The Honeycrisp Update

January 10, 2012
Happy New Year to Everyone....50 degrees here at Sunrise today!!! Feels like spring but I am sure we will pay for it later on. Even so the days are getting longer and once January is behind us winter always seems to be a lot easier!!
Hope you all are enjoying your winter supply of apples and cider!


December 21, 2011
Well we almost made it to the end...2 bags of Honeycrisp left for sale this morning!!! Thank you to all my faithful readers of the "Honeycrisp Update". Enjoy your winter's supply and we will try to grow a great crop of apples again in 2012. Closing for the season on 12/22/11. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all of our faithful Sunrise customers!! We truly appreciate you business and look forward to seeing you in 2012.

December 15, 2011
Honeycrisp still available and on sale at this time....we are having a 30% off storewide sale (pre-orders, giftboxes and baskets not included). A great time to make one last trip to the orchard. Weather forecast sounds great for the rest of this week. Hours of business are 9am-3pm Mon-Sat and 9am to noon on Sunday. Customer Appreciation Days are Wed and Thurs (12/21-12/22) with free chil and the fixin's with a free will donation to the Gays Mills Food Pantry. Closing for the season on December 22 at 3pm. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Everyone and thank you all for being Sunrise Orchards customers!! See you in 2012!

December 1, 2011
Open daily with a great supply of many of your Sunrise favorites. Hours of business during the month of December are 9am to 3pm (Mon-Sat) and 9am to noon on Sunday. Closing for the season on December 22. Yes, we have Honeycrisp available and they are included in our 25 percent off storewide sale.
The roads are fine and the selection is great...how about one more trip to the orchard before winter arrives!! Did you know empire apples (if refrigerated) will last until the spring and did you know that Sunrise apple cider freezes great so you can enjoy if for the entire winter!!

November 25, 2011
Open today at Sunrise Orchards with a great supply of Honeycrisp apples and many of your other favorite varieties. Time to start thinking about holiday gift giving and Sunrise giftboxes are a great holiday treat. Shipping daily until December 5th and maybe even longer if the weather stays nice. Call for information on our "customized boxes"!!

November 16, 2011
A great selection of Honeycrisp apples available along with many other varieties. Open daily until December 22. Hours of business for the month of November are 9am -4pm. Closed on Thanksgiving Day but re-opening at 9am on Black Friday with some really super deals on select items here at Sunrise.


November 10, 2011
Beautiful weather in the forecast for the rest of the week and this weekend. They are saying it could be almost 60 degrees on Sunday...WOW!!! Still a good selection of Honeycrisp apples available here at the orchard as well as many other varieties. We also still have Honeycrisp cider which is on sale at 'Buy One and Get One Free". Supplies are limited on the cider so don't wait too long to make a trip to Sunrise. Open daily 9am to 4pm!



November 5, 2011
What a beautiful morning here at the orchard. Forecast is for temperatures in the 50's and sunshine. We are having a sale this weekend on #2 Honeycrisp and Honeycrisp cider. Lots of Honeycrisp available for sale along with many other varieties and also our famous apple cider donuts. Sunrise is open until December 22.


November 2, 2011
Hours change this week at Sunrise...Open daily 9am to 4pm.
Lots of Honeycrisp apples and Honeycrisp Cider left here at the orchard along with many other varieties. Apple Cider Donuts also available for you to enjoy!

October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween to all from Sunrise Orchards. A great selection of Honeycrisp apples and Honeycrisp cider available here at Sunrise. My guess at this time is that we will have Honeycrisp available until Thanksgiving and maybe even a little longer. Still time to get your winter supply and start thinking about holiday gift giving.....Honeycrisp apples make a great gift!!

October 27, 2011
Raking in the Savings Weekend begins today at Sunrise with a lot of great specials throughout the store. A good selection of Honeycrisp apples and Honeycrisp cider along with many other apple varieties. Leaves are pretty this weekend with a lot of gold, orange and bronze to be seen. Open daily 9am to 5pm.
Hope to see you this weekend!




October 24, 2011
Great selection of Honeycrisp apples available here at Sunrise along with Honeycrisp apple cider. My guess at this time is that we may have them up until Thanksgiving time. Sunrise is open daily except Thanksgiving until December 22. A lot of great reasons to make a trip to the orchard.



October 21, 2011
Colorama Weekend here at Sunrise. Lots of Honeycrisp apples available. Honeycrisp Cider and Honeycrisp seconds will be for sale this weekend. A great selection of other varieties available this weekend as well. Crowds have slowed so a great weekend to make a trip to the orchard!

October 18, 2011
Wow..the weather has really changed. It feels and looks like fall here at Sunrise today with temperatures in the lower 50's. A great supply of Honeycrisp apples available here at the orchard along with Honeycrisp apple cider and many other apple varieties. Fresh donuts daily and many of your other favorites still available. Sunrise is open until December 22. Open daily during the month of October 9am to 5pm. This weekend is Colorama Weekend with many great specials throughout the store....!

October 12, 2011
Another nice day here at Sunrise...weather is beautiful. A little rain in the forecast and then nice fall weather predicted for the rest of the week and into the weekend. A great supply of Honeycrisp left here at Sunrise. This weekend is "Flavors of Fall" weekend. Open daily 9-5!


October 9, 2011
A beautiful day to make a trip to the orchard. Weather is perfect, leaves are beautiful and lots of Honeycrisp apples and Honeycrisp Cider available. Hope to see you soon. Open daily 9am to 5pm.

October 6, 2011
Leaves getting prettier everyday in the Gays Mills area. Lots and lots of Honeycrisp available here at Sunrise along with delicious Honeycrisp Apple Cider. Hope to see you this weekend. Mid-70's and sun in the forecast for the next 7 days!

October 3, 2011
What a beautiful weather week here in the Gays Mills area predicted. Lots of Honeycrisp available for sale and leaf color at about 60% peak is my prediction at this time. A great time to plan a trip to the orchard. Ambrosia and Snow Sweet available here at Sunrise on Friday afternoon. Hope to see you soon. Sunrise Family Fun Days this coming weekend.

September 30, 2011
Well September is almost over and October is here. Leaf color is at about 30-40% in the Gays Mills area. We have a great selection of apples available and YES.....we have a lot of Honeycrisp available too along with our wonderful Honeycrisp cider!!

September 27, 2011
A great selection of Honeycrisp available at Sunrise. My guess at this time is that we will have them available through the month of October. I can't promise it but these are my thoughts at this time! Sunrise Sampler Days are this weekend. Hope to see you at the orchard!

September 25, 2011
Lots and Lots and Lots.......This is the amount of Honeycrisp that we have available here at Sunrise. A great weekend to visit Sunrise Orchards and the leaves are starting to get really pretty....places in the area are at least 30 percent color at this time. Honeycrisp are beautiful this year and the supply is abudant!! Hope to see you soon!

September 23, 2011
The Fest is here!!!! A great selection of Honeycrisp and Honeycrisp Cider. Hope to see you this weekend!

September 21, 2011
WELCOME FALL!!! A great supply of Honeycrisp available at Sunrise. This weekend is Gays Mills Apple Festival...fun for everyone. Big News for the weekend....we will have a limited supply of Honeycrisp Cider this weekend that will be sold in retail. Time to make a trip to Sunrise. Hope to see you soon.
September 18, 2011
We are in full swing of Honeycrisp harvest. A great selection for sale today. Packingline is running this morning and we are packing many, many crates of Honeycrisp for retail sales. A big week ahead at Sunrise....a great time to make a trip to stock up on the Honeycrisp apples. At this time we are predicting we will have Honeycrisp cider after October 10th. If you did not get a chance to try it last year, be sure to get some this year!!!!

September 16, 2011
We are ready for a busy weekend here at Sunrise with a great supply of Honeycrisp apples available for sale!! Hope to see you this weekend!

September 14, 2011
Harvesting more Honeycrisp today. A great supply this season for sale in the retail store. Temperatures feel like fall so a good time to make a trip to the orchard.

September 12, 2011
A great selection of Honeycrisp available this week at Sunrise! Weather sounds like fall in the forecast so a great time to make a trip to the Gays Mills area!

September 11, 2011
A great selection of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples available at Sunrise today!

September 10, 2011
"WOW" and "Gorgeous" are just two of the words that we have heard a lot today as our customers are purchasing the Honeycrisp. A great supply available here at Sunrise!!

September 9, 2011 (2:00pm)
Much to our surprise we were able to get some Honeycrisp picked this morning and they are at this time available for sale in retail here at Sunrise. They are so beautiful and the taste is amazing this year. Supply is good. See you all soon and thanks for checking the Honeycrisp update faithfully to know when it is time to come to Sunrise:-)

September 8,2011
A beautiful week of weather here at Sunrise. The cooler evenings can really make a difference on the apples at this time of year and we got a nice rain last weekend so things are looking great. I have been officially told that we will have Honeycrisp for sale as planned on Saturday, September 10th. They will be picked early morning on Saturday and available for sale here at Sunrise at 9am sharp! They are beautiful this year and we are so excited to have you see and taste them. A nice crop of Honeycrisp and all of the varieties this fall so plan a trip to Sunrise soon. Remember...we only pick what is totally ripe and ready for sale so there will be a larger selection later on next week but we will have them for sale on Saturday. See you then!!

September 4, 2011
A beautiful fall morning here at Sunrise and just what the Honeycrisp need....cool and sunny weather. Still thinking we will have some Honeycrisp for sale on 9/10/11 but they may need to be on the tree a little longer to be at their best. We only sell apples that are "prefectly ripe" here at Sunrise!!! Will update again later this week but right now it looks like some available on the 10th with more coming in out of the field and closer to the 15th...but always remember Mother Nature plays a very important role here at Sunrise and the weather sounds great for this week so we will post later!!

September 2, 2011
Some nasty weather in the area this morning but so far we were missed here at Sunrise. Honeycrisp are still looking great and will have an exact harvest date early next week. We will keep our fingers crossed that we can still have them for sale here on September 10th. Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend!

August 31, 2011
I waited until the end of the month to give another Honeycrisp update. HONEYCRISP STILL LOOK ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL THIS YEAR! I am a little hesitant to recommend coming on September 10th for them at this time. The way it is looking right now is that the ripening process has slowed a little and we are recommending coming after September 15th for them. Will be updating every couple of days so check in often or give us a call! Happy September!!

August 18, 2011
Open for the season with some of the earlier apple varieties available.
More and more items arriving daily.......many of your fall favorites available now. Open daily 9am to 5pm! Honeycrisp are getting nicer everyday. We are still thinking they will be available on September 10th. A beautiful crop of apples here at Sunrise for the 2011 season!

August 11, 2011
Starting to feel a little like fall here at Sunrise and certainly starting to look like it. Boxes and boxes of new items and heavy duty fall cleaning going on at this time getting ready to open on Monday, August 15th. We are opening the doors at 9am on that day although we will not have everything in order, there will be some apples here to make a pie and many other goodies. Honeycrisp will be available for retail sales on September 10th. Everything still looks really good withthe Honeycrisp and all of our other vaireties. Enjoy the feel of fall in the air.

August 3, 2011
Can you believe it is August....it seemed so far away and now it is here and we will be opening on August 15th. The Honeycrisp crop is absolutely beautiful and they still have over a month to mature. Most of them are the size of peach at this time. We plan on starting to sell them here at Sunrise in our retail store on September 10th but if something should change we will let you know right here on our Honeycrisp Updates!!! Enjoy the rest of the summer...think cooler weather and think HONEYCRISP!!

July 11, 2011
Wow what a warm and "buggy" summer we are having here at Sunrise!! A really nice apple crop and Honeycrisp are growing like crazy. Apples are about the size of a plum at this time with many more days and weeks of growing before harvest we can promise they are going to be beautiful and perfect size this year. We hope you are starting to think about planning your fall trip to the orchard.

June 16, 2011
A great crop of Honeycrisp for the 2011 season is the word from the field (and my husband)!!!! They are growing nicely and at this time about the size of a nickel. A very nice rain here at Sunrise last night so that will get them growing even faster now with the 80 degree temperatures in the forecast. A extremely nice crop of all varieties the way it looks right now! Enjoy your summer...fall will be here before we know it!

June 1, 2011
Apple blossom time is over here at Sunrise and the apples are starting to grow. Looks like a really nice crop of apples for 2011. Honeycrisp should be as tasty as can be and ready pretty much on schedule (September). Will update later as the growing season progresses. Happy June!


May 20, 2011
The HONEYCRISP are in bloom as well as the other trees. SHould be nice most of the weekend and pretty much gone by the first of the week!! Hope you get a chance to take a ride and enjoy them!!


May 13, 2011
Spring has come although it actually felt like summer the past 3 days. A little cooler this morning here at Sunrise. A beautiful time of the year here on orchard ridge....bloom has begun. Our bees arrived this morning at 2am and will have a lot of work ahead of them for the next few days. It could be one of the prettiest blooms ever here at Sunrise. A great place to go if you are thinking about taking a ride to view the scenery this weekend. Cherrries, flowering crabs and APPLES are blooming in the Gays Mills area and we are getting closer each day to having all of the tasty things available that you enjoy when you make your fall visit for 2011!!


April 28, 2011
Well spring is definately not here at the orchard this year yet that is for sure. We had snow this morning along with sleet and rain and it is 40 degrees outside right now. We are definately having a late spring here in apple country!! Apple blossom time is usually around the weekend of Mother's Day but not this year. I am not expecting to see a blossom out by next weekend with the way that the weather forecast sounds. I will update as soon as things start to change for any of you wanting to make the trip to view the blossoms this spring. One good thing to report is that the trees did very well this winter and I am expecting a really nice crop of Honeycrisp apples this fall along with the other varieties that we grow here at Sunrise. Stay warm and think spring!!


March 2, 2011
Just ate the last Honeycrisp in my refrigerator and thought it was time to wish everyone "Happy New Year". Quite a long winter here at Sunrise but there are definately signs of spring in the air even though the temperature today is only 15 degrees. A lot of pruning being done here right now along with a lot of exciting fall plans. We hope you are all well and looking forward to apple season 2011! Take care.

Open daily until December 22 (Closed on Thanksgiving Day to spend time with our families)

Hours of Business:
Month of November - Open 9am to 4pm daily
Month of December - Open 9am to 3 pm daily

Check back frequently for important information on the honeycrisp apples - we want to keep you informed about it's growth, expected harvest, availability, and any other questions you may have about this prize apple. (While you wait patiently for the honeycrisp, check out our recipes for other varieties.)

A Honey of a Weekend

Everyone loves a tradition, so we started our annual festival in the fall, the Honey of a Weekend features our Honeycrisp apples. Approaching our sixth year, the Honey of a Weekend tradition lets us share the joys the apple orchard has provided for our family, our passion for apples, and our love of the Honeycrisp with you. We look forward to having you visit us for the celebration!!

Heritage of the Honeycrisp

The Honeycrisp is our prize apple, you could say the "apple of our eye". (Although we enjoy our other varieties also.) Honeycrisp was introduced in 1991. It is a hybrid cross of the Macoun and the Honeygold. The Honeycrisp apple is characterized by an extremely crisp and juicy texture. This is an apple that pleases all of the senses. It has excellent storage capabilities and the outstanding flavor and texture can be maintained for at least six months in refrigerated storage. The Honeycrisp harvest season is during September. If you would like to see Honeycrisp trees in bloom, you can often see them during the month of May along our ridge.