Category: Crop Updates & Orchard Talk

Shipping Details

NOW OFFERING $9.99 FLAT RATE SHIPPING * *Flat Rate/Free Shipping Excludes Bulk Fruit Concentrates, Frozen Cherries, and Fresh Fruit. Only applies to Continental United States.

M-88 Market Winter Hours

We do go down to shorter hours during the winter months. We still have apples in the market, as well as honey, syrup, dried cherries, cherry juice concentrate, jams and jellies, applesauce, frozen pies, and much more. Our M-88 Market will be open: Monday – Friday : 9AM – 4PM Saturday : 10AM – 4PM […]

Holiday Hours

We will have special hours through the Holiday season at our M-88 Market December 23rd: Closed December 24th: Closed December 25th: Closed December 26th: Closed December 27th: 9am – 5pm December 28th: 9am – 5pm December 29th: 9am – 5pm December 30th: Closed December 31st: Closed January 1st: Closed January 2nd: 9am – 5pm January […]

Pick Your Own Apples for Labor Day Weekend!

Pick your own apples is officially open at our M-88 Market. As of 8/31, we are picking both Gingergold and McIntosh apples. We are looking forward to a great apple crop this year. The trees are full of beautiful fruit! We also have apples available to purchase in both markets including Sansa, Zestar, Paula Red, […]

Pick Your Own Fruit Update

The first weekend in July is looking like it is going to be perfect for pick your own fruit! The weather stations are predicting sun and some heat. Our strawberry patch at our M-88 Market is FULL of berries! The patch is very clean and the berries are sweet and juicy! Pick your own raspberries […]

Summer FruitCast

  Summer at King Orchards Here at King Orchards, we have been working diligently throughout the year to provide you with the premier produce of the summer. Our trees have been trimmed, equipment cleaned, and staff hired to ensure that your King Orchards experience is nothing less than a great time. So here is an […]

Cherry Crop Update

We are looking forward to a strong cherry crop this year! The trees are full of green leaves and little cherries. At this point, we feel as though the cherry trees have officially survived the frost season and will produce a healthy crop of cherries if the weather continues to cooperate. We hope to have […]

John King’s Spring Blossom Update

Spring Blossom Update It is hard to keep our readers up to date on the spring blossoms since it moves so quickly, but here is our update as of now. Apricots were the first to open, which is typical. They are already past their prime and dropping petals. Sweet cherries have been opening slowly for […]

Happy National Tart Cherry Month

In February, we celebrate Montmorency tart cherries during National Tart Cherry Month. To help you celebrate National Tart Cherry Month with us, we are offering $9.99 flat rate shipping on your entire order in the contiguous U.S. (Alaska and Hawaii $9.99 flat rate shipping on a maximum of 10 quarts of cherry juice concentrate) throughout […]

January Sale on Upgraded Cherry Capsules

Sale on Upgraded Cherry Capsules As many of you know, we have recently upgraded our Montmorency Cherry Capsules. We have added more powder into every capsule (from 435 mg to 500 mg) and more capsules into every bottle (from 60 capsules to 90 capsules). For the month of January, we will be offering a sale […]

UPGRADED Montmorency Tart Cherry Capsules

We are making a change in our Montmorency Tart Cherry Capsules… a GREAT change! We are calling it the “Upgraded” version. We have added MORE powder in every capsule and MORE capsules in every bottle. NOW, instead of 435mg in each capsule, there is 500mg. NOW, instead of 60 capsules in every bottle, there are […]

Saucin’ Saturday – Peel, Cut, and Core Apples for Free

Get ready for the holiday season with our annual Saucin’ Saturday event this Saturday, November 19th. As we peel, cut, and core apples for free, we will also be hosting a craft fair along with DIY holiday crafts for the whole family! Need some ideas on holiday meals this year? We will have samples and […]

M-88 Market Open Year ‘Round

Did you know our M-88 Market is open year ’round? Come warm up at our Central Lake Market this winter. We will be offering apples and squash through Christmas as well as dried cherries, frozen fruit, cherry juice concentrate, apple cider, honey, syrup, and other assorted farm goodies year ’round! King Orchards is the perfect […]

Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Pick Your Own Apples

It is looking like another wonderful fall weekend to pick your own pumpkins and apples. Our pumpkin patch is bright orange and ready to be picked PLUS we have a super sale going on; Bushel o’ Pumpkins for $8.50 at our M-88 pumpkin patch when you pick them yourself! There is easy car access to […]

August is the time for Northern Michigan Produce

Northern Michigan produce is at its peak! Tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers and pickling cucumbers along with all kinds of good veggies from the garden are in the fruit stand. It’s time for fresh salsa, gazpacho, and paella. If canning is your passion, now is the time to preserve this summer’s harvest or live in the […]

Montmorency Tart Cherries are Here!

Tart Cherry time is now! It’s a limb busting year with every branch loaded to the max. The fruit is bright red and full of flavor. Come out and pick you own Montmorency tart cherries. Our cherry pitter is running full speed at our M-88 Market and can pit all you can pick. It’s as […]

Pick Your Own Sweet Cherries Now Open!

Our pick your own sweet cherries is officially open as of July 5th! There are lots of cherries to be picked out there! We also have sweet cherries available in our markets by the quart, flat, and lug. We are hoping to have pick your own tart cherries starting next week. This year we have […]

Hoping for U-Pick Sweet Cherries Monday, July 4th!

Crossing our fingers for Monday, July 4th U-Pick sweet cherries just in time for the Cherry Fest in Traverse City! With some more sunshine, we should have picked cherries in the market on Sunday and U-Pick on Monday. We have high standards for our fruit and want to get our customers deep, dark sweet cherries. […]

A Fruitful Crop of Cherries Coming!

We are looking forward to a fantastic crop of cherries for pick your own and already picked. The sweet and tart cherry trees are loaded with fruit! We are hoping to have sweet cherries available for u-pick and in our markets around July 4th and tart cherries around July 15th. We will have our sweet […]

Solar Project to Improve Sustainability on the Orchard

Here at King Orchards, sustainability is something that we value and want to work towards. As stewards of the land, we realize the delicate balance between environment, weather and our livelihood. In September 2015, to help improve sustainability, King Orchards installed a 52 kW solar field on our Creswell farm, behind the market on US-31 […]

Cherry Themed Dinner

To celebrate National Cherry Month, our chef friends, Roy and Connor, offered to host a Cherry Themed Dinner highlighting this wonderful fruit. Both Roy and Connor are regular customers in the fruit stand using our fruit in both their professional kitchens as well as their personal kitchens. In addition to hosting this wonderful dinner, they […]

Winter on the Orchard 2016

Winter on the Orchard February 13th: -4, quiet and calm with a bright sun shine glistening over the new blanket of snow we received last night. Mornings like this where you can actually see the cold in the air are so exhilarating. This past week, Jack and I were marveling at the height of the […]

Pre-Order Your Thanksgiving Pies!

Homemade Thanksgiving Pies from our Family to Yours… Pre-Order Your Thanksgiving Pies Apple- $12.00 Caramel Apple Walnut- $13.00 Cherry- $14.00 Cherry Crumb- $14.00 Pumpkin- $12.00 Cherry Raspberry- $15.00 Triple Berry- $15.00 Order Deadline- Please place order by 5:00pm on Tuesday, November 24th. Pick Up Information- Pick up from noon until 5pm at our M-88 Market […]

Saucing Saturday & Craft Fair 2015

Saucing Saturday November 21st Saturday, November 21st, King Orchards will be hosting our annual Saucing Saturday & Craft Fair at our M-88 Market. We will be peeling, coring, and slicing apples for FREE for any customer that buys a 1/2 bushel of apples. The craft fair will run from 9am-4pm. This is an event people […]

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! We have a huge crop this year so be sure you stop in and take a look. Halloween is almost here and we’re getting in […]

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, Empire, and Ida Red apples for this coming weekend. Along with u-pick apples, we have pick your own pumpkins, squash, raspberries, and beets available for […]

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 weekend. The Zestar and Gingergold trees are loaded with apples for fun and easy picking. Gingergolds have a big crunch, bold sweet flavor with a […]

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 tomatoes available. We have a variety of peppers available for all your salsa needs plus green peppers available by the half bushel! The corn is […]

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 have these through the weekend. These are a unique fruit for Michigan. If you have never had a fresh, tree ripened apricot, you are missing […]

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. Apricots are the same price in the market as they are to pick. At King Orchards, we offer some of the best, tree-ripened apricots you […]

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 is definitely time for a fresh BLT with romaine from VanDyke Farms and tomatoes from Iott Ranch and Orchards. Bay City sweet corn just arrived […]

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 the sweet cherry u-pick was so nice. The shaking crew did go through the sweet cherries at our M-88 Market yesterday so most of the […]

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 the picking is good. Pick your own tart cherries are $1.25 per pound. Tart cherries are very perishable, so the best way to preserve these […]

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 own raspberries are slowly trickling in. The season is just getting going and will last throughout the summer. Check in for our daily update of […]

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 couple days are always a little slower and more selective picking. We want people to be happy with the cherries they pick, so it just […]

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 sales available. The berries are sweet and delicious!

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 about 3 weeks. Our sweet cherries are looking big and sweet. Tart Cherries: We are hoping to have tart cherries ready to you pick sometime […]

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 want, but we hope things will pick up as the weather gets warmer. Please call us at 231-544–6479 to get an update for the day. […]

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 at 32 dredges and we saw temperatures as low as 28 degrees by 6 a.m. Closely watching the MSU weather stations on Enviro-weather, we were […]

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 end of the week) especially if the heat continues!             5/6/15: The apricots are in full blossom! Some of 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 1 ounce, single serving cherry juice concentrate packet. This transition has been happening for quite a while so we are all excited that ALL of […]

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 began with an intensive Honeycrisp apple workshop. Nova Scotia is growing amazing Honeycrisp apples (right behind Michigan). The Annapolis Valley is at the 45th parallel […]

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. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to compete in races across the United States, Asia, and Europe. Although I was a solid runner in high […]

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. I made the switch from playing soccer because I felt like I was better at running. I went on to run at the NCAA Division […]

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 have a Doctorate in Physical therapy and trained very hard to understand the anatomy and physiology of the entire body. Throughout my professional career, I […]

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 Coach: Brian Matter (Momentum Endurance) Location: Marquette MI Favorite race: Marquette Trails Festival Bike: Trek Superfly FS 9.9 XTR About me: I started mountain bike […]

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 are the usual and most affordable shipping methods we use. Please call for other inquiries on other emergency shipping methods 877-937-5464. UPS Ground: Ship by […]

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. We start by putting the apples through a grinder then pumping the crushed apples onto a cheese cloth. We then stack them by putting a […]

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 the grower! We have one of THE most spectacular Honeycrisp years ever this year! They are absolutely beautiful– sweet, tangy, and crunchy! We are also […]

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 experience for everyone. We grow dwarf apple trees and prune them specifically for u-pick apples to make it easy for people of all ages to […]

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 on apples are $12/half bushel, $8/peck, and $5/half peck. Honeycrisp apples are not far behind. The cold nights followed by sunny days really help add […]

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. We also have fresh Castleton Prune Plums in our markets. We will have them available by the half bushel shortly. Fresh sweet corn is still […]

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 u-pick as soon as the Gingergolds are at perfect ripeness. Fresh picked Castleton plums are making this year’s first appearance for Italian prune plums. They […]

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 still available in our markets. The raspberry u-pick has been good lately and will get better as we move further into the fall season. U-pick […]

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 will be here to stay. Gingergolds should start sometime after Labor Day and many more varieties to follow, including everyone’s favorite– Honeycrisp. Peach season is […]

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, peaches, and nectarines to grocery stores and farm markets in the Detroit area like Hiller’s, Ruhlig Farms and Gardens, The Produce Station, and Westborn. The […]

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 than usual. We hope to have u-pick through the week. We also have them available in our markets. Our apricot season is beginning to wind […]

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! We will have a few trickling in this week and hope to open u-pick at both markets Thursday. We still have lots of Michigan produce […]

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 neighbors to the south in Bay City. That includes sweet corn, melons, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, potatoes, and green beans. We also have dried beans […]

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 a disclaimer; be prepared for drip down your face juicy deliciousness! The pick your own apricots are $1.60/lb and $6.00/quart in our markets. We hope […]

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 of August 9th along with raspberries and apricots. Our M-88 Market will have pick your own tart cherries available along with apricots and raspberries. We […]

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 and pitting is $1.00/u-pick bucket (which fits about 13lbs). U-pick sweet cherries is closed at our M-88 Market, however there will be a late variety […]

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 cherry yogurt and ice cream (our favorite flavor here at King Orchards). Due to this, we have to harvest the sweet cherries on schedule with […]

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 bucket (about 15lbs of cherries). We should have tart cherries open for picking for about 2 weeks. Sweet cherries are still available for picking as […]

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 pick your own sweet cherries available as well. We do have a commercial sweet cherry pitter and tart cherry pitter so we can pit the […]

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 for 3-4 weeks or so. U-pick raspberries will last through the summer, however picking does vary day to day. We recommend calling before you come […]

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 market hopefully tomorrow. U-pick sweet cherries should be open by Friday or so. Our raspberry picking is just beginning and will slowly gain momentum if […]

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 the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City. Make sure to keep updated on our “Orchard Talk” blog on the website. Sweet cherries will run for […]

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 cherries are starting to get some color and size. We are hoping to see the first sweet cherries around July 7-10 if Mother Nature keeps […]

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 work hand thinning apricots and pears. We are looking to have sweet cherries ready to pick around July 10th. Keep checking in for more updated […]

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 31 market are in full bloom and the apple blossoms at our M-88 market are just beginning. The blossoms have been coming on strong but […]

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 have finally reached full bloom! With the forecast of the upcoming warm weather, we expect sweet cherries to bloom by Memorial weekend with tart cherries, […]

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 just starting to poke out. Depending on the weather, we should be in full bloom by the end of the week with the apricot trees. […]

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 spread throughout the orchards between last fall and this spring, hear the wind machines roaring as they get them ready for the busy frost prevention […]

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 to date as possible since it tends to be short lived but an absolutely beautiful sight to see. The orchard blossoms are dependent on the […]

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. I have been reluctant to write about the effects the winter has had on the orchard. We saw a low temperature of -18F which can […]

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 temperatures I have caught. In spite of the negative temperatures, the sun actually decided to come out today and make for a beautifully cold day.

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 for storage, the last couple months have been a whirlwind for everyone on the farm. As many of you know, this was a bountiful year […]

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 trees that we left for u-pick so this is the last chance to u-pick Empire, Gala, and Northern Spy. I will leave some Mutsu and […]

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 out the word on apple shipping the old way…in the blog. We will start shipping McIntosh apples next week Sept 16. To protect the apples […]

Apple Season / Apple U-Pick Update

Michigan Macintosh apples near Traverse City

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 ready to start picking the Macs. We will open the McIntosh for apple U-pick tomorrow for those who want a tart Mac, and I expect […]

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 not store well and they taste great. We try to only grow enough to get us to the fall varieties which keep well and deliver […]

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 remained very good throughout. We had made arrangements to have almost all of our Montmorency cherries made into Tart cherry juice concentrate. We shipped cherries […]

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 just rolling in every day till the frost comes. We will start Nectarines tomorrow. They are big and beautiful but still firm. Peaches will start […]

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 would have more splits after each rain. We had almost two inches early this week and we are throwing in the towel. We have only […]

Harvest Update Monday 7/22/13

raspberry u-pick at King Orchards in northern Michigan near Traverse City

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. I expect that we will have blacks sweet cherries available through Thursday at least and maybe into the weekend. It depends on how many u-pickers […]

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 cherries they can get them pitted and into bags with the juice for freezing. We won’t be machine harvesting the Monts for another 4-5 days […]

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 cherries are getting ripe the sugar in them draws in water. The rain is absorbed through the roots but the cherry itself will draw in […]

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 an excellent day because so many berries are ripening for easy picking. They are $4.00/pint but deals can be had on a flat of 8 […]

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 in beautifully. This weekend should be very good picking.

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 will open first as apparently there are earlier varieties there.)

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 cherries are probably going to start around July 10-12. We will pick as early as we feel they are sweet enough and dark enough color. […]

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 we send most of our Montmorencies to be made into concentrate and concentrate has been in very short supply.

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 completely worn out and will be sold to salvage yards. The New Hollands are built on smaller frames that loan themselves easily to orchard work. […]

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 clear nights. The idea is that on clear nights with no breeze the heat from the blossoms (and car windshields) is radiated away to space. […]

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 days. Apples right behind them. We are really excited and enthusiastic and making plans to market the fruit. My apologies to those who inquired about […]

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 broken through, even if it is still chilly.