Bins of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples waiting to be eaten!

You might have noticed the recent change in the weather.  Suddenly it’s feeling a little cooler out there, and you know what that means… our wonderful summer days will soon be history!  The dropping temperatures will be followed by those lovely Fall colors, [...]]]>

Bins of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples waiting to be eaten!

You might have noticed the recent change in the weather.  Suddenly it’s feeling a little cooler out there, and you know what that means… our wonderful summer days will soon be history!  The dropping temperatures will be followed by those lovely Fall colors, and all the other things we enjoy about this transitional season.  For us fruit growers though, Fall is mostly all about apple picking!  We are very busy these days with our crew picking many varieties, including Honeycrisp, Gala, and of course good ole’ MacIntosh apples (not computers!).  You can find all these and more at the Apple Barn Farm Market on Covell and Bridge in Grand Rapids.

We’ve also got the cider mill up and running in full swing.  You can pick up our awarding winning gourmet apple cider at our market as well or at any of these fine local retailers.

Luis carefully training young apple trees.

Springtime is a wonderful time of the year to be a fruit grower.  In the past  weeks we went from wondering when Spring would ever arrive, to seeing the orchards in full bloom.   We had good weather for pollination last week and the petals are now  falling.

The [...]]]>

Luis carefully training young apple trees.

Springtime is a wonderful time of the year to be a fruit grower.  In the past  weeks we went from wondering when Spring would ever arrive, to seeing the orchards in full bloom.   We had good weather for pollination last week and the petals are now  falling.

The bees aren’t the only ones busy working.  We’ve kept very busy this Spring working the ground and planting new trees.  Now we are very busy training and pruning trees.   It is very important to train a young tree correctly.  When a tree is trained improperly, it cannot bear the load of the fruit that it must carry.  This puts strain on the limbs, and will eventually result in limb breakage, which decreases productivity, introduces diseases, etc.   Another important facet of pruning/training is light penetration which is necessary for a bud to bloom well and get a good pollination set, and eventually for the fruit to get adequate sun and properly color.   A well pruned and trimmed tree also allows air movement trough the tree which helps it dry more quickly after a rain, which in turn minimizes disease infection.

Last week our orchards were in full bloom and the weather cooperated well for the bees who play a vital role in pollination.

Our excellent employees Angelica and Luis are a key ingredient to our blue ribbon cider.

The second week of December marked the annual Fruit and Vegetable Grower Expo held in downtown Grand Rapids.  This expo includes informative education programs, a trade show with over 400 exhibitors, as well as a statewide cider competition.  This [...]]]>

Our excellent employees Angelica and Luis are a key ingredient to our blue ribbon cider.

The second week of December marked the annual Fruit and Vegetable Grower Expo held in downtown Grand Rapids.  This expo includes informative education programs, a trade show with over 400 exhibitors, as well as a statewide cider competition.  This year 40 cider entries were submitted for the competition.  The cider is judged by a panel of expert judges who are looking at several different characteristics of the cider.  These include appearance, color, aroma, sweet to tart blend, sugar to acid ratio, flavor, body, and overall impression.  The cider is sent through several rounds until it is narrowed down to the remaining three from which the judges pick a first, second, and third place.  This year we were awarded with first place!  This makes it the third time in which we have been awarded with a first place finish.  After three first place finishes you are also granted the award of the “master cider maker.”  A big thanks goes out to all of our customers who have made it possible for us to achieve these two awards!

If you’re wondering where you can purchase this blue ribbon cider, click on the “Retail” link on the menu bar above, and visit any one of these fine Michigan venders that carry our cider.  If you are a retailer yourself and interested in offering Michigan’s very best cider to your customers, give us a call @ 616-889-1864.

If you’re already a satisfied consumer of Engelsma Apple Barn Cider, we want to hear from you as well!  Feel free to leave a comment below or on the Apple Barn Facebook page.

Season’s Greetings!

Our cider press is running non-stop this time of the year!

October is here and that means crisp fall days are back.  What better way is there to enjoy the new season than with a flavorful glass of our fresh squeezed cider?  Our cider is pressed fresh daily from tree-ripened apples that are grown [...]]]>

Our cider press is running non-stop this time of the year!

October is here and that means crisp fall days are back.  What better way is there to enjoy the new season than with a flavorful glass of our fresh squeezed cider?  Our cider is pressed fresh daily from tree-ripened apples that are grown right in our own orchard.  The process from apple to juice is relatively simple.  The apples are hand picked, cooled, washed, inspected, and then sent through the mill.  The slurry of apples is then pumped into a press. The juice is then squeezed from the apple slurry and pumped into a large mix tank where the  flavors of the many different apple varieties are mixed.  After the mixing process is complete the cider is processed via a UV light, bottled, and shipped to your local market.  So, celebrate the new season by enjoying a glass of Engelsma’s Apple Barn cider.