Our fall harvest season is underway! 9-16-26

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

Please note: Our hours have changed to accommodate grape picking. 

Read the descriptions of each below to make your experience the very best for you!

• Apples – note minimum of one peck (quarter bushel)
• Grapes – note minimum of 20 pounds (half bushel), seeded juice grapes, not table grapes, reservations required
• Sunflowers – note admission fee

New Hours.  Starting this weekend, we shift to our Fall hours to better accommodate those who are picking grapes.  Please make sure to check our hours before coming out.  Our hours will change again in mid-October to our “nearing the end of the season” mode.  We may be closing earlier this year due to our lighter apple crop.

While at the farm, take a photo at our newly decorated pumpkin wall!  We have also added fall décor to the vintage truck.

We ask that you take a moment to read the story of our 2026 Apple Crop.  This will not be a typical year for apples.  Due to weather events outside our control, our orchard as well as other apple growers, are experiencing some crop damage resulting in a shortage of some varieties of apples in SW Michigan this year.

What does that mean for you?

• We have more second-quality apples for sale and will offer them in the market at a discounted rate by the half bushel.
• Most of our early varieties are gone for the year.
• We have very few McIntosh, Jonamac, and Gala.
• We are having a shortened u-pick apple season.
• Keep in mind that apples, grapes, and other crops are ripening about 7 to 10 days ahead of schedule this year.  This is not the year to delay.

Fall apple picking is underway!  The u-pick apple orchard is open each day that the market is open to better accommodate those whose weekends are over scheduled!  Please check our website for any updates and list of available varieties before driving out.

• Days and Hours open: Open starting at 9:30 am and closing at 3:30 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and Sunday, and closing at 5:30 pm on Tuesday.  Closed Monday and Wednesday.
• Picking minimum: one peck ($13), prepay
• No reservations needed
• Varieties available: Spartan and Empire (both are similar to a McIntosh), Cortland, Crimson Gala, Golden Supreme, Ida Red, and Jonathan.  See apple descriptions at the end of this newsletter.
• Must check in at the market first, to get your picking bag(s), instructions, and prepay.  You will be driving to the orchard, only one person from the group needs to check in.  No need to get the excited kids out, and then right back into the car!
• Our apple prices are the same whether you pick or we pick.
• See our u-pick apple webpage for additional information including pricing, what to bring, and more.

Beth checked the u-pick apple orchard and said there are still many apples left to pick!  She will also check them again on Friday and may be able to open up several more varieties so stay tuned.  Please use two hands when picking so multiple ones don’t fall off!

Visit the Sunflower Field!  This is a large field – over 3 acres of stunning blooms!  Two different walking paths – short and long.

Please check our Sunflower Experience 2026 webpage for event details.

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
• Each paid admission gets a complimentary bloom to take home
• 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.  You will be driving to the field so only one person needs to check in.

Sunflower Field Hours

• Open each day the market is open – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Field opens at 9:30 am and closes at 3:30 pm.
• Closed Mondays and Wednesdays
• If you are traveling far, please call ahead or check the website before you leave to make sure the field is open.  It could close if there is a storm or a lot of rain.

Professional photographers.  Our sunflower field is a wonderful spot to take memorable photos like family, engagements, maternity, children, high school seniors, and more!  Photographers have access to the field during the “golden hour” after our field has closed to the public as well as other times.  See the website for our photo policy, how to schedule, and fees.  https://coreylakeorchards.com/photo-policy/

We grow Concord (blue) and Niagara (white) grapes, both are excellent juice grapes (with seeds).  Please note that grapes are ripening about 7 to 10 days earlier this year so the season will start and end sooner.  We will have u-pick available by reservation, have them for sale on the market soon, and will take orders for already picked half bushels and bushels.

Important!  Please check for updates on the website, Facebook posts, or call us.

U-Pick Grapes
We encourage you to pick your own, please make a reservation to pick.  Start date for both varieties is Saturday, September 19.

There are two links on the homepage of our website and below: Call us at 269-244-5690 should you need assistance with scheduling or have questions about the grapes.

• Link to the grape u-pick webpage: pricing, days and hours the vineyard is open, what to bring, and more
• Link to the grape reservation system: you can schedule a day and time to pick

Already Picked Grapes
We are taking pre-orders for already picked Concord and Niagara grapes (bushels and half bushels).  Please call the market at 269-244-5690 or stop by to be added to our list.  Once the harvest is underway, someone will contact you.

Assorted Fruit 

• Apples – Cortland, Gala, Jonagold, Jonamac, Jonathan, McIntosh. Apple are sold in small bags to pecks and bushels (for most varieties).  See apple descriptions at the end of this newsletter.
• Early Honeycrisp, priced differently, have regular and “not so perfect”
• Processing/ second quality apples in assorted varieties by the half bushel when available.  Type of apple depends on what we are sorting and bagging that day.  We also have animal apples that are great for animals and for pressing juice.
• Bartlett and Bosc pears – available by the quart, 2-quart, half peck, peck, half bushel, and bushel.  Pears are picked green as they ripen from the inside out, and it takes 7-10 days to ripen.

Tomatoes – We discovered a few more tomatoes in the field thanks to the rejuvenating weather!!  Available in small baskets, 5-pound bags, half bushels, and bushels.  We are picking these orange-ish, and you can lay them out to ripen. These are the last of the season, available until sold out!

Ice cold slushies – blueberry lemonade, peach, apple cider

Fall ornamentals – gourds, mums, stacking and decorative pumpkins, pie pumpkins, Jack’o Lanterns (for decoration only, too early to get for Halloween), mini straw bales and regular straw bales

• “Take and bake” frozen fruit pies – made from assorted fruit, take home to bake.
• New – We are now making pumpkin pies!  Find them in the freezer.
• Assorted cookies, breads and muffins – daily
• New for fall season – apple caramel cookies, apple spice muffins, and pumpkin muffins
• Donuts – Saturday and Sunday only – in buttermilk and our popular apple cider flavor!  Starting this weekend, our pumpkin donuts will be back!!
• “Take and bake” frozen Strombolis – 10 different types, ranging from breakfast to pizza to traditional styles.  Take home to bake.  Note: our stromboli maker has finished baking and stocking us for the rest of the season.  So, if you want to have some for Winter, grab them to freeze now.

Spirits.  Find apple, peach, grape, and pear brandy; vodka; and white whiskey.

Wines.  Nice assortment to choose from – dry, sweet and semi-sweet wines in whites and reds

Hard Ciders.  Blueberry, cherry, maple, peach pear, rhubarb, dry apple, semi-sweet apple, and sweet apple

If you enjoy a semi-dry wine, you’ll like our Market Red.  Enjoy while chilling with your friends and family.

Already Picked on the Market
Cortland.  A hint of tartness makes this a great eating, cooking, and baking variety.  It’s a descendent of the McIntosh, but a bit sweeter than its ancestor.  Juices really well.
Early Honeycrisp.  Everyone’s favorite.  Crisp with an excellent sweet flavor and a “bite”.  Great for eating fresh or in salads.  Keep refrigerated and use within two weeks.
Gala.  A great eating and cooking apple.  It has a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness.  Makes a sweet applesauce (no additional sugar needed) or mix with a tarter apple to sweeten that sauce.
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 cross between Jonathan and McIntosh apples, similar to a McIntosh in taste, but sweeter.  Firm flesh, crisp sweet/tart flavor.  Good for fresh eating, salads, and applesauce.
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.

U-Pick Orchard
Cortland.  A hint of tartness makes this a great eating, cooking, and baking variety.  It’s a descendent of the McIntosh, but a bit sweeter than its ancestor.  Juices really well.
Crimson Gala.  An intense-coloring strain of Gala with a bright, cherry red color.  Has the characteristics of a Gala; great for eating and cooking.
Golden Supreme.  A medium sized apple with a sweet juicy flavor, good for drying, baking, and making cider.  Keeps for months in refrigerated storage.
Empire.  Red with a few white tints, creamy white interior, juicy and sweet.  A cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh.
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.
Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
Spartan.  A cross between a Macintosh and an unknown variety.  It is a bit smaller in size, but has a crisp white flesh that is aromatic and juicy.  Good for fresh eating, cooking, and juicing.