Irish Mountain Orchard

08/13/2025

Irish Mountain Orchard: Growing a New Legacy, Rooted in Tradition
We’re excited to introduce you to the new stewards of Irish Mountain Orchard—Jacob and Leslie Lee and their growing family—who are continuing the legacy of love, land, and community that has defined this orchard from the very beginning.

Originally planted in 1970 by Dr. Dwain Merickel, Irish Mountain Orchard began as a retirement passion project and blossomed into a thriving apple farm. Dr. Merickel was one of the early pioneers of planting Honeycrisp apples in Minnesota during the 1990s, and expanded over the years to include Zestar!, Haralson, and Fireside apples. What started with a few rows has since become a beloved local U-pick destination—thanks to his vision, dedication, and love for the land.

Today, this cherished orchard begins a new chapter with the Lee family.

Meet the Lees: Jacob, Leslie & Family
Jacob and Leslie Lee are local to southern Minnesota, with deep roots in small-town life, hard work, and strong family values. Though they spent a couple of years in California, it didn’t take long for them to realize that home was calling—and they returned with a vision to raise their family and build businesses that reflect their love for community and the simple joys of rural life.

Jacob grew up in the city but spent childhood summers on his grandparents’ farm in North Dakota, where he fell in love with the land. Leslie, a true farm girl at heart, was raised picking rocks and selling sweet corn at roadside stands. Today, Leslie is a nurse practitioner specializing in aesthetics and wellness, while Jacob is the steady hand behind the scenes—happiest when working outdoors among the trees.

They’re raising four children—Iszabela (with husband Taylor and their son Estyn), Vanndin, Liviana, and Creidin—and guiding them with the values of hard work, dreaming big, and staying grounded in faith and family. Together, they own and operate Ahavah Cottage (a wedding venue), Lolli Pops Bakery, and now, Irish Mountain Orchard.

08/13/2025

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP!
(507)384-1955

irish-mountain.com

11/01/2024

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

Irish Mountain Orchard is now closed for this year. Thank you to all who have supported us by purchasing apples and pears! Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season and a safe and healthy new year!

10/23/2024

Our last day of the season will be Thursday, October 31. Now is the time to plan on stopping out to pick up your final stash of these delicious apples. And don't forget about holiday baking...everyone loves apple pie and apple crisp! If you have extra refrigerator space or a cold place to store them, Honey Crisp often keep until after Christmas (but no guarantees, of course). Zestar! don't keep as well because they are an early variety, but they are the absolute best (in my humble opinion) for making applesauce or baking in the next couple of weeks.

We always have fun meeting new friends as well as seeing those of you who come back year after year to purchase fruit. We truly enjoy being able to share our beautiful orchard with our customers...we take it for granted sometimes and forget how blessed we are to see it every day.

We hope to see you at the orchard this last week. We are open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; during the week we have a self serve stand set up, and we will be there on this final weekend.

Wishing you all a fun Halloween and a lovely holiday season!

Ryan, Becky and Emily

10/09/2024

VANDALISM

When we went to open the farm stand this morning, we found someone had been busy last night...the cash box was broken into and ruined. I hope the culprits enjoyed the couple of dollars in change that was all that was in there!

Due to that, we will be CLOSED UNTIL SATURDAY, OCT. 12. We apologize for any inconvenience. I'm really sorry someone had to ruin it for everyone; it's depressing! Most of our customers are so nice and have been very supportive...we truly appreciate you!

10/04/2024

Haralson apples will be available to pick tomorrow for those of you who have been waiting! If you want pre-bagged Haralson, maybe wait until afternoon to give us a chance to pick some and get them ready :)

10/03/2024

We want to let you all know that we no longer have pears available. Thanks to those of you who have purchased and enjoyed them!

09/27/2024

This will be another beautiful weekend in the orchard...sunny and warm but not too hot. We still have u-pick apples, so don't miss your chance to stop out with the kids and give them the experience of picking their own fruit...they love it! Feel free to use one of our wagons for little ones, if you'd like. U-pick pears are gone; we still have some Parkers available pre-bagged but are not sure how long they will last. So if you need one more pear fix before they're gone, now is the time! Pre-bagged Zestar! and Honey Crisp are also available, as always. We look forward to seeing you!

09/24/2024

Thank you for the lovely write up!

As a grown-up, I still have wonderful memories of picking apples with my family as a young girl. Lifted up by my dad to reach for the high apples, traipsing through the orchards to find the trees w…

09/22/2024

PEARS 1/2 PRICE TODAY!

Yesterday's wind meant the end of u-pick pears...most are on the ground now. We did have some picked earlier and in cold storage and will be selling those for $8 a bag today. If you love our pears, it's your last chance to buy some pre-bagged before they are gone for this year. Don't miss out!

09/20/2024

We have had a couple of questions about Chestnut Crab apples and their location in the orchard. they are interspersed among other apples because they were intended just for pollinators. I know othere are some up the hill straight south of the farm stand in the white flagged rows, but I'm not sure where others are. Your best bet would probably be to come out on a Saturday or Sunday; we will be at the stand and someone can show you or direct you more specifically.

09/19/2024

It sounds like Saturday is likely going to be wet, so if you're planning to visit the orchard, please be aware that we may be set up inside the building to keep everything dry. Both the big overhead door and the small door will be open, so be sure to come on in. We are open 10am to 6 p.m.

On another note, during the week the farm stand is open on a self serve basis. Because of that, the only payment methods accepted during the week are cash or check...or there's a QR code to pay with PayPal. We are able to accept cards on Saturdays and Sundays when we staff the stand. Thanks for your understanding!

We do still have Nova pears as well as Parker pears. The Novas are ready to eat immediately while the Parkers will ripen more slowly and last longer once you get them home. Both are absolutely delicious! See you at the orchard!