When We are Open
Reminder on our days and hours: Open 9 am to 6 pm every day, including holidays. Closed Tuesdays. To call us with an order or a question: 269-244-5690.
Happenings on the Farm
We are deep into our Fall harvest season with our largest crops – grapes and apples. These next two weeks will see lots of activity here on the farm and we are gearing up for it best we can. Please recognize like most businesses, we are understaffed, but will do our absolute best to make sure your farm experience is as good one! Please drive slow on our country roads and watch out for tractors and truckloads of apples and grapes coming in. It is hard to believe that within a month, most of the grapes and apples will be picked, autumn leaves will be falling, and we will be preparing the fields and orchards for the winter months ahead.
This has been a “golden” week for us because Monday we started our Golden Delicious apple harvest, which takes us around a week to 10 days to finish. We have to say that Mother Nature touched us with golden weather this week with the cooling temperatures which made it so much easier for the physical work of harvest, cooler nights to allow fruit to color, and who didn’t love wearing a sweatshirt (or 2?) this week!!
Below are Golden Delicious apples on the tree ready for harvest along with bins of picked apples ready to head to cold storage and then the market.
We even had a beautiful golden sunset!
Wolf River Apples. This week we picked the Wolf River apples, an old time, heirloom apple which were part of the original farm 60 years ago. These trees were newly planted and finally producing! Check them out when you are here at the market for their amazing size. The apples weigh a pound or more and can go to 4 inches wide!! The Wolf River is a cooking/baking apple which is sweet with just a hint of tartness that will keep its shape when cooked. You can use one to make just enough apple sauce for a meal, a couple for a pie, or my favorite way is to core them (leave the peels on) put butter and brown sugar in the core area, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake them for a dessert treat!
Beth picking a Wolf River. Note the size of the apple in relation to her hand!
The Big Pumpkins Have Arrived. The big pumpkins are here!! Once again, Keith Whitford of Three Rivers has grown large pumpkins to display here at our farm for your enjoyment, awe, and get a photo.
Find several large pumpkins on the fire truck in the front lawn and several back by the “onion barn.”
Below is our final harvest of summer vegetables showing their beautiful summer colors.
The “Onion Barn” at the top of the hill behind the market is now open for sitting, viewing, conversing with family and friends, and enjoying donuts, fried pies, fresh cider, and hard cider.
Apple U-Pick this Weekend
The U-Pick apple orchard will be open this Saturday and Sunday. Reminder – The U-Pick apple orchard will be open this Saturday and Sunday. Reminder – We are using a reservation system this year to schedule a day and time to come pick. We are doing this to avoid crowds, lines to get into the orchard, and to be sure there are apples available when you come.
When you make a reservation, you will receive a confirmation email with information you need to know like where to go to check in (you will be driving directly to the orchard) and other important information. Please take a moment to read it. If you end up coming to the market first to get directions, just send one person in to get the information as you will be driving to the market.
We will be picking in a new orchard with smaller trees. While you can reach most of the apples from the ground, bringing a stepstool or kitchen ladder is encouraged to get those beautiful apples that are out of reach!
This varieties weekend to pick are:
- Cortland (a few left): A tart great baking apple for desserts, pies, and applesauce. It is a descendent of the McIntosh, but a bit sweeter. Known for its white flesh and excellent flavor. Juices well.
- Crimson Gala: This is a newer apple from the Gala family. It has beautiful coloring, crsp snappy bite over mellow sweetness. Great for eating, salads, juicing.
- Golden 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.
- Golden Supreme: A medium sized apple with a sweet juicy flavor. It is good for drying, baking, and making cider. It can be kept for months in refrigerated storage.
- 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.
- Jonathan (a few left): A medium sized fruit with bright red color. A sweet-tart flavor with a crisp texture which makes it great for baking, old fashioned caramel apples, and adds complexity to cider.
- 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. They can be stored until spring.
- Spartan: This has crisp white flesh, is aromatic and exceptionally juicy with a balanced sweet-tart flavor. Keeps well in the refrigerator.
- Zestar: This is a sweet-tart tangy apple with hints of brown sugar. Great flavor and keeps well when refrigerated. Eating or cooking, it is one of the parents of the new Sweetango apple that has hit the market in the last few years.
- Winesap (some): Is a well-known American heirloom apple. It has a firm, juicy, light yellow flesh with a wine-like sweet-tart flavor. It is an all-purpose apple that stores well, and it is favored for cider-making.
See our U-Pick Apple page to get more information on making a reservation, times we are open and pricing.
This family enjoyed coming to Corey LakeOrchards for the first time to pick apples and then enjoy donuts and cider afterwards. If there’s anyone else in Marcellus that has not been here, now is your time – we would love to have you!
U-Pick Grapes
Thank you for your continued patience as we waited for them to ripen! The Niagara (white) started September 18 and the Concords (blue) will start this Saturday, September 25. When you come to pick, you can pick either variety or some of both.
U-Pick Reservation times:
- Monday, Thursday, Friday are 8 am to 4:20 pm; everyone must be out by 5:30 pm.
- Wednesday is from 8 am to 5:40 pm; longer picking hours, everyone must be out by the official sunset time that day.
- Saturday and Sunday are 9 am to 4:20 pm; everyone must be out by 5:30 pm.
- Tuesdays – closed
- All times are Eastern time
Reservation System. New this year we are using a reservation system and you will need to schedule a specific date and time. The system is online and accessible from the home page of our website. If you are unable to utilize the reservation system, please contact the market at 269-244-5690.
To Make a Reservation. Click the reservations link below to make a reservation online. There is no fee but there you must pick a minimum of 10 pounds.
https://www.signupgenius.com/
U-Pick Pricing. You must pick a minimum quantity of 10 pounds (about a peck or quarter of a bushel).
- 10 pounds or less: $1 a pound or $10 flat fee
- 20 pounds (1 bucket): 75 cents a pound or $15
- 2 to 4 buckets: 63 cents a pound or $12.50 a bucket
- 100 pounds or more (5 or more buckets): 32.5 cents a pound or $6.50 a bucket
- We sell them by the pound and consider a five-gallon bucket (filled level) or a half bushel basket to be 20 pounds.
Already Picked Grapes. We are currently taking orders for already picked Niagara (white) and Concord (blue). The price is $32 a bushel, $17 a half bushel.
Winter Squash and Fall Ornamentals
We grow quite a few varieties of winter squash from traditional to some newer ones. You will find descriptions of the squash located in the squash area or ask any of our staff. The squash can be used as fall decorations until you decide to eat them!
We also have colorful Fall corn, gourds, mums, and mini-pumpkins for your fall decorating.
Current Apple Availability
Apple Estimate Chart. Check our annual “Apple Estimate” chart so you can tell when your favorite variety is expected to be ready and how many we will have. You can pick one up at our market or find it here.
Apples on the market this weekend
- Cortland: A hint of tartness makes this a great baking variety, a descendent of the McIntosh. This variety is a bit sweeter than its ancestor and juices really well.
- Gala: a great eating and cooking apple. It has a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness
- Golden 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: 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.
- JonaGold: (limited supply remaining). Superbly crisp and juicy with shades of tart and sweet in each apple, very large and aromatic. Cross between a Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
- Jon-A-Mac: This is a good cooking or eating apple. It combines the best qualities of a Jonathan and a MacIntosh. A favorite for apple sauce.
- Jonathan: A medium sized fruit with bright red color. A sweet-tart flavor with a crisp texture which makes it great for baking, old fashioned caramel apples, and adds complexity to cider.
- McIntosh: (limited supply remaining) aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart. The tender white flesh of the McIntosh makes it an old time favorite.
- Nu-Red: (limited supply remaining) A crisp, tart, hard, crunchy apple. An improved version of a Red Rome.
Apple pricing for the year: $30 a bushel, $16 a half-bushel, $11 a peck (1/4 of a bushel), $6.50 a half-peck, and $3.75 a 1/4 peck.
Apple Cider
We are making fresh apple cider and you can pick it up in the cider cooler at the market. Each week the blend will be a bit different depending on what apples we have available at the time but we guarantee you will like it. This week’s blend is especially good and was made with: Gala, NuRed, Jonathan, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, JonaMac, EarliBlaze, Molly’s Delicious, Cortland and McIntosh!
Please note that it is not pasteurized and requires refrigeration. If you need 10 or more gallons, please call the market at 269-244-5690 to preorder.
On The Market
Here is what we will have this week:
Apples
Cider
Eggplant
Fall ornamentals – gourds, colored corn, mums, pie pumpkins, decorative but edible squash
Fresh Cut Flower bouquets
Grapes
Herbs
Lettuce – regular, spicy
Onions
Peppers
Shallots
Squash (hard winter) – an assortment of traditional types and some newer ones
Tomatoes (almost gone for the year)
Grocery Items. Assortment of local meat, cheese, yogurt, eggs, jam, jelly, salsa, maple syrup, honey, chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, and more.
Gift Items. Assorted greeting cards, pottery, artwork, sculptures, Mad Mats, and more. We just got in a new shipment of Mad Mats this week!
Bakery
Donuts. Just a reminder that we only make donuts on Saturdays and Sundays. We are now into our fall flavors – Buttermilk, Apple Cider, and Pumpkin donuts, plain and sugared.
Fruit Pies. This year our pies are frozen “take and bake” only; we no longer offer “ready to eat” pies. Having them frozen allows us to offer a full variety of pies every day the market is open, not just on weekends. If you are driving far, bring a cooler or insulated freezer bag. Baking directions are included on each pie.
Pie Varieties: Apple, Dutch Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Cherry Berry, Peach, and Strawberry-Rhubarb. We just added Pumpkin this week in time for Fall!
Slushies. With the continued heat of summer, enjoy a nice cold slushie! We have Strawberry, Mango, Strawberry-Mango mix, or Cider.
Baked Goods from Yoder’s
We are offering additional homemade baked goods from Yoder’s Country Store.
- Each day the market is open – cookies and breads.
- Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only – Amish fry pies and cinnamon rolls
Amish Fry Pies (pocket-sized, half circle pie): Apple, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Lemon, Peach, Red Raspberry, Strawberry-Rhubarb
Breads (pre-sliced, ready to use!): English Muffin, Italian Cheese, Jalapeno Cheddar, Multigrain, Oatmeal, Raisin Cinnamon, and Sourdough
Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese icing
Pumpkin Rolls (in the refrigerator section)
Cookies: Chocolate Chip, Molasses, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, Sugar Cookies, and Whoopie Pies—both chocolate and pumpkin!
Order Ahead! You can always call the market and order you favorite baked goods to ensure that we will have them.
Spirits, Wine, and Hard Ciders
We have a nice selection of alcohol produced on the farm.
- Fruit brandy in 375ml and 750ml sizes
- Wine – an assortment of sweet and dry
- Hard cider in 12-ounce bottles. You can purchase them individually or mix and match them in a discounted 4- or 6-pack.
Below is a bottle of Market Red, one of our newer red wines – a semi-dry red bottled for Corey Lake Orchards, best served chilled while chilling with your friends and family.
COVID-19 Guidelines
We are following operational guidance from the CDC as well as State and local health rules. We are an open-air market and masks are optional though we encourage you to wear them if you have not been vaccinated. Our staff has been vaccinated and are not required to wear masks. Please note that we also follow food safety rules that regulate how produce is harvested and packaged.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you for shopping local.
From everyone at Corey Lake Orchards