The Farm’s Winter Pace: Hi, it’s been a month now since we closed the market and we miss our customers! The farm is settling into its slower and quieter pace. We have finished trimming all the apples and Concord grapes and oddly enough, are waiting for it to get cold enough to trim the white Niagara grapes! Those grapes need to be deep into their winter’s sleep before we can touch them. So while I have heard many people say they are liking this milder winter so far….we need it to get cold!
Doesn't this look fun to slide into?
Trimming the apple trees
Brandy tasting and sales: Open Saturdays from 1 – 4 thru December. These next few Saturday’s are your last chance to get brandy or our Polecat wines for gifts. Bruce has some great ideas on how you can package up several items with one of our bottles and make it special: Such as putting hot chocolate mix with cherry brandy along with a nice mug. Simply add these instructions: Pour a short shot of cherry brandy over the hot chocolate……mmm.
Changing the grape vineyards: Those of you who are local might have noticed us taking out grape vineyards along M-60, we are taking out about 20 acres of purple Concord grapes because the vines have not produced well, not to worry we will have plenty left, about 40 acres! With these vineyards removed, it will allow us to better utilize the large field area for other crops.
Taking the grapes out is not easy....
Learning: The first week of December, Cathy from the market, along with Michaela and her mother who bake for us and myself, attended the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids. It was 3 days of educational programs and workshops for growers, marketers and bakers. On the first day, we all attended a bus tour which took us to 6 farm markets in the South Haven area. It was a great opportunity to learn from others, get the latest on best growing practices and get ideas on how to continue to improve our market and customer service. We are anxious to put some of the things we learned into use next year! One of our focus’s for this week was learning about other farm market bakeries. We are currently in the planning stages of a bakery for Corey Lake Orchards!
Beth, Patti, Michaela and Cathy on the Great Lakes Expo Farm Market Bus Tour
From everyone at Corey Lake Orchards, we would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and all the best for the new year!
Beth
