Montrose Orchards

Montrose Orchards sits at the far northern reach of this region, in the town that holds Michigan's blueberry festival, and it opened its picking field this year on 16 July.

What You Can Pick

• Blueberries - "Open Daily 9-5pm Mid-July to Early September". Blue Crop and Jersey
• Apples and pears - autumn

What Else is Available

Cider and donuts, a bakery, caramel apples, a market, squash and pumpkins in autumn, and an estimated ripening calendar the farm keeps updated.

Good to Know

The farm runs four different sets of hours across the year: Tuesdays and Fridays noon to 6pm from January to early June, daily 10am to 6pm from mid-June to early July, daily 9am to 6pm through the harvest from mid-July to October, and daily 10am to 6pm in November and December.

Picking itself runs 9am to 5pm, an hour shorter than the market.

Dan and Debbie Hill want the place used: they invite people to picnic, hold family gatherings, and in their own list of what the orchard is for, "even training cadaver dogs".

Pro tip: Jersey is the variety to ask about. It is a late, firm, small-berried heritage blueberry that most farms have grubbed out in favour of bigger modern types, and Montrose still picks it. The farm notes it is available to pick or to order.