THREE RIVERS — Hubbard’s Corey Lake Orchard has been a Three Rivers destination for more than 60 years.

“We grow what we sell” states the sign over the market. Their two major crops are 35 acres of apples and 55 acres of grapes, but they have pear and plum trees, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and cantaloupe, 20 kinds of vegetables, herbs and decorative gourds.

They also have a bakery and sell their own spirits, wine and hard cider.

This spring the weather seemed ideal for the orchard. There was no damaging frost after the blossoms came on, said co-owner Beth Hubbard.

The weather seemed nearly perfect until June 13. Then an isolated, but fierce hail storm hammered the orchard and a limited surrounding area.

After the storm passed, Hubbard said she came out of her house to find the trees in her yard devastated. Then she got in the truck with one of her long-time employees to see how bad it was across the farm.

It was not good.

In a matter of minutes every apple tree had damaged apples, the U-Pick strawberry fields were riddled, the acres of tomato plants shredded.

“Every crop was affected by the hail,” Hubbard said.

This is the first time in Corey Lake Orchard history that hail wrecked such havoc. Hubbard had no idea what to do.

She contacted other orchards in Michigan but most were unscathed and none offered their kind of farm experience with retail, U-pick and variety of options.

“We had to make a really quick decision,” Hubbard said. “Do we save this or let it go? We’re an apple farm. I know how important apples are to fall and to our customers so I made a decision, right or wrong, to continue with the apples.”

The trees had already been pruned and she had invested and applied some of the necessary applications to get through pests and disease.

But the apples, especially on the top, north and west sides of the trees were damaged. And it did not improve as the summer wore on. Damaged apples grew to be big damaged apples. Those that were not, grew beautifully.

“It was a bumper crop,” Hubbard said.

But the damage was extensive. This year the pickers are leaving the worst on the trees, sorters have an unprecedented task of sorting firsts, seconds, cider and junk apples from those brought in.

“We’ve never sold seconds,” Hubbard said. “We used them for cider.”

Well, they are selling them this year and calling it a “Hail” of a deal.

If you’re willing to do a little cutting, the processing/or second apples are fine and at a better value. The customer gets twice as many seconds as firsts for the same price. Most customers after the explanation and seeing the difference are happy to take the seconds, Hubbard said.

Also, for the first time this year, they have outlet for the damaged tennis ball-size apples.

A-Mazing Acres Farm in Edwardsburg were a “godsend” Hubbard said. One of their fall family fun activities is an apple cannon. The most damaged apples that make it to the sorting shed are sold for the game.

In an effort to stretch customers' thinking, Hubbard has created displays reminiscent of the days when a little damage to an apple meant a rich cinnamony apple pie, some apple butter or apple sauce.

In fact, in the bakery they started new recipes to spur customers’ creativity and use up some of the apples. This year they added apple crisp, apple focaccia bread and caramel apple cookies to their lineup, and their apple cider doughnuts fly off the shelves as they do every year.

A major customer, Burr Oak Tool of Sturgis, gives each employee a bushel of apples each fall. Hubbard called to say she didn’t have enough first quality golden delicious apples this year to fill the order. The CEO came out, looked over the available apples and said they would continue with their annual order as many of their people use the apples for cooking. The seconds are not bad, with just some minor hail marks on them.

Burr Oak Tool's continued support was huge for the orchard, Hubbard said.

And so, Corey Lake Orchard moves on.

The season was long and filled with twice as much work with all the sorting, constant unknowns and ongoing stresses but they made it.

Hubbard’s Corey Lake Orchard’s last official day is Sunday, Oct. 30th, and then the will be open on Saturdays in November and part of December for a holiday market and visits with Santa.

“We’re here and we have a lot of apples still available,” Hubbard said.

— Contact reporter Rosalie Currier at rcurrier@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Corey Lake Orchard in business 60 years wraps up challenging season