About Country Mill Farms
Country Mill Farms on Otto Road, between Charlotte and Potterville, dates to before the Civil War; its red brick farmhouse was built around 1870. Bernie and Ann Tennes bought the 80-acre farm in 1970, and their son Steve and his wife Bridget came home in 2003 to run it. It has grown to 213 acres and calls itself the only certified organic apple orchard in the Lansing, Jackson and Battle Creek area.
U-pick runs from July into November. Blueberries and peaches come in summer, apple picking starts in early August, and pumpkins and sunflowers fill out the fall. The orchard grows dozens of apple varieties; in early October 2026 Empire, Jonagold, Cortland, Northern Spy and organic Liberty and Snowsweet were picking, with Fuji, Granny Smith and Goldrush still to come. Apples are picked into a tote, and pre-picked apples are sold in the market until Thanksgiving.
The farm market presses its own cider and makes donuts daily, along with caramel apples, pies, applesauce, apple butter and apple chips. A wine bar inside pours the farm's hard cider and fruit wines made with apples, blueberries, peaches and cherries on fall weekend afternoons. On fall weekends, a $10 wristband covers a wagon ride, a corn maze, an apple cannon and a pumpkin pitch, and there is a pond to walk to. Pets stay out of the orchard and market, but a fenced pet play area sits just north of the parking lot.
Hidden Spruce Lavender Farm near Leslie is about 23 miles southeast, close enough for a full farm day in summer.
What to do
- Pick organic apples, early August into November
- Pick blueberries and peaches in summer
- Choose a pumpkin and cut sunflowers in fall
- Taste the farm's hard cider and fruit wines on fall weekends
- Ride the wagon and try the corn maze and apple cannon on fall weekends
- Buy fresh cider and daily donuts
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- U-pick July through November; apples from early August, pumpkins in fall
- Hours
- September–October 2026: Tuesday–Saturday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; fall weekend activities 1–5 p.m. (their website)
- Admission
- Free entry; U-pick apples $15 per half-bushel tote; fall activity wristband $10 or $3 per activity (their website, 2026)
Good to know
- Dogs
- Not allowed on the farm or in the market; fenced pet area by the parking lot; service animals welcome
Tips for your visit
- Check the weekly orchard update on their website to see which varieties are ready
- Bring your own small wagon on sunny October weekends, when the farm's wagons run out
- Text or call 517-543-1019; in fall the phone is answered during business hours
- Use a Charlotte or Potterville address in your map app to avoid wrong suggestions
Pair it with a lavender farm
Hidden Spruce Lavender Farm · about 45 minutes away
Hidden Spruce Lavender Farm near Leslie is about 23 miles southeast, so summer blueberries and peaches here can share a day with lavender there.
Getting there
Questions
Is the orchard organic?
The farm says it is the only certified organic apple orchard in the Lansing, Jackson and Battle Creek area.
Can I bring my dog?
Not into the orchard or market. Leashed pets may stay in the parking lot, and there's a fenced pet play area north of it.
When does apple picking start?
In early August, and it runs to about early November.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Pinckney & Chelsea, Michigan
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
