You, our Customers, are the “Apple of our Eye”! 🍎

Days and Hours Open  Days and hours we are open. Thursday – 8 am to 6 pm Friday – 8 am to 6 pm Saturday – 9 am to 6 pm Sunday – 9 am to 4 pm Monday – Closed Tuesday – Closed Call us at (269) 244-5690 or check for updates on our website: www.coreylakeorchards.com We thank the many customers that came by last week, over the weekend, and throughout the season!  We really appreciate your continued support of our family farm, and make it possible for us to provide fresh produce and other goods to our community.  You are indeed the “apple of our eye”! Over the weekend we saw many families out for their annual apple picking excursion to the orchard, leaving to pick with donuts and more in hand.  We wanted to get photos of you picking apples or posed in our photo op areas by the market, but we were too busy to take them!  Please email us any that we can share in our newsletter or website – coreylakeorchards@gmail.com. One group really caught our eye.  This family from Gulfport, Mississippi, were first time apple pickers, and came ready to pick wearing their adorable “picking” shirts! Thank You so much for an Amazing Day at Corey Lake Orchards!  We had so much fun being together making great memories that we will always remember!  We will return and bring friends and family and spread the word about everything you have to offer and your amazing customer service. – The Mississippi Pickers We look forward to seeing you soon! Fall Apples Please watch the newsletter and website for updates on specific varieties and u-pick information throughout the season.  Keep in mind that apples are starting and ending earlier this year.  Watch for your favorite varieties so you don’t miss them! Already Picked Current apples on the market:  Braeburn, Cortland, Early Fuji (not the later variety, keeping kind), Gala, Golden/Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp, Ida Red, Jonagold, Jonamac, Jonathan, Mutsu, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Wolf River.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter. Processing and Animal Apples If you are canning apples, making applesauce, or pressing your own cider, we have some apple deals right now.  It is “potluck” – the availability and apple varieties vary each day depending on what we are sorting and bagging for the market. Processing apples (second quality) are $10 a half bushel.  The apples are perfectly fine, they just have blemishes or are an odd size or color.  This week we have them available in Golden Delicious, Cortland, Northern Spy, Braeburn, and Honeycrisp. Animal apples (third quality) are ideal for cider or animal feed and sell for $5 a half bushel.  These make a great treat for all your “horsey” friends. Apple Cider We now have apple cider in gallons and half gallons.  This year our cider is being done for us by our local friends at Schultz’s Fruitridge Farm.   The cider is not pasteurized, but is UV treated.  Keep refrigerated and use within a week. U-Pick Apples This weekend we will continue picking in selected rows in our large orchard for those who still want an apple picking experience.  There will only be three varieties available: Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Yellow/Golden Delicious.  See descriptions of these varieties at the end of the newsletter. Reminder, the price of U-pick apples is the same as already picked, so if you missed picking your favorite kind, hopefully we still have them available already picked on the market. See the webpage for more details on our u-pick apples. Saturday – Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished by 5:30 pm Sunday – Orchard opens at 9:30 am, must be finished by 3:30 pm. Check in at the market to prepay, get directions, and get your picking bag(s). Need to pick a minimum of one peck Featured Apple – Northern Spy Did you know that we are one of the few farms in Michigan that still grow Northern Spy apples?  We are now picking this apple, and it is available on the market, or you can pick your own this weekend. Northern Spy are the professional baker’s dream.  They cook up well in applesauce, pie filling, and other dishes.  Easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”. This apple variety does not get the attention and fame that it deserves probably because it is not the prettiest apple in the orchard.  It is large, sometimes oddly shaped, and pale to red-green. But who cares about how an apple looks if it is truly the most amazing baking apple you’ve ever used?  It is the only fall apple that we put into pies in our bakery. We have developed a following of folks who come from other states seeking this apple as they concur about its baking prowess. So, give it a try!   For applesauce, apple crisp, tarts, and of course – pie! Fall Grapes Our grape season is ending this Sunday.  This will be the first time that our vineyards got completely picked. We grow two varieties of seeded grapes, ideal for juicing, jelly, and wine – Niagara (white) and Concord (blue).  We have a decent crop of Niagara but the Concord are lighter this year due to late spring frost damage. Already Picked Both are available on the market in small quantities.  We have some Concords already picked available by the half bushel and bushel.  Please call the market at 269-244-5690 to place an order, and please bring containers to take them home in if possible. U-Pick Grape picking is by reservation only.  We are currently moving through our existing reservations.  If you are still interested in picking, we will try to accommodate you as long as there are still grapes available to pick.  The last day will be Sunday.  To schedule an appointment, please call us at 269-244-5690. Fall Ornamentals The Pumpkin Patch The Pumpkin Patch is open for those who wish to pick their own pumpkin.  They are priced by size.  The pumpkins in the field have been precut, so you just need to select the one(s) you want and carry them to your vehicle. Halloween is a month away.  To make your pumpkin last until then, you will need to keep it out of direct sunlight and as cool as possible.  Do not carve it until Halloween. The Giant Pumpkins Be sure to stop by and see the great pumpkins!  They weigh in at 608, 595, and 505 pounds!  And the Spookley storyboards are out for you to read. Fall Ornamentals We have mums, stacking and decorative pumpkins, gourds, colored corn, decorative edible squash, and mini straw bales for your fall decorating. Photo Ops We have several photo ops close to the market where you can get pictures of your family and friends. Fall Color Tour – 2 weeks away! The annual Three Rivers Area Fall Color Tour is Sunday, October 13.  We are one of the stops and will be in festival mode from 11am to 4pm.  We will have arts and crafts vendors, live music, food trucks, wine and hard cider happy hour, and other activities in addition to our market.  See our event webpage for the latest information. See the Three Rivers Chamber’s event flyer for more information about the festival and the other stops.  What is on the Market Fall Apples – Braeburn, Cortland, Early Fuji, Gala, Jonagold, Jonamac, Jonathan, Northern Spy, and Yellow/Golden Delicious available in quarter-pecks to bushels; Honeycrisp available in quarter-pecks and half pecks. Grapes – Concord and Niagara sold in quart and 2-quart boxes.  Bushels and half bushels must be ordered ahead. Pears – Bosc pears are now ready.  These pears store well for several months, available in quarts and half peck bags. Bankson Lake Produce – Fresh vegetables: Just Lettuce, Spicy Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, lettuce heads, kale, garlic, radishes and mushrooms.  The lettuces are prewashed, bagged, and ready to use. Hard Winter Squash for eating and decorating – Specialty squash: delicata, spaghetti, mashed potato, baked potato, sweet dumpling, carnival.  Fall squash: acorn, buttercup, butternut. Sweet Onions – Our sweet candy onions are cured and available individually and in 5- and 10-pound mesh bags.  Shown below are onions that were taken down and are ready to bag. Baked Goods In our freezer section, just “bake and enjoy”: — Fruit pies in assorted farm fresh flavors. — Stromboli’s – various types in breakfast, sandwich, and pizza styles. Freshly baked: — Assorted cookies, breads, muffins — Donuts in Fall flavors – buttermilk, pumpkin, and apple, available Saturday and Sunday. — Iced yeast donut rings decorated with sprinkles and “googly eyes”, available Saturday and Sunday. Pumpkin spice is in the air!  We are now making pumpkin pies, and some days you might smell our pumpkin donuts! Alcohol Check out our assortment of alcohol products – wine, hard ciders, and spirits.  Our products are made on-site in small batches.  We distill the brandies on the farm and use our fresh apple cider as the basis for fermenting our hard ciders. With the cooler months ahead, now is the time for brandy and even purchase some for holiday gift giving.  Our apple brandy mixes well with our cider and cider slushy! Our trademark Apple Brandy (Oaked) is aged in oak barrels for several years, giving it a rich, incomparable flavor and beautiful coloration.  We also have Apple brandy (Unoaked) that is aged in glass and reflects the true spirit of the fruit.  Our Grape brandy is distilled from our Concord and Niagara grapes. Grocery We have local grocery products we know you will enjoy.  As we transition to Fall, we are focusing on items that you will want to have handy for the winter months, like honey.  We still have other grocery items in stock, but we will not be reordering them. New this week from Jake’s Country Meats are a boneless pork shoulder roast and boneless loin roast.  Just in time for fall and pairs very well with apples! Pumpkin cake rolls (find in the fridge) Amish made jams, jellies, and salsas, made by Scherger’s Kettle, Shipshewana Pure honey from bees buzzing just a couple of miles away at Babcock’s Apiary. Maple syrup products including Barrel-Aged Bourbon Maple Syrup (non-alcoholic) made by Maple Row Sugarhouse using our bourbon barrels. Sunflower oil and butters Olipop prebiotic sodas Pork products from Jake’s Country Meats, Jones. Gifts Check out our wide range of hand-crafted gift items and original artwork, most of it made by our local artisans. Paintings Jewelry Kitchen items Tote and shopping bags Candles Note cards Seasonal lakeside living gifts Corey Lake Orchard branded items – insulated bags, notebooks, coffee cups, key chains, magnets, shirts Corey Lake Orchard gift certificates Happenings on the Farm Sunset Last week we witnessed this awesome sunset, certainly one of the most vibrant we’ve seen in a while, captured over the greenhouse and vineyard. Apple Variety Descriptions Already Picked: 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.  Slightly tart, great for eating, cooking, and baking, a descendent of the McIntosh and slightly sweeter, juices well. Early Fuji.  Sweet flavor with a low acid content, good for all purpose use like snacking, baking, and cooking Gala.  A great eating and cooking apple, a crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness. Golden/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. Honeycrisp.  A popular favorite, crisp, an excellent sweet flavor with a “bite” to it, great for eating fresh or using in salads. 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. 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 good cooking or eating apple, combines the best qualities of a Jonathan and a MacIntosh, a favorite for apple sauce. Jonathan.  Pretty and popular, used for fresh eating and cooking, a favorite for apple butter and taffy apples. 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.  Keeps well. Northern Spy: The professional baker’s dream, cooks up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”. U-Pick:  Golden/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. Northern Spy: The professional baker’s dream, cooks up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Easy to remember by saying “Spies for pies”. Red Delicious.  A favorite, best for fresh eating and snacks, full-flavored sweet taste, crisp texture. Thank you for your continued support and for buying local. Everyone at Corey Lake Orchards wishes you a blessed and bountiful Fall!