Strawberries, cherries, and… pie? Now that’s a summer remix I can get behind.
In Northern Michigan, the bakery case changes with the seasons, giving fruit pies plenty of chances to steal the spotlight.
Several favorites stick around year-round, while summer brings extra flavors that make a quick dessert stop much harder to keep quick.
The family orchard story started in 1962 and has now reached its third generation. Over the years, the farm grew into a bigger destination, with the current market building opening in 2023.
Inside, the scratch bakery shares space with a café, gifts, and family activities.
If you ask me, summer tastes better when it comes in a pie box.
Summer Is When The Pie Case Gets Even More Interesting
Friske’s Farm Market does not wait for summer to make pie. American Apple, Cherry Pickin’ Crunch, Country Caramel Apple, Dutch Apple Crunch, and Michigan Cherry are listed as year-round varieties, so there is always a strong fruit-pie base to start with.
Warmer months bring more possibilities. Bountiful Blueberry, Cherry Berry, Grandma’s Rhubarb, Strawberry Rhubarb, and Tree Ripened Peach all appear in the seasonal or special-order lineup, which gives a summer visit a different set of choices from a winter stop.
Because several of those pies depend on seasonal fruit, not every flavor should be treated as guaranteed on every visit. The better approach is to see what is available when you arrive or check ahead if one particular pie is the whole reason for the drive.
The bakery makes its fruit pies from scratch in small batches, using real butter, Michigan-grown fruit, unbleached flour, whole eggs, and scratch-made fillings, frostings, and icings. Some pies use a traditional crust while others come with a streusel topping.
That mix keeps the case interesting without turning the bakery into a one-season operation. Summer simply adds more reasons to look twice before choosing.
Michigan Fruit Does Most Of The Heavy Lifting
Fruit is the center of the bakery’s pie program, and Friske puts Michigan-grown fruit directly into the recipe. The bakery pairs it with real butter and a lower-sugar fruit filling, then finishes each pie with either Grandma Friske’s flaky crust or a streusel topping.
That local-fruit focus fits naturally with a family business built around orchards. Apples remain the farm’s biggest crop, while sweet cherries, strawberries, and other seasonal fruit also shape what appears around the market during the growing season.
You will find the same orchard identity beyond the pie case. Dried cherries, tart cherry products, applesauce, jams, fruit butters, granola, and other Michigan-focused goods carry the farm flavors into the market shelves.
The address to keep in mind is 10743 US-31, Ellsworth, MI 49729, about ten miles south of Charlevoix. The location puts the bakery, cafe, market, orchard activities, and play areas together on the same property.
That makes a pie stop easy to build into a broader Northern Michigan drive. You can choose dessert first, then decide how much longer you want to stay.
Tree Ripened Peach Pie Has A Short Season To Shine
Tree-Ripened Peach sits in the seasonal and special-order section of the bakery menu, so it is one of the pies that gives summer its strongest advantage.
Unlike the year-round apple and cherry choices, peach depends on the fruit season and can disappear when that window closes.
The name tells you exactly where the flavor is headed. This is a fruit-forward pie built around peaches rather than a heavily decorated dessert trying to bury the filling under extras.
Availability can move with the harvest, which is why flexibility matters. If peach is the pie you have been waiting for, checking the current bakery selection before a long drive can save you from arriving between batches or outside the seasonal window.
The same scratch-made approach used across the bakery applies here too. Real butter, Michigan-grown fruit, and small-batch production are part of the larger Friske pie program, giving the seasonal flavor the same foundation as the permanent lineup.
Peach pie is also a good reminder that farm-market baking changes with the calendar. One visit may belong to rhubarb, another to berries, and another to peaches. That rotation is part of what makes returning in a different month worthwhile.
Michigan Cherry Pie Keeps A Northern Favorite In The Case
Michigan Cherry is one of the year-round pies, so you do not need to hit a narrow harvest window to order a cherry dessert here. Cherry Pickin’ Crunch also stays on the all-year list, adding a streusel-topped option for anyone who prefers a different texture.
The cherry connection runs through much more than two pies. Friske sells dried Montmorency cherries, tart cherry jam, cherry pie filling, and other cherry-focused market products.
It is keeping one of Northern Michigan’s signature crops visible across the store.
Summer still gives cherries extra attention. Friske offers U-pick sweet cherries during a typical early-to-mid-July window, and the farm’s 2026 calendar included a Cherry Jubilee in July.
Those seasonal activities put fresh fruit and the bakery side by side during one of the busiest points in the growing year.
If you want the simplest introduction to the bakery, Michigan Cherry is an easy place to begin because it connects the pie case with the wider farm identity without requiring a special-order flavor.
Then take a look at what else is in season. The year-round favorite can stay the anchor while the summer pies handle the surprises.
The Scratch Bakery Goes Far Beyond Pie
Pie may be the reason you walked in, but the bakery case does not stop there. Friske makes cakes, turnovers, scones, fritters, muffins, cookies, donuts, and coffee, with the same small-batch approach used for the fruit pies.
The old-fashioned cake donuts are made fresh daily throughout the year. Classic cake versions stay in rotation, while seasonal choices change with the calendar, including cherry donuts in summer and apple-cider or pumpkin-spice versions later in the year.
Cookies also get a strong Michigan touch. The Tip of the Mitt cookie uses macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips, and Michigan dried cherries, while Oatmeal Cherry keeps dried fruit in another bakery format.
Cakes, scones, and other pastries can rotate, so the best strategy is to look at what is actually in the case instead of arriving with a rigid order. That is especially useful when seasonal fruit is moving through the bakery.
The variety also makes it easy to build a road-trip box instead of choosing one dessert. A pie can go home for later while donuts, cookies, or a scone handle the immediate snack problem.
The Orchard Outside Keeps The Farm Side Of The Visit Visible
The orchard operation is not just a backdrop for the market. Friske still grows fruit and offers seasonal U-pick opportunities, with strawberries typically running from late June into mid-July, sweet cherries in early to mid-July, and apples beginning around mid-September.
Those dates are typical ranges rather than promises because weather and ripening can shift the season. Checking what is ready before driving out is the safest way to plan a U-pick visit.
Apples remain the farm’s biggest crop, with a long list of varieties grown on the property. The farm also uses practices such as composted manure, pest monitoring, and targeted controls as part of its orchard management.
That working-farm side gives the bakery extra context. A pie case makes more sense when you can step outside and see rows of fruit trees, a produce stand, and the seasonal rhythm that controls when different crops are ready.
If you are visiting during U-pick season, let the fruit determine the order of the day. Pick first if the weather is good, then head inside for pie, donuts, or something from the cafe when you are ready for a break.
A Pie Stop Can Easily Turn Into An Afternoon At The Farm
The current Friske’s Farm Market was built to hold much more than a bakery. The cafe serves brick-oven pizzas and sandwiches along with scratch-made grab-and-go foods such as salads, wraps, quiche, soup, chili, croissants, and other road-trip-friendly choices.
The building also represents a newer chapter in a much older family business. Heidi, Richard III, and Jonathan became third-generation owners in 2019, and the family broke ground on a new market in 2022.
The current facility opened on June 5, 2023, giving the bakery, cafe, market, and family attractions more room to operate together.
Families can also use the indoor and outdoor play areas. The outdoor Friske Farm Funland includes a jumping pillow, zipline, climbing features, slides, swings, tractors, a sandbox, and other activities, while the indoor play area gives younger children another option.
Some play areas require paid admission, and the details can change by season or event.
The market itself adds produce, specialty foods, gifts, and Michigan-made products, so it is easy to spend more time browsing after lunch or dessert than you expected.
Summer hours currently run Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., giving you plenty of room to combine the bakery, cafe, market, orchard, and play areas in one visit. Friske operates year-round, but hours and activities change with the season.
If pie brought you through the door, leave some space in the schedule. Between the bakery case, brick oven, fruit stand, orchard, and farm fun, the five-minute dessert stop can grow into a full Northern Michigan afternoon very quickly.