Lutz Apple Orchard

Beautiful, quiet, family-​owned conservation farm/​apple orchard. The people were lovely and friendly — once we knew where we were going they set us on our way and we had the entire orchard to ourselves! No crowds, no thrills, just an awesome u-​pick experience. Definitely bring a step-​stool to reach the apples on high branches.

Our family absolutely loved this orchard. It’s a step back in time and experience farm life as it was in our grandparents time. Many thanks to Ruth for showing our children the farm animals!

When we first arrived at the barn on Macon Road, I stepped out of the car to ask for instructions. The woman tending the barn was engaged in a personal conversation, and I politely interrupted to ask if this is the location where we would be picking. She seemed slightly annoyed, and said yes, and that she would be with us «shortly.» After another two minutes had passed and we had already gotten my 18 month old daughter out of her car seat, we were eventually told that we needed to drive another mile down the road to pick. Not off to a great start…
Upon arriving in the orchard, there were no employees or signs to guide us or explain any of the available apple varieties. I found it interesting that the few other customers we saw already had standard orchard bags, which apparently had not been offered to us at the barn. The actual picking was not good either, as many of the apples were very high up and out of reach. After some time we were able to accumulate a fair amount of apples, however, and drove back to the barn to pay.
The woman who had so pleasantly greeted us earlier then seemed confused as to why we did not have one of the proprietary half-​bushel bags, When I calmly said I didn’t think a bag had been offered, she not only criticized me for not listening, but raised her voice and demanded that we pay $ 20 for an entire bushel. When I suggested we transfer the apples from my bag to one of her standard bags, she was resistant and outright disrespectful. I have never witnessed such poor customer service at another apple orchard, or any self-​respecting business for that matter.
All of these problems could likely have been avoided with a few simple signs to provide direction, which would be much more efficient than relying on verbal communication. That being said, my family will never return to this orchard due to the blatant lack of respect with which we were treated.

Classic Michigan apple orchard experience, a world apart from the commercialized orchards. A wider variety of apples than you’ll usually find including the kinds that these days are called «heirloom.» The owners are extremely pleasant, the land is rolling and pretty in itself, and some of the trees are wonderfully old and picturesque. After decades of Ann Arbor orchard treks, this is my favorite.

I love this apple orchard. It is a hidden gem tucked away on a side road near saline. A lot of apple orchards are overly commercial, overly crowded and overly manicured (paved roads, neat signs, orderly rows etc). If you want a silly theme park feeling (hay rides and cider and all that) this will not be the orchard for you.
If you prefer something a little closer to what a Michigan Orchard is and was, you will love it here. This place is a little older, a little wilder and far less crowded than most UPick Orchards, giving is a «secret garden» kind of feel. I love that you can wander through the orchard without tripping over people and that you can experiment with an assortment of apples of all shapes sizes and flavors (who cares what it is called, take a bite, find out and if you are curious ask Bill and he will tell you all about it). This orchard has more varieties of apples than I have ever seen before including rare heritage breeds (Wolf River, and Snow Apple for example) and some of the newer apples that we are all familiar with (no Gala yet, but I think they are coming), he also has a few Quince and Asian Pear trees.
Upick apples are $ 8 a half peck. They keep the spray to a minimum, so these apples look a little less pretty than normal, but are probably better for you. He also has honey and will sell apples by the tree — you buy the rights to an entire apple tree at the beginning of the year and reap the rewards come fall (great for gifts!).
Also, for people interested in picking apples this year — they have arrived early this year all across MI and Ontario, so you better get out there soon, or there may be none left!

Lutz apple orchard has been my favorite orchard for years. It has rare and heirloom varieties of apples, including many I’d never heard of or eaten before, along with more traditional and modern favorites. You can swing by and buy a bag of apples or a jar or honey or, my favorite, do the u-​pick in their beautiful orchard. The orchard has this ancient and charmingly unkempt feel to it. There are rolling, grassy hills with gnarly old apple trees everywhere. Sheep and their guardian lama wander around behind a fence that lines the orchard. Nothing in the orchard is marked, which gives it a very natural vibe, but Bill Lutz will gladly tell you where everything is as well as any other fact or piece of history you’d like to know about the orchard or apples in general. The orchard has been in the Lutz family for generations and as a result, is considered a «conservation farm.» Bill, and sometimes his sister Ruth, are always around the barn or hand-​picking in the orchard. They are incredibly helpful and gracious and eager to have a chat with anyone who stops by.