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Apple U-Pick

 
​Apple U-Pick
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Usual time to start Apple U-Pick is the beginning of September
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SATURDAY & SUNDAY ONLY
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U-Pick Hours: 10am-5pm*
*You must be here before 4:30pm to get into the orchard to pick
We are in the EST Time Zone, which is 1 hour ahead of Chicago
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Peach & Apple U-Pick Address:
2789 Friday Rd. Coloma, MI 49038
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Farm Market Address:
3452 Friday Rd. Coloma, MI 49038
Market Hours: Everyday 9am-7pm
Market Phone: (269) 468-3668
Other Times: (269) 208-3591
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Please call ahead for seasonal changes and prices
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Free Hayrides to the orchards are available from our central parking area. No Admission, Make a day of it by enjoying our Free Picnic Area and Playground.
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Start a family tradition by visiting beautiful Southwest Michigan to see the fall colors, then you and your family can pick the perfect apple right off the tree. Enjoy our free Hayrides right to the orchard where you can pick all the apples you want without having to step on a ladder, as our many different varieties are grown on dwarf trees. Then rest awhile at our free picnic area and playground or stop by our farm market for a free sample of our super sweet apple cider, freshly made with our own apples.

APPLE VARIETIES AVAILABLE FOR U-PICK:

  • GALA - September 1 to 20 - A newer variety that has wonderful qualities. Gala has a wonderful super sweet flavor with crisp, firm, juicy flesh. Gala stores well for months in refrigeration. Gala is great for eating or baking because the slices do not cook down hardly at all. Gala is one of my favorite pie and eating apples. The apple is pink in color with a longish shape for the size. 

  • OZARK GOLD - September 1 to 20 - An older variety that reminds of a Golden Delicious apple with a slight tang. The apple looks very similar to a Golden Delicious with a small pink/red cheek. The flavor is sweet-tart and crisp, so it eats very well and bakes very well. I usually combine Gala and Ozark in my pies during this time of year. When baking, Ozark slices do keep their shape, but do soften. They make good applesauce and stores well until Thanksgiving.

  • RED CORTLAND - September 10 to 30 - A very large size red color apple with pure white flesh. Just a newer red version of Cortland. The tart flavor is good for eating, applesauce or baking, although slices do soften during baking.

  • EMPIRE - September 15 to October 5 - A tart but very flavorful, very crisp apple that stays hard for months in refrigeration. The apple is dark red with a squatty shape. Empire is great for eating or baking and the slices do not get soft. This is an older variety which does not get the attention it deserves!

  • JONAGOLD - September 25 to October 15 - A very large, sweet tart flavor, crisp apple that is very juicy. The apple is pink, large and long. Do not store past Thanksgiving for best quality. Jonagold is great for eating, applesauce or baking but the slices do get soft. This is a redder version of a very old variety.

  • RED DELICIOUS - September 25 to October 20 - I think everyone knows a Red Delicious apple. You only eat it, do not cook with it.

  • GOLDEN DELICIOUS - October 1 to 31 - My favorite apple for eating until Christmas. It stores until spring in refrigeration. The apple is bright yellow, large size and long shape. Goldens are great for eating, applesauce and baking while the slices keep their shape. All winter, Golden Delicious is my favorite pie apple. In storage, the flavor stays sweet but the apple gets soft, but not too soft to enjoy.

  • FUJI - October 15 to 31 - My favorite eating apple after Christmas because the flavor gets stronger and even sweeter but stays juicy. Fuji is great for baking but add any other apple, like Golden Delicious, because the slices will not get soft at all or release any juice. Fuji will easily stay very hard and extra sweet until taken out of refrigeration the next spring or after. This is the apple we save for our family and employees to eat all winter.

  • Red Braeburn - October 15 to 31- Tart Hard Apple that keeps until January in the refrigerator. Good for Eating, and Baking. Will stay firm in baking.

 

These varieties and others are also available already picked at our farm market, including frozen apple slices and freshly made apple cider.

 

**Availability is dependent on the weather, so please call ahead to get a better idea on ripening times. Ripening dates

can vary as much as 2 weeks earlier or later from year to year.

 

A Message from Annette and Randy on May 27, 2023

Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick is closed for a few more weeks. The Farm Market will be open again around  June 12,  2023 when Sweet Local Strawberries are ready for sale. Hopefully there will still be some Local Asparagus and Rhubarb available for sale too. But I cannot guarantee that I will be able to still buy it then. Sorry. There is NO UPIC Strawberries available. Sweet Cherries from our own farm will be starting around June 23 at the Farm Market. We will also have Sweet Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, and some Vegetables from southern states until our Local Melons and Vegetables are ready to pick. We accept Cash or Credit/Debit Cards at Farm Market or U-Pick. Farm Market is open everyday 9am to 7pm (even holidays). Farm Market address is 3452 Friday Road, Coloma, MI 49038.

The first U-Pick available will be Sweet Cherries you can pick off the tree yourself. We hope to start U-Pick Sweet Cherries on Friday June 23, 2023. But please check back around June 18 for the exact opening date. Cherry U-Pick Address is 6299 Carmody Road, Coloma, MI 49038. We have a good crop of Sweet Cherries this year but when they are picked off the tree, there are no more coming this year and the u-pick will be closed. Sweet Cherry U-Pic could be open for 3-10 days, depending on weather and how busy we are. The Cherry U-Pick is open 7 days a week from 10am to 4:30pm until the Cherries are gone off the tree.

Sour (Tart) Pie Cherry U-Pick will start around July 1 and only goes for about 4 days. We never have the U-Pick open on 4th of July, but the Farm Market is open to buy Cherries on 4th of July from 9am to 7pm.

Sweet Cherry U-Pick Prices: $4.99 pound, $5 per person Admission (age 6 and up). For every 15 pounds bought, you get 1 ($5) admission back. An example is if you buy 30 pounds or more, you get $10 back from the admission for 2 people. You can add family purchases together to get the discount,  if they are all paid by the same person in 1 transaction. We accept Cash or Credit/Debit Cards at Farm Market or U-Pick.

We have NOT increased the price of Admission or Cherry U-Pick price for this year!

Sour Pie Cherries (not for eating, just for Pies, Jam, Cooking) U-Pick or Already Picked are the Same Price at $1.49 per pound. Sour Cherries are starting around July 1 at U-Pick and Farm Market or Farm if you buy over 20 pounds. It is better to pre-order the Sour Cherries over 20 pounds (within a few days of pickup), so we make sure we have them ready for you. We sell already picked Sour Cherries for about 10 days (depending on weather). Please bring something that doesn't leak to put the sour cherries in. Sour Cherries will make a mess in your vehicle in a bag. A cooler or tub is recommended. I am hoping to have credit card availability at the farm this year.

There is no hayride for Cherry U-Pick, but you can enjoy a lunch or snack under the tent with picnic tables. Portajohns are available but I recommend finding a bathroom on the way to the U-Pick. Fruit Acres Farm Market has bathrooms and McDonalds is just north of the Farm Market. We do sell cold water and pop at the U-Pick but no food is available (except Cherries!).

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Fruit Acres Farm Market is Open Everyday (starting Tuesday June 13?) 9am to 7pm. Market address is 3452 Friday Rd, Coloma, Michigan

Cherry U-Pick starting June 23 (?) Open everyday for about 7 days from10am to 5pm, (open 9 to 4 Chicago time). Cherry U-Pic Address is 6299 Carmody Rd, Coloma, Michigan. The U-Pick is 1 mile south of Farm Market. More details below.

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