A Wonderful Pumpkin Harvest
A Great Pumpkin Harvest this Year! John King is so excited about our pumpkin harvest this year! He sought out the best seeds to grow the biggest and best pumpkins! […]
Author: courtney
U Pick Apples for the Weekend
Fall Means U Pick Apples! There are still lots of u pick apples at our M-88 Market on the trees available. We have pick your own Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Mutsu, […]
Saucin’ Saturday
Our 2nd annual Saucin’ Saturday and Craft Show will be November 21st, the Saturday before Thanksgiving at our M-88 Market. For those of you who have not attended, we will […]
Pick Your Own Apples
It’s starting to feel like fall with the first apples of the season starting to come into the fruit stands. Pick your own apples will be starting up Labor Day […]
Canning Tomatoes and More!
Canning Tomatoes are at their Peak! We have excellent fresh produce right now in our markets! We have beautiful canning tomatoes from Iott Ranch & Orchard. We also have slicing […]
Pick Your Own Apricots
Tree Ripened Apricots As of 8/19, the u-pick apricots are looking good. There are quite a few on the trees but act fast before they get picked over! We will […]
Fresh Apricots
The fresh apricots are starting to come into the markets. We also have u-pick apricots available however they are ripening unevenly so please call before making the trip to u-pick. […]
Bay City Sweet Corn is Here!
Bay City sweet corn means Michigan veggie season is here! Our market is full of fresh veggies from Michigan farmers as well as our own cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. It […]
Sweet Cherry U-Pick Season Coming to a Close
After an extremely plentiful and high quality crop, our sweet cherry u-pick season is coming to a close. We held back the shaking crew as long as we could because […]
Pick Your Own Tart Cherries
Pick Your Own Tart Cherries in Full Swing Pick your own tart cherries is finally open! We have our pitter running full speed. The cherries are full of flavor and […]
Pick Your Own Michigan Sweet Cherries in Full Force!
U-pick Michigan sweet cherries are in full force! We have an abundant crop this year and the picking is great! The season should last for about 3 weeks. Pick your […]
Pick Your Own Sweet Cherries Update
The crop of sweet cherries this year is huge! We are opening u-pick on July 4th. It is always a challenge because the cherries don’t ripen evenly so the first […]
Kyle Barnes; PhD; Exercise Physiologist & Marathon Runner on the Power of Cherries
Coincidentally my path to the power of cherries has come full circle to where it all began, on the North end of Torch Lake, just a couple miles from King […]
Northern Michigan Strawberry Update 6/25
They say Florida is known for strawberries, but we all know that Northern Michigan strawberries are superior to anything else! They are coming in consistently now! We do have flat […]
Cherry Season Update (Sweet Cherries and Tart Cherries)
Sweet Cherries: We are hoping to have sweet cherries in the markets for the 4th and ready to pick your own on July 6th – 7th. They usually last for […]
Strawberry Update
Strawberry season has had a slow start. With the colder weather, they have been hit or miss depending on the day. We have not been getting as many as we […]
A Frosty Morning
It was a cold and frosty morning today which made last night a long night on the farm. At just about 1 a.m. the cold started to settle in, starting […]
Blossom Time is Upon Us!
5/5/15: Some of the apricot trees are in full bloom and the rest are closely behind (later this afternoon or tomorrow morning)! Sweet cherries should be close behind (by the […]
King Orchards is Going Green!
It’s spring and everything on the farm is going green! We are in the transition of changing our cherry juice concentrate and capsule labels as well as re-introducing a new […]
IFTA Growers Conference- Halifax, Nova Scotia
The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) held its 58th annual conference in Halifax Nova Scotia February 21st-25th. Jack and I had the pleasure of attending the full conference. The conference […]
Stephan Shay; Professional Runner
I’ve been a runner my entire life. Quite literally following in the footsteps of my older siblings, my passion for the sport of distance running started at a young age. […]
Cherry Pretzel Torte
This Cherry Pretzel Torte recipe was altered from a recipe in a local cherry cookbook, “600 Very Cherry Recipes”, put out by farmers’ wives in the area in the early […]
Naseem Haje; NCAA DII Cross Country All-American
Age: 23 Team: Pacers/New Balance Sponsors: King Orchards, Pacers Running Stores, New Balance, Honey Stinger Coach: Self-Coached Location: Hagerstown, MD Favorite race: Youngstown Peace Race About me: I started running my sophomore year of high school. […]
Smoked Camembert Cheese with Cherry Topping
Jack fired up his smoker the other day and decided to do a Camembert cheese with cherry topping. You could also use brie for this recipe. He put the Camembert […]
Eric Dube, Physical Therapist and Mountain Biker
Working in the field of medicine means I take health seriously. By trade, I am a licensed physical therapist in Colorado, and I am specialized in orthopedic and sports medicine. I […]
Gluten Free Cherry Cheesecake
This recipe is from a food blogger, Judi Strauss at The Charmed Kitchen. We sent her some of our cherry products and she has come up with some delicious recipes. […]
Cherry Coney Sauce for Hotdogs, Brats, or Burgers
This recipe for Cherry Coney Sauce during Cherry Month is from one of Betsy King’s good friends, Carol Nelden. Cherry Coney Sauce for hotdogs, […]
Homemade Cherry Whipped Cream
I love making my own whipped cream. It is so easy and so much better than the packaged whipped cream you buy at the grocery store! The other day, I […]
Steel Cut Oats Topped with IQF Tart Cherries
Almost everyday, John and I eat steel cut oats topped with IQF tart cherries. I make up a big batch of steel cut oats which then we eat over the […]
Cooper Dendel, Professional Mountain Biker
Age: 23 Team: Quick Stop Bike Shop (title sponsor) Sponsors: King Orchards, Trek, Bontrager, Podium Wear, Momentum Endurance, Frosty Treats, Hayes, Sun Ringle, Answer, Manitou, Honey Stinger License: XC: Pro […]
Cherry and Fruit Smoothie
This cherry and fruit smoothie recipe is from our loyal customer, friend, and neighbor, Mary. “Great after a work-out for a protein blast! For any smoothie maker, such as a […]
Honey Cherry Relish on Oven Baked Fish
For this recipe, I first had to get John to catch me a fresh whitefish from Torch Lake. I baked the fish and then spread the honey cherry relish over […]
Cherry Oatmeal Bake
Brighten your breakfast with this warm Cherry Oatmeal Bake this winter.
Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
King Orchards Homemade Cherry Pie Filling Recipe There is nothing like a pie made with homemade cherry pie filling. Not only homemade, but easy! This works great with frozen tart […]
Holiday Delivery Schedule
We would like to pass on the holiday shipping schedule that would guarantee delivery by Christmas to anywhere in the U.S. UPS Ground and USPS First Class & Priority Mail […]
Saucin’ Saturday/Craft Fair November 22nd
November 22nd, King Orchards will be hosting our 2nd annual Saucin’ Saturday at our M-88 market from 9am-5pm. We will be combining this with our 2nd annual craft fair. If […]
Fresh Pressed Unpasteurized Apple Cider
Rack and cloth cider press We just finished pressing our first batch of unpasteurized apple cider! We are making small batch cider using an older style rack and cloth press. […]
Michigan Apple Shipping Straight from the Grower
From Michigan and have moved away or want to surprise that special someone with a taste of Northern Michigan’s fall? Maybe you should think about Michigan apple shipping straight from […]
Pick Your Own Apples Means it is Officially Fall in Northern Michigan!
Fall in Northern Michigan wouldn’t be the same without a walk through the orchard to pick your own apples! At King Orchards, we strive to make a fantastic apple picking […]
Gingergold Apple U-Pick is Open!
We have officially opened apple u-pick on Gingergolds! They are available at both of our markets as well. We also have a few Zestars, Sansas, and Paula Reds. The price […]
Michigan Canning Tomatoes!
We just brought in a truck full of beautiful Michigan canning tomatoes from our farmer friend, Katrina Iott out of Petersburg, MI. We have them available by the 1/2 bushel. […]
Summer Apples
Summer apples are in full swing with Zestar, Paula Red, and Sansa apples! The first Gingergolds are arriving in the market too. We are all getting excited to open apple […]
Red Haven Peaches
All the peaches are off the trees but our coolers are filled with them! We have Red Haven peaches available by the 1/2 bushel. We also have nectarines and apricots […]
Apples for Labor Day Weekend!
Today was an exciting day! We got the first few apples in- Zestar, Paula Red, and Sansa apples! We all enjoy that first big crunch of the season. The apples […]
Fresh Michigan Produce from the Eastern Market
For the past few weeks, Jack and I have been going down to the wholesale Eastern Market in Detroit which runs from midnight to 6a.m. We have been selling apricots, […]
Red Haven Peaches are Here!
The Red Haven peaches all you canners have been waiting for are in! The extreme winter temperatures took a toll on the trees so it is a slightly lighter crop […]
Last Day for U-Pick Apricots (8/18); Red Haven Peaches Later This Week!
Today (8/18) is the last day for u-pick apricots. We hope to still have them in our markets through the weekend. Red Haven peaches will be in the markets soon! […]
Michigan Produce In the Markets…
Our markets are filled with wonderful Michigan produce! From our own gardens, we have pickling cucs, slicing cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini. We have some amazing produce from our friendly […]
U-Pick Apricots are in Full Swing!
The apricot season has officially begun! Both markets are open for u-pick apricots and they are beautiful, juicy, and sweet! There is absolutely nothing like a tree ripened apricot. Just […]
Sweet Cherry U-Pick at our US 31 Market
Our US 31 Market has a later variety of sweet cherry called a Hudson that is just now getting ripe. We should have these available for u-pick through the weekend […]
Pick You Own Tart Cherries Through the Weekend; Pick Your Own Apricots Strong by the Weekend
U-pick tart cherries is still going strong and will go through the weekend. They are $1.00/lb and $1.00/bucket to pit them. Pick your own apricots are slowly starting to roll in. […]
Great Pick Your Own Tart Cherries
Pick your Own Tart Cherries in their Prime! Pick your own tart cherries are still going strong and our pitter is running at our M-88 Market! Tart cherries are $1.00/lb […]
Sweet Cherry U-Pick Coming to an End, Tart Cherries at Their Prime
Pick your own sweet cherries will be coming to a close in the next couple days. Sweet cherries are very valuable this year because of the gaining popularity of black […]
Tart Cherry Picking OPEN!
Montmorency tart cherry picking is open for just $1/lb (same price as last year)! We have a great crop out there and can pit them for you for just $1/u-pick […]
Tart Cherry U-Pick Open by the Weekend! Pick Your Own Sweet Cherries Open!
The Montmorency tart cherries are almost ripe and ready to pick! We should be in full swing by the weekend if we get some warmer weather. We will still have […]
Open for U-Pick Sweet Cherries!
We have officially opened up the orchard for pick your own sweet cherries and raspberries. We also have sweet cherries available in both markets. The u-pick sweet cherries will last […]
Sweet Cherry U-Pick by the Weekend
The sweet cherries are moving right along. The Calvaliers (which are the first sweet cherry variety ready) are getting dark and sweet. We will have a few trickling into the […]
Sweet Cherries Next Week!
The sweet cherries are looking fantastic and gaining color every day! It looks like sweet cherries will be making an appearance in a week or so towards the end of […]
Sweet Cherry Update
With all the crazy weather that the Traverse City area has seen this spring and early summer, it’s exciting to see branches loaded with sweet cherries. At this point, the […]
Busy Spring at King Orchards
See what it is that keeps us so busy at King Orchards every spring…
The Fruit is Developing!
After a busy spring, we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor! The fruit is beginning to develop on all the trees. Right now, the crews are busy at […]
Tart Cherry and Apple Blossoms!
As of today, our tart cherries are in full bloom! They won’t last long, but the look out our office window today is beautiful. Our apple trees at our US […]
Blossom Alert!
It is an exciting time for blossom lovers! The bees are buzzing and the smell of flowers is wafting through the air which can only mean one thing-the apricots […]
Blossom Update-Popcorn Bud!
Blossom time is getting closer! John just checked out the apricot trees by our US 31 market and they have reached the popcorn bud stage where the white bud is […]
King Orchards Easy Cherry Pie
Ingredients: 6 cups King Orchards frozen tart cherries 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup flour 1/4 tsp. almond extract Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil […]
Spring Has Arrived!
After a long winter, spring has finally arrived at King Orchards. As I walk outside the market, I can smell the pungent odor of the turkey manure that has been […]
Orchard Blossom Update
This is the time of the year when people begin asking about the orchard blossom schedule. This is always hard to predict but we want to keep everyone as up […]
Winter Effects on the Orchard
With the memorable 2014 winter slowly coming to a close, the winter effects on the trees seems to be a question resonating throughout the orchard from concerned fruit lovers everywhere. […]
Beautifully Cold Day at King Orchards
I woke up to some surprising weather this morning. We have had quite a few cold days at the farm this year, however this was one of the coldest […]
King Orchards’ Top 5 Ways to Eat an Apple
Our New Year’s resolution is to eat more fruit! Since it is still apple season here on the farm, we thought we would share our favorite apple recipes and uses […]
Winter on the Farm
Even though the snow is falling here in Northern Michigan, the farm is still busy as can be. From slowly emptying out our apple coolers to preparing the farm equipment […]
Frozen IQF Montmorency Tart Cherries Ready for Shipping!
We are now going to begin shipping Montmorency frozen tart cherries. We apologize to all you Balaton cherry fans, but we do not have them available this year. There is […]
Winding down still
Friday night October 18. We will still be open for u-pick this weekend, but the forecast is for rain. Early next week we will start to wrap up picking the […]
Apple Shipping
I commissioned a remake of our website early in July. I thought it would be ready for Cherries, but it is still not operating. So I will have to get […]
Apple Season / Apple U-Pick Update
Today (Mon 9/9/13) I picked and ate my first McIntosh of the season. It was tart and the flesh had a green tint to it but I think we are […]
Apple Season Begins and Apple U-Pick
We start apples every year with Paula Reds, Sanza, and now our first crop of Zestar. (oh I had 2 1/2 bushel of Lodi too)These are summer apples that do […]
August Activities
I have been remiss in getting out the information but here goes. We have had a fantastic tart cherry year. All of our mature blocks had bountiful crops and quality […]
Apricots Ready for U-Pick
Apricots, Raspberries, and Sour cherries are still being u-picked. The Montmorencies (sours, or tarts) will be done before next weekend. The apricots should last through the weekend, and raspberries are […]
Late July Progress Report
It has been a very good sweet cherry season but it is winding down. As the Northern Michigan residents can attest, it has been raining a lot. The sweet cherries […]
Harvest Update Monday 7/22/13
U-pickers continue to find plenty of Black sweet cherries. The cracks from 2 weeks ago have shriveled and the good cherries have grown so sorting them is not too hard. […]
Tart cherries are here!
The u-pickers have started picking the Montmorency tart cherries and they look good. The tart cherry pitter is running smoothly so when a u-pick customer picks a large lot of […]
Sweet Cherries, Montmorency Tart Cherries, and Apricots
Well the rains that came early in the week were wonderful for most of the crops but they have a big negative side effect on the sweet cherries. When sweet […]
Raspberry picking and Sweet Cherry picking
We received almost an inch of rain today. That is great news for the parched trees and crops. The raspberries finally are ripening and tomorrow (Tues July 9) will be […]
Cherry Harvest 2013 Underway
The cherries have ripened faster than I expected the last few days. After a freakout yesterday (July 4) we opened up the u-pick and the black sweet cherries are coming […]
Fruit for u-pick
I am pleasantly surprised at the fast pace of the ripening fruit. The raspberries will be open for u-pick in time for the Fourth of July. (Probably the M88 location […]
Cherry crop, picking, shipping.
The cherry crop is coming along beautifully. We received 8/10 s of an inch of rain last night which was very much appreciated. So cherries are sizing up. The sweet […]
End of May Progress Report
It is shaping up to be a banner year. Our biggest acreage, Montmorency tart cherries appears to have a very nice crop coming. This is so important for us because […]
Spring Chores
Planting sweet corn with a brand new tractor. We traded in two John Deere tractors last fall on two New Holland tractors that were delivered recently. The John Deeres were […]
New Wind Machine Protects Cherry Crop from Frost
A new Chinook wind machine went up at King Orchards last week. Due to the widely variable weather we hope this thing will provide some protection from frosts on cold […]
Still at 100% potential!
The apricots have bloomed and they look very strong. The sweets are opening now and they look good too. Nectarines, Peaches, Apples, Balatons, Tarts, all opening in the next few […]
Spring!
The snow from last week is almost gone. The ice fishing gear is waiting to be put away. The ten day weather forecast has no frost predicted. Spring has finally […]
April 10, 2013
Woke up to a beautiful white day. This is turning out to be one of the cooler springs in quite a while. So far this is all good for fruit […]
8 Degree February Morning
Lots of snow lately and cold weather. The Northern Michigan fruit growers have been more nervous about the weather than ever before so it has been comforting to have normal […]
Holidays Around Here
The lack of snow so far has allowed us to keep the farm hands going. The manure is almost all spread and it doesn’t stink anymore (maybe I am immune). […]
Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo
We always look forward to the Expo which is held in Grand Rapids at the DeVos Center Dec 4, 5, and 6.. The place is packed with fruit industry people. […]
November Notes
Several news items that I should have posted earlier but I didn’t. The biggest news is that Jim and Rose are grandparents again as Mark and Brande had a baby […]
October News
It has been a great few weeks for us. Honeycrisp quality is excellent and demand is crazy. Galas picked more than our estimate so that is good news too. We […]
U-pick Apples
The greatly reduced apple crop combined with very hot August and Sept weather has accelerated the apple ripening. We have been planting varieties for u-pick and encouraging customers to come […]
Fall crop update
Yes we have apples!! We have started picking the Ginger Golds and they are really good. The super hot weather (plus irrigation) has made them very sweet and juicy. Even […]
Fruit News
We hand picked a few lugs of sweets today. Three weeks earlier than we would usually start picking. We have about 5 acres of sweets (out of 45) at the […]