Orchard Talk

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!

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Help! We’re being overrun by cucumbers!!!

If we can’t get to the phones, it’s because we can’t make it through the mountains of pickling and slicing cukes we’ve harvested from our gardens. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to plant 5 acres

Here’s what we’re offering this week:

Veggies: Now available at both markets: good quality slicing cukes (not too fat) and pickling cukes (sand-free). Our sweet corn is here: golden fresh and sweet. We also have lots of our own zucchini and summer squash in the market, plus amazing melons, juicy tomatoes and crisp, tasty peppers direct from Bay City.

Cherries: Last chance for delicious, fresh tart cherries. Get ‘em while you can, most likely through the middle of the week. If you absolutely can’t make it by then, you’re still in luck. We’re now offering frozen pitted tart cherries and sweet cherries as well. So many ways to enjoy this Northern Michigan favorite… What’s yours?

Peaches: Our Early Glo peaches are ready for picking. These are sweet and delicious; great for eating! Just a little while longer for the Red Haven canning peaches, which we’re expecting the last week of August.

Nectarines: They should be ready around the same time as the Red Havens. So far, it’s looking like the last week of August to enjoy these.

Apricots: The apricots are delicious and firm, still going strong. Come and U-Pick or find them ready to go at the market.

Blueberries: Direct from West Olive, we’re got luscious, plump blueberries-great for eating and making desserts.

Flowers: We have big, beautiful sunflowers available to U-Pick and in our market. We also have a plethora of statice: a bright, colorful way to brighten up your home or office.

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Bring the whole family to the orchard for a fun, affordable day trip they won’t soon forget! Our trees are all specially trimmed so the cherries are accessible, even for small children.

Pick your own tart cherries: You can pick your own tart cherries in season right from the tree and we will wash them and pit them for you. This year they are $1.00 a pound, and there is a flat $6 fee for washing and pitting (any amount) while you wait.

Still Picking Sweets: The sweet cherry picking is really great right now. You can pick dark sweet (Bing) cherries for $1.75 per pound, and light sweets (Rainier or Queen Anne) for $1.25 a pound.

Picking Raspberries: We also have raspberries ripening and turning deep red in the warm, summer sun. You can go out to the patch and pick your own for $4 a pint.

Need Directions? Visit our map page or get Google Map Directions from your location. Call us toll-free at 877-937-5464 if you have questions.

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