butternut squash and spinach lasagna; this recipe saves you time by using convenient no-boil noodles.  Freezes well also.
How to Preserve Food
Ball Mason, a leader in home canning supplies, has a set of canning and preserving guides available.  They describe the process and include how-to information on canning, freezing, pickling, dehydration, and making jam for a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Ball Mason Canning and Preserving GuidesWe also have information on Storing and Preserving Food on our website.
Thank you for your continued support and for buying local.
Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a safe
and enjoyable Fall!
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