Orchard Talk

PICKLES ARE IN!

Tags: market, pickles, vegetables

There are so many vegetables in the market this time of year. It’s heaven for a vegetarian like me! We get some of our vegetables from Bay City, MI, but many of them come locally or from our farm as well.  Some of the best things we have right now are the zucchini, summer squash, and potatoes. They’re all cheap, and easy to make for a healthy meal! Right now we’re selling sweet corn from bay city, but in a few days we should be seeing our own in the market. Here’s a little price guide for the veggies, although some prices change time to time, depending on the size of them…

Summer Vegetables

Corn (Bay City) — .45/ear, 5.00/dozen

Potatoes (White) — 1.00/quart, 2.00/5lb bag

Potatoes (Red) — 1.50/quart, 3.00/5lb bag

Cucumbers — .75/slicing cuc, 2.75/quart of picklers

Summer Squash & Zucchini — .75/each

Onions — .60

Tomatoes — 1.99/lb

Green & Wax Beans — 2.00/1lb bag

Things have been so busy in the market! Our sweet cherry u-pick crop has been small, but it’s lasted through the 4th of July weekend, which is very good. We are expecting it to end by Sunday, June 11th however, so be sure to get out here while you can! Picking is a bit of a challenge if you compare to past years, because of how spaced out the cherries are on the branches. They are delicious though! Betsy is calling this year the “doing, not getting year”, because it’s more about going out and having fun than getting as many cherries as you can in your bucket.

In other news, the raspberries are looking great for this weekend. Our raspberries are “everbearing”, which means that raspberries ripen in batches all summer long. It’s so fun and easy to go out there and pick them, I highly recommend giving it a try.

If picking off of bushes isn’t your idea of u-pick fun,  Apricots may be for you. We’re planning to have apricots ready for picking this weekend, although they will still be quite firm. Hard apricots are perfect for traveling though, so if you’re passing through the area, be sure to take some home with you!

Be sure to stay tuned for the latest U-pick, Market, and general updates on the blog and our facebook!

U-pick is now in full swing here at the orchard. We opened up apricot picking this morning and they are delicious! We just started on a few trees today, but we will be picking for the next month or so. This is one of my favorite fruits here so don’t miss the early season this year!

Sweet cherries are still going. Even with the challenges cherries have had this year, people have been coming back with some very nice looking fruit and seem content with their picking experience. It does take a little extra sorting with the splits they have gotten from the rain, but the good ones taste amazing as ever.

Raspberries are also still being picked. We just have u-pick on these, but it’s normally quick and easy. I went out and picked a few today to sample in the market and they are looking great. There are tons out there. The patch we have is ever-bearing which means they will be around all summer, so make sure to grab a few while you’re visiting the orchard.
-Courtney

Hey there! It’s Megan, Betsy and John’s niece. I’m going to be taking over the blog a little, along with Courtney and a few of the other “fruit stand girls”, so stay tuned to know what’s fresh at King Orchards.

Today is our first day for U-Pick raspberries! I’m definitely excited, they’re one of my favorite fruits to eat here. They look beautiful, and taste great. Bring the family and get out here! Our raspberries should last all summer, with short 1-2 week breaks in between “batches”.

If you’re wondering about when we’re getting our own sweet cherries into the market and u-pick, John says they’ll be in full-swing for the weekend. Until then, we have some delicious cherries from Grand Rapids, MI. Be sure to come in and get them while they’re fresh! -Megan K.

Tags: Cherries, market, News, raspberries

What a glorious morning! If you’re out and about enjoying this gorgeous sunny day, be sure to stop in the M-88 market and say hello.

King Orchards M-88 Market. We're Open!

We’ll be sampling:

Cheerful Cherry Yogurt Parfaits: A little bit of homemade granola layered with dried fruit (including cherries), tart cherries (thawed from IQF),  and lowfat yogurt.  So yummy you’ll forget it’s good for you.

Slices of Cherry Pie: If you haven’t ever tried one of Rose’s famous cherry pies, you have to stop in and see what you’re missing. Rumor has it a certain Croc wearing celebrity chef was spotted leaving the Kewadin bakery last summer with the Balaton version in hand.  Molto yummy.

3 Varieties of Dried Tart Cherries

Dried Tart Cherries: Try a few apple juice sweetened or traditional sugar infused dried cherries, and let us know which you prefer. We have lots of recipes to share, too.

Tart Cherry Juice: Naturally, you’ll want to try our signature product, King Orchards Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate. If you want, we can give a dissertation on all the healthful properties of Montmorency tart  cherries.  But only if you want.

Frozen Tart Cherries: Both Balaton and Montmorency cherries, thawed from IQF. This is your opportunity to see and taste both varieties and see what you think. We love both, but for different reasons.

Talking Shop

Lively Conversation: It must be the sunshine. Everyone’s in a great mood, happily chatting about truck & equipment building, jeeps, winches and what-not.

Time to stock up on spicy-sweet Balaton cherry salsa.

Don’t forget to pick up a little cherry treat to enjoy at home. Betsy has Everything Cherry on sale through February.

Betsy & Alice enjoying a visit.

Happy Free Pie Friday!

Stop by the M-88 Market this Friday, February 19th, between 9 and 5, and enjoy a free slice of cherry pie. Happy National Cherry Month!

Tags: cherry pie, national cherry month, Powered by Red

I know it’s past Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t resist sharing my first real pumpkin pie recipe experience. Hard to believe that during all my tenure at King Orchards, I’ve never taken a pie pumpkin home and made a real old-fashioned pumpkin pie, but after tasting the results, I don’t think I’ll ever use canned pumpkin again!

I started with the recipe at pickyourown.org, which has excellent tips and visual references for preparing and cooking the pumpkin. I chose to halve mine the way we usually do squash, and baked it in the oven until tender. Piece of cake. The cooked pumpkin came out of the shell easily with an ice cream scoop.  Then I used combination potato masher and hand mixer to get the gloop good and smooth.

Here is the recipe from PickYourOwn:

Ingredients

• a pie pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups pumpkin glop (ok… “sieved, cooked pumpkin”)
• 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk

I had been researching online and talking to my baking relatives, so I used a few of the tips I found to adapt the basic recipe.

• I used half brown and half white sugar. Feedback at pickyourown.org said it adds flavor to the pie.
• I lightly whipped the eggs with a whisk prior to adding them. Read that somewhere, too.
• I used 1 can of evaporated milk and 6 ounces of half and half. My sister in law said they used half and half in their pumpkin pie, and that it made for a richer pie than evaporated milk. It also saves from opening the second can of evaporated milk only to use half of it.
• I added an extra smidgen of all the spices except the clove. Just cause I love cinnamon and ginger.
• I totally cheated on the crust and used frozen deep dish pie shells. Baby baking steps.
• The King Orchards pie pumpkin (that’s what we call them, some say sugar pumpkin) made lots of extra “goo,” so I went ahead and added oh… an extra few cups of pumpkin and maybe 1/4 cup more brown sugar to the filling. Figured the filling could take it, since it called for 4 eggs. Even after filling two deep dish pie shells, I had quite a lot of filling left over.  More on that in a sec.

I filled the shells up to about 1/8 ” from the top of the shells, then followed the instructions for baking:

• Bake at 425 F (210 C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F  ( 175 C ) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The result was quite possibly the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. It was spicy and creamy and rich, yet light at the same time.

It was so good that I bought some pre-made refrigerated pie crust over the weekend just so I could use the last 4 cups or so of leftover filling. We cut the crusts into about 3 1/4″ circles using the rim of a glass, then gently laid the rounds into muffin tins so they made 12 mini pie crusts.  Filled each one to the top of the crust with a few tablespoons of filling, baked as above and Holy Cow! They were amazing. My husband enjoyed the pumpkin tarts even more than the traditional pie, and they were a huge hit at our family game night.

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season; May your homes and your hearts be filled with warmth and laughter and love,
Patty

p.s. We  have a small pile of pie pumpkins left in the market, so there’s still time to give this recipe a sample run. I’ve heard you can use squash too, and that it’s pretty darned delicious.

King Orchards is proud to have been named in USA Today’s 10 Great Places to Pick Your Own Apples!

“Enjoy the recreation playground of northern Michigan when you pick apples here,” said Todd Hultquist, spokesman for the U.S. Apple Association.  Indeed, the sparkling waters of Torch Lake and Grand Traverse Bay are just moments from our orchards. We’re close to plenty of great dining, camping, hiking, fishing, shopping and golfing. Plus, Michigan grows some of the best tasting, most flavorful fruit in all the world.

The 2009 apple season has begun with Paula Reds (nice for snacking and back-to-school lunches) and Ginger Golds (keep ‘em refrigerated for optimal crunchy-sweet goodness).

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring McIntosh, Galas, Jonagolds, Cortlands, Empires and Honeycrisp.  Mutsu (also known as Crispin), Golden Delicious, Northern Spy and Ida Red apples ripen in October.

Can’t make it to the orchards in person?  Keep an eye on our online store; We’ll begin apple gift box shipping later this month!

Tags: apple picking, apple shipping, honey crisp, honeycrisp, michigan apples, pick your own, usa today

Red Haven peaches

RED HAVEN PEACHES: Red Haven is the all-time favorite of peach lovers for both canning and eating fresh. They are freestone, which means that the fruit comes free from the stone when peeled. Other areas of the country may grow more peaches than we do, but Michigan peaches are renowned for their rich flavor and juiciness.

Market price 99 cents per pound; $15.00 per 1/2 bushel.
U-Pick $13.00 per 1/2 bushel.

We’re having a close-out sale on Garnet Beauty (semi-cling) peaches.  $8.00 per 1/2 bushel.

APRICOTS:
Market price $4.00 per quart; $9.00 per 1/2 peck; $15.00 for 10 pounds; $24.00 per lug
U-Pick price $1.25 per pound. Pick 20 pounds or more for $1.00 per pound.

NECTARINES:
Market price 99 cents per pound; $4.50 per ½ peck; $7.50 per peck; $15.00 per ½ bushel.
U-pick price $7.00 per peck, $13.00 per 1/2 bushel.

CUCUMBER SPECIAL:
$5.00 per 1/2 bushel for our delicious slicing cukes

Tags: canning peaches, michigan peaches, peach orchards, peaches, red haven peaches