As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, food and drinks give a little pumpkin spice to the class-laden days as the semester moves towards its end. While pumpkin-anything is the traditional food of fall, apple cider, caramel-covered apples, and, the Saga favorite, apple butter, are readily available at local apple orchards. There are two major apple orchards in the area: Glei’s and Fruit Farms. ~
By Amanda Tindall, Assistant Editor
Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses
While the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market had its final showing this past weekend, students and residents can still buy locally grown food from Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses on Milnes Road in Hillsdale County.
In 1918, Carl Glei and his mother Alma bought 40 acres of land on which to plant an orchard. The orchard started with only 50 trees and later expanded to 100. However, in 1990 Glei’s main building was destroyed by a fire, and, after being rebuilt, was ravaged by fire again in 2007.
Yet out of the ashes, Glei’s rebuilt once again and has expanded to 300 acres with two acres of greenhouses.
In those greenhouses, Glei’s grows all sorts of seasonal crops, including perennials, annuals, other flowers, and vegetables.
“We grow and harvest our own squash and pumpkin,” said Sarah Maier, an Glei’s employee. “Our main business is in December and May. We grow and cut our own Christmas trees, so that’s going to be one of our main sales as fall ends.”
Although customers can’t pick their own apples because of insurance reasons, with greenhouse-access on either side, Glei’s store has all sorts of Michigan-specialty and unique foods in addition to apple cider made on-site from their orchard.
Glei’s is located at 3500 Milnes Road in Hillsdale. Their fall hours are Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farms
For the autumn days filled with adventure, Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farms has all sorts of food to eat and buy, a giant squash and apples being squashed to see, and a small animal farm consisting of goats and rabbits.
The farm has activities throughout the year as well, including pony rides, bonfires, a pumpkin patch, and wagon and hay rides.
“During our busy months of September and October, every weekend we offer hay rides and pony rides, horse drawn rides around the orchard, sand art stuff, and the store is open,” said Amanda Gould, a baker at Meckley’s.
Filled with all sorts of vintage signs and type writers, Meckley’s store infuses customers with a feeling of nostalgia as the smell of freshly baked doughnuts, pies, and breads wafts to their noses.
Up the wooden steps of the old barn, Meckley’s has a bar with their own hard ciders in a wood-furnished tavern-like attic.
“This is definitely our busy time of the year,” said Gould. “Starting in Novemeber we’ll be open Thursday night, and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We close on December 24, and reopen around May.”
Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farms is located at 11025 S. Jackson Road, Somerset Center, Mich.
