'It was a good spring — no frosts or freezes' for local orchards
Local orchards are getting harder to find. Taking care of fruit trees requires special knowledge and hard work.
But the few orchards still open in St. Joseph, Branch and Hillsdale counties are reporting that their trees are loaded with blossoms, so they anticipate a good fruit crop.
Spring 2022 was slow in coming. The temperature consistently stayed below normal until early May — not a bad thing for fruit tree blossoms. Blossoms mean fruit in this business.
“It was a good spring,” said Beth Hubbard, owner of Hubbard’s Corey Lake Orchard, Three Rivers. “There were no frosts or freezes. We hope it stays that way.”
Because it “went from winter to summer” Hubbard said the trees blossomed quickly, but with the very warm temperatures and winds, the pedals soon fell.
People who wanted photos among the blossoms could hardly get there in time, she said.
The orchard has been on Corey Lake for 61 years, started by Dayton and Allene Hubbard, Beth’s parents. On 275 acres, there also is an extensive vineyard, and the orchard grows nearly every Michigan fruit, much of it with a U-pick option, and many vegetables, Hubbard said.
In step with the seasons, Hubbard's starts the year selling bedding plants, rhubarb and asparagus. U-pick strawberries will be coming in June, but with the price of gasoline, Hubbard said to check the Facebook page or call before coming.
The orchard also has a popular bakery, winery and cidery. In the fall, it is a family fun destination for all things harvest related.
In nearby communities, Orchard Beach Farm in Quincy is the one remaining Branch County orchard, open only when fruit is in-season.
Co-owners Phillip and Margaret Muir tend the trees that Margaret’s father planted in the 1930s and still are bearing fruit.
Their daughter, Ruth Boone, and her family, who reside in the Chicago area, have taken an interest in the orchard and planted hundreds more trees that likely will bear fruit within the next five or six years.
In Hillsdale, Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farm, also a 60-year-old business, is open year-round — a destination with a bakery and brewery.
Glei's Orchard and Greenhouse, the other Hillsdale orchard, is closed temporarily. According to its Facebook page, Glei's was put into receivership in December 2021. The goal is to be open by September.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: 'It was a good spring — no frosts or freezes' for local orchards
