Apples, Cider, Donuts, and Grapes – Oh MI! 10-12-23

More information to come as we get closer to the end of the month.  Check our website homepage for updates or call us.  (269) 244-5690.

Looking Ahead ….

• Fall apples – various varieties ripening through October, (already picked and u-pick)
• Grapes – Already picked and u-pick, please make an appointment to pick
• Sunday, October 29 – our last “regular” day for the market

• Braeburn (few)
• Cortland
• Cameo (coming 10-13)
• Fuji
• Gala
• Golden Delicious
• Honeycrisp
• Ida Red (few)
• Jonagold (few)
• JonaMac
• Jonathan
• McIntosh (few)
• Mutsu (few)
• Northern Spy
• Nu-Red
• Red Delicious
• Red Rome (coming 10-13)

Check our apple estimator sheet for the status of your favorite variety.  It may not be ripe yet!  We have samples of our apples if you would like to try a variety before purchasing.

Apple Seconds are now available for use in processing (making your own juice or sauce) or to feed animals.  We currently have various kinds available for $5 a half bushel; they are already bagged.

Grab and Go Apples.  We have taken our excess smaller apples and bagged them into quarter peck bags.  These “grab and go” apples are perfect to keep handy for when you need a quick apple – at the office, after school snack, lunches, sporting events – good for anytime eating.  They are $3.50 a bag, a $1 off our $4.50 regular price.

• We are having our cider custom pressed and bottled in Coloma this year and therefore, our cider has a different label.  In the custom press, they use 100% of the apples that we blend for that batch.  We feel the blend is what is important in giving you the flavor you have come to know and love from us.
• The cider is UV treated, but not pasteurized.  Ultra-violet (UV) treatment is commonly used in the food industry to make products safer, while not affecting the flavor like pasteurization can do.  Many organizations were not able to use the cider we made here for school groups and other needs due to it not having the safety of the UV treatment.  Now you can!
• However, after opening, it is best to drink it within a week.  And if you can’t drink it, freeze it.  Cider freezes very well – just try one of our apple cider slushies!
• Pints have been replaced by 12-ounce, single serve bottles.
• You still need to keep the cider refrigerated.

Please go online or call us to make a reservation for a day and time. The link to the online reservation system is posted on the home page of our website in the Updates section.

Buckets (5-gallon) of concords heading home with happy grape pickers.

More information such as pricing, what to bring, and days/hours open can be found on our grape u-pick webpage.

Below it is never too early to learn to pick grapes!

• Fall Squash: Butternut, Buttercup, Spaghetti and Acorn
• Speciality Squash: Baked Potato, Mashed Potato, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling, and Delicata
• Tomatoes: red and green
• Onions
• Vegetables: cauliflower, beets. potatoes
• U-pick herbs
• From Bankson Lake Farms: lettuce mixes, spinach, kale, arugula, mushrooms, radishes, and garlic bulbs

Onions
Our onions are now cured, and we are taking them down and bagging them.  You can find them in 5-pound and 10-pound average bags to stock your pantries!  We also have shallots.

Fall Ornamentals 
We have a nice variety of fall ornamentals in various shapes and colors: specialty squash, gourds, corn stalks, mini hay bales, mums, and decorative pumpkins.

Below a young shopper scrutinizes the selection of gourds to find the perfect one for decoration!

• Apple Crisp
• Donuts – Buttermilk, Apple Cider, and Pumpkin
• Yeast Ring donuts – assorted sprinkles and googly eyes

Anytime we are open:

• Pumpkin Rolls (find in the refrigerator)
• Strombolis (frozen, ready to bake) – assorted flavors in breakfast, traditional, and pizza styles.
• Cookies – Assorted flavors you will surely enjoy!
• Muffins – A nice selection of flavors perfect for any time of the day including pumpkin.
• Focaccia bread – made with our vegetables
• Breads – assorted types plus hamburger and hotdog buns
• Fruit pies (frozen, ready to bake) – Apple, Dutch Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Pumpkin, and Strawberry Rhubarb.

Please contact us if you want to preorder any of our baked goods.

Grocery
Locally harvested maple syrup and honey, and Amish-made jams, jellies, and salsas.  We also have assorted cheeses, crackers, chips, hummus, mustard, eggs, milk, granola, salad dressings, and more.

Gifts
We have lots of fall gifts including new pieces by our local artists.

Cameo.  A firm, crisp, and sweet apple that resists browning.  Great for fresh eating, applesauce, or baking.  Keeps well in your refrigerator.
     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.
     Cortland.  A hint of tartness makes this a great earing, cooking, and baking variety.  A descendent of the McIntosh.  It’s a bit sweeter than its ancestor and juices really well.
Fuji.  An incredibly sweet flavor, low acid content, and crisp.  Excellent all-purpose use for snacking, baking, and cooking.
     Empire.  Red with a few white tints, creamy white interior.  They are juicy and sweet.  A cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh.
     Gala.  A crisp, snappy bite over mellow sweetness.  It is Michigan’s 3rd most popular apple!  Very versatile, great for eating or cooking.
     Honeycrisp. A people’s favorite.  It is crisp with an excellent sweet flavor and a “bite” to it.  Great for eating fresh or using in salads.  Keeps only several weeks.
     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.  It has the best qualities of a Jonathon and a McIntosh apple, resembles the McIntosh in flavor.  It is a favorite for applesauce.
     Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples.
     McIntosh. An old time favorite.  An aromatic, juicy, sweet, and tangy tart.  The tender white flesh and distinctive flavor makes it great for applesauce.
     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.
     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.
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 Jonagold.  Very hard and tart, large and aromatic. Cross between a Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
     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 apple sauce and many people use for canning pie filling.
Winecrisp.  A dessert apple.  Large, deep-red, juicy, sweet, firm flesh.  Keeps for months.