Current Days and Hours
Please note our current hours for 2025 as we are transitioning over the next several weeks toward our Saturdays-only Holiday Market.  Starting next week (10/28), we will only be open on Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

If you can’t make it when we are open, please contact us to schedule an appointment.  Just check our website, FB, Google, or call us at (269) 244-5690 as needed. 

Closed      Monday
9 to 4       Tuesday
Closed      Wednesday
9 to 4       Thursday
9 to 4       Friday
9 to 4       Saturday
Closed      Sunday 
We are down to the last few days  – Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – of our regular market season with Saturday being the last day.  We then we shift to Tuesdays and Saturdays.  Please see details below.
Our Days and Hours for Late Fall and Holidays

Last Day of our Regular Market Hours
–Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 am to 4 pm

Late Fall Market Hours*
–Open Tuesdays, 9 am to 3 pm – Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11
–Open Saturdays, 9 am to 3 pm – Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 15

Holiday Market with Santa and Mrs. Claus
–Open Saturdays, 9 am to 3 pm – Nov. 22, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13

*Should we sell out of apples, we will close the market prior to Nov. 15 and reopen on Nov. 22 for the Holiday Market.

Days and hours outside these are available by appointment, call 269-244-5690.
Last Saturday, we hosted the St. Joseph County ORV’s Annual Fall Color Tour, where off-road enthusiasts toured various sites and enjoyed the local fall scenery.  Their ride was a fundraiser for the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Division and St. Joseph County Grange Fair Draft/Open Horse Program.

Below are some of the riders and Beth with Diane Zinsmaster, tour organizer and member of the Mounted Division and Superintendent for the Draft/Open Horse Program.
Concord and Niagara Grapes….still hanging in!
U-Pick Grapes
We encourage you to pick your own – we still have grapes available and the picking is good.  Call us at 269-244-5690 for an update if interested in coming to pick.  No reservations needed.

We grow Concord (blue) and Niagara (white) grapes.  These grapes have seeds and are primarily for juicing, wine, and jelly.

We measure the grapes by 5-gallon buckets or a half bushel basket, which weigh 20 pounds.  Minimum quantity to pick is 20 pounds (one 5-gallon bucket).  Discounts when picking 100 pounds or more (5 buckets).
Already Picked Grapes
If you are interested in Concord and Niagara grapes that are already picked, please call the market at 269-244-5690 to order and schedule a day for pickup.  We are also trying to have some available on the market for walk-ins, but calling in advance ensures we will have them ready for you.
Apples
Apple Gleaning/Orchard Clean Up
Selected orchards are open for “orchard clean up” (gleaning) to get useable apples you can find on the trees or on the ground.  Orchard clean-up is an economical way to get apples for animals, applesauce, apple cider, or whatever need you might have for bulk apples.

Please note that this year’s orchard clean up is different than in previous years with fewer apples remaining on the trees and many apples on the ground.  This is due to us having a lighter crop of apples and the extreme heat that continued during their growing season, causing many of them to fall off the trees.

Apples available: Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Jonathan, Cameo, Red Rome, McIntosh, Gala, Jonamac, Fuji, and Northern Spy.

Hours: Orchard opens at 9:30 am and you must be finished by 3:30 pm.  Allow sufficient time to check-in, go to the orchard, and return to the market to check-out.

Price is $10 a bushel, sold in whole bushels only, 2-bushel minimum.  For example, the price for 2.5 bushels is $30, not $25.

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.  If needed, we have half-bushel plastic bags for sale for 50 cents each.

Other useful (optional) items to bring include a small kitchen ladder/stepstool and wagon.  Dress appropriately for uneven ground; no climbing trees or bending branches down.
The ‘Apple of our Eye’ this Week!
The Apple of our Eye this Week is the Pink Lady.  These are a medium sized apple with a firm, crisp flesh, and a tart taste with a sweet finish.  They also store well.

They were developed in Australia in 1973 and are a cross between the Lady Williams and Golden Delicious.  They are the last apples we pick each year, so once picked, we know the apple harvest is finally behind us!

It is a favorite of many of you, and it seems to get more popular each year.  It is Brenda’s favorite also, and years ago, she asked our father to plant some.  We still harvest those same trees.

If you like a hard, tart apple with a sweet after-pop, you will like these!
On the Market
Here’s what we will have:
  • Fall Apples – Cameo, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Jonathan, Jonamac, McIntosh (few), Northern Spy, Nu-Red, Pink Lady, Red Delicious, Red Rome
  • Bosc Pears – a winter pear, available in small boxes to bushels
  • Fall squash – assorted varieties
    • Fall veggies – sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli (arriving Thursday afternoon) and red beets
  • Cider – freshly squeezed, gallons and half gallons – only through this Saturday!  (or longer if we have any left over after Saturday)
  • Donuts – This Saturday, our final day
    • Baked Goods – assorted cookies, muffins, and frozen strombolis.  Baked goods will be winding down as we continue to use up our stock.
    • Take and Bake pies – assorted fruit pies continuing to be made for your holiday needs!
  • Pumpkin Rolls – in the refrigerator section
  • Local products – maple products, honey, jams, jellies, and salsas
  • Alcohol products – wines, spirits
  • Gifts – nice selection made by our local artisans
  • Ice-cold slushies – small and large, 2 flavors, last week
  • Fall ornamentals – gourds and stacking pumpkins, mini straw bales, colored corn, pie pumpkins, jack o’ lanterns, and more
  • Jack o-Lantern pumpkins – currently just size large, only a few left in stock.

Making donuts last weekend.  Saturday may be the last chance for these!
Stock Up Specials
Apple Specials
As we finish up our apples for the season, find several specials on the side of the market:

    • Sales on early varieties like Gala, Jonamac, and Nu-Red
    • Seconds or processing apples.  The varieties and quantities vary by day as we pack them.
  • Animal apples –Good for feeding your furry friends or to make cider.  Sold by the half bushel, apple varieties can vary each day.
Squash Specials
We grow a variety of unique squash, and we encourage you to get out of your “squash zone” and try a new one.  One of the great things about the squash we grow is that they can all be used for fall decorating, then baked!

  • All squash 50 cents off
  • See below for types of squash available and descriptions.
  • Squash will keep all winter when stored in a cool, dark, dry place.
Squash and Apple Descriptions
Types of Squash 
Acorn.  Mild, slightly nutty flavor.  Dark green skin with orange-yellow flesh.  Rich in fiber, vitamins A & C.  Great for baking, roasting, and stuffing.  Naturally sweet when cooked.
Baked Potato.  Creamy texture with rich, earthy flavor.  Tastes similar to a baked potato.  Easy to roast, mash, or stuff.  Smooth tan skin with golden flesh.  High in fiber, vitamins A & C.
Buttercup.  Rich, sweet flavor with a hint of nuttiness.  Dark green skin with a distinctive gray ‘cap’.  Dense orange flesh is good for roasting or mashing.  Excellent in soups, stews, and casseroles.  High in fiber, vitamins A & C, and potassium.
Butternut.  Sweet, nutty flavor.  Tan skin with orange-flesh.  Good for soups, stews, baked, or roasted.  High in vitamin A.  Some of our selection are quite large!  Bake and freeze some for later.
Carnival.  Sweet, nutty flavor with hints of maple syrup.  Hybrid of Acorn and Sweet Dumpling squash.  Great for roasting, stuffing, or soups.  Edible skin, no peeling needed.  High in potassium, vitamins A & C, and omega fatty acids.
Delicata.  Sweet creamy flavor with hints of corn and pumpkin.  Skin is edible when cooked.  No peeling needed, just slice and roast.  Great for baking, stuffing, and sauteing.  High in fiber and Vitamin A.
Goldilocks.  Sweet, nutty flavor.  Orange skin with orange-yellow flesh.  Perfect single serving size.  Great for baking, roasting, and stuffing.  Doubles as a colorful fall decoration.
Mashed Potato.  Creamy, fluffy texture when cooked.  Mild, slightly sweet flavor with nutty tones.  Looks and tastes like mashed potatoes.  Great for roasting, mashing, or stuffing.  High in fiber, vitamins A & C, and potassium.
Spaghetti.  Mild, slightly sweet flavor.  Flesh turns into spaghetti-like strands when cooked.  Great low carb alternative to pasta.  Rich in fiber, vitamins A & C.  Delicious with sauces, herbs, or cheese.
Turban.  Beautiful to decorate with, sweet with a nutty taste.
Types of Apples
Cameo.  A firm, crisp, and sweet apple that resists browning.  Great for fresh eating, applesauce, or baking.  Keeps well in your refrigerator.
Fuji.  A fantastic, sweet flavor with a low acid content.  An incredibly good keeper, it stays crisp for several weeks without even being refrigerated.  Excellent all-purpose use like snacking, baking, and cooking.
Gala.  A great eating and cooking apple.  It has a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness.
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 using in salads.
Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
Jonamac.  This is a good cooking or eating apple.  It combines the best qualities of a Jonathan and a MacIntosh.  A favorite for apple sauce.
McIntosh.  Aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart.  The tender white flesh of the McIntosh makes it an old time favorite.  Few left
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”.
Nu-Red.  A crisp, tart, hard, crunchy apple.  An improved version of a Red Rome.  Good for fresh eating, applesauce, pies, and baking.
Pink Lady.  Medium size apple with a firm, crisp flesh, and a tart taste with a sweet finish.  Stores well.
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.
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 applesauce and canning pie filling.
Happenings on the Farm
With the harvest behind us, everyone on the farm is getting a few much-needed hours off for some rest after a year that for many began in February with our greenhouse activity.  The rainy days of late make a nap very inviting!  We are blessed to have amazing employees, many of whom you interact with when you are here.  But then there are the ones behind the scenes planting, picking, packing, baking, frying donuts, bottling, fixing the many things that break, and on and on.

There is one person many of you talk with when you call here, but don’t see.  That is co-owner Brenda who answers the phone during busy times throughout the year from her remote work site in Florida.  In the fall, she fields over 100 calls a day coordinating those coming to pick grapes and seeking other farm information.  Many of you came to the market and asked for her this fall, wanting to meet the person who was so kind and helpful over the phone.  So, for this, we thank her for being the friendly voice on the other end of your call!
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.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake
This pumpkin-packed crumb cake is everything that is wonderful about fall baking.  Warmly spiced, moist pumpkin cake topped with spicy, crispy streusel and topped with an optional but delicious glaze.  It is just the thing for an afternoon snack, and just as good for breakfast the next day.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake
Thank you for your continued support and for buying local.
Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a safe, enjoyable, and fruitful harvest season!