Fruit Acres offers a variety of fresh produce

By Teresa Smithers Fruit Acres is a family farm market in Coloma, Michigan, that features a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. The Friday family has been farming the 200-acre fruit farm for 173 years, since 1846. The fruit market began in 1964 when Jim Friday was looking for a way his children could raise money for college. In 1983, the farm was passed down and sold to Randy and Annette (Friday) Bjorge.

ENJOY THE FESTIVAL! Randy and Annette (Friday) Bjorge welcome you to the Glad-Peach Festival. Stop by Fruit Acres while you’re in Coloma!

The Bjorges grow black sweet cherries, Rainier sweet cherries, sour pie cherries, sweet peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pears and 20 varieties of apples (including Honeycrisp). About 40% of what the Bjorges grow is sold right at their fruit market with the rest being brokered out. What they don’t grow themselves, they obtain from local farmers to offer visitors to their stand the best variety. Farmers, first Annette and Randy Bjorge love farming. Even after 36 years, each spring, watching the crops come up, they grow excited all over again, anticipating the harvest that will fill their fruit market. They are continuously working to improve each breed of fruit and vegetable they grow. “It is our mission to offer our customers a huge assortment of locally-grown fruits and vegetables that are high quality, great tasting, tree-ripened and reasonably priced,” promises Annette. Right now, their shelves carry such fruit as cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries, and a very limited supply of apricots. Shoppers will also find a wide variety and quantity of vegetables including squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and a huge selection of peppers. In addition to fresh produce, Fruit Acres also offers frozen fruit and frozen fruit pies, preserves, jams, jellies, honey, sauces and salsas. A nice selection of antique apple crates and mini fruit baskets are on site as well. Peaches and the Polar Vortex The Bjorges are also peach breeders and any brand with the word “star” in it is their patent (they currently have twelve patents). As an intern at Michigan State University, Annette worked for a peach breeder and brought home that knowledge to use right here in Southwestern Michigan. The polar vortex this past winter hit the peaches hard, so there will be no u-pick peaches this year. However, they do have a limited supply of their own Risingstar peaches from the farm at Fruit Acres Farm Market. They also hope to have Michigan Red Haven Freestone peaches around August 10 for about two weeks. U-Pick fruits In addition to the fruit market, visitors can obtain hands-on farm experience through picking their own fruit out at the farm. At Fruit Acres, sour cherries and sweet cherries picking began in July and are done for this year. There will be no u-pick peaches for 2019. U-Pick apples will be available in September and October at 2789 Friday Road. Hours Fruit Acres market is open June through October, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. See harvest updates on their website, fruitacresfarm.com, or follow them on Facebook (Fruit Acres Farm Market).