Detroit to have its first u-pick apple orchard on the city's eastside

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Welcome to Core Orchards, Detroit the 1st u-pick apple orchard.

It may not look like much now but by the year 2020 things will look a lot different.

Picture 300 honey crisp apple trees growing along the city's landscape.

“We're planting core orchards because we have a mission of revitalization and support for the communities we serve,” Core Orchard founder Matthew Wollack said.

The Grosse Pointe park-based nonprofit wolverine human services has invested 150-thousand-dollars to plant the trees on Lenox street near Dickerson and Mack on the city's east side.

The goal is to sow an agricultural destination and offer fresh, affordable produce to the community.

“Everyone goes to apple orchards in Michigan, whether you're a grandparent, a parent, whether you're a college kid, whether you're a grandkid, you're driving to experience that apple culture that we all know,” Wollack said.

The orchard is a community effort. 100 employees from paragon properties in Bingham Farms took part in planting trees on Friday.

The project has been two years in the making.

“We were the first group to go through the 2016 urban-ag ordinance by Detroit, so we had a little bit of process, but it's been well worth it,” Wollack said.

This will be Detroit’s first u-pick orchard and neighbors are excited to have this in their backyard.

Detroit resident James Jackson is excited to pick his first apple. 

“Are you going to get an apple soon? Oh yes, for sure. yeah. an apple grown in Detroit. ain't that something,” he said.

We've got u-pick apple orchards, we've got cider mills, we've got donuts and we thought why not in Detroit? why not have another reason to come and experience Detroit in a new way,”

“This is great man, when you get people who are investing in your neighborhood, you know, that's great. you know, they're spending money and energy here in my area, I love it,” Jackson said.    

The first apple pick is expected to take place in the fall of 2020. The trees should grow up to five-thousand pounds of apples every year.