If you are looking for Honeycrisp apples, now is the time to get them, according to local grower Steve Lecklider.

The manger of Lehman’s Orchard in Bertrand Township said the popular variety is ripe for the picking — but not for too much longer.

This is the ideal time of the year for the harvest, which Lecklider said starts around Labor Day and runs through September and into October — depending on how soon it gets cold.

“That five- or six-week window is perfect for the Honeycrisp and that’s the apple in demand,” he said. “Any time in September, early October is perfect.”

This is the first year that Lehman’s has offered U-pick Honeycrisp apples at the orchard, which is located at 2280 Portage Rd., just south of US-12 in Niles. It offers several other varieties of U-pick throughout the year.

Lehman’s provides buckets and bags and customers pay by the pound. The price is $1.50 a pound. It also offers apples and other fruit pre-picked and value-added products.

The Honeycrisp is known for its combination of unusual color, sweet flavor and great bite. It is great for fresh eating, fresh-cut slices or cut up in salads, according to the Michigan Apple Committee.

“It’s one of the juiciest apples and one of the longest term storage apples that we have” Lecklider said. “It’s a dual purpose apple so it is fresh eating and people have made award-winning pies with the apple.”

For Lehman’s Orchard, the usefulness of the apple goes one step further. They use it for their wines and ciders, which are sold onsite as well.

“It adds a lot of complexity,” Lecklider said. “It is a fantastic apple.”

U-pick is open from noon to 5 p.m. each day except on Saturday when it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lecklider said most customers come on the weekends.

He said it was a great season for Honeycrisp.

“It is an excellent crop,” he said. “The size of the apple is good and the quantity of the apple is very good and the flavor is excellent.”

For more information, including the most recent crop updates, visit the website lehmansorchard.com or find the business on Facebook.