Cider donuts, fried from open until five
The 1911 dairy barn is where the donuts, the cider press and the pie ovens live. Follow the smell from the parking lot. Everything is made here, mostly from fruit that grew within sight of the door.
Cake donut, our cider, cinnamon sugar, still warm
We started frying donuts in 1994 with a secondhand machine and Marit's recipe, and the recipe hasn't changed: a cake batter with reduced Hollow Oak cider in place of most of the liquid, dropped into the fryer in rings of six, rolled in cinnamon sugar while they're too hot to hold. The machine has changed — the current one does 140 dozen an hour and is still too slow on a Saturday.
Donuts are fried continuously from open until 5 pm (4:30 on weekdays), so there is always a warm batch. The line is longest from 1 to 3 on weekends. If you want a dozen to take home without the wait, pre-order below and pick up at the side window.
- Single donut$1.50
- Half dozen$7
- Dozen$12
- Two dozenPre-order only, boxed$22
- Plain (no sugar)Same price, ask at the window—
Everything at the barn
Prices include tax. Everything is made on site except the cheese (Shepherd's Way, Nerstrand), the brats (Hoffman's, Faribault) and the ice cream (Sweet Science, Minneapolis).
Cider
Pressed every Tuesday and Friday from whatever is coming off the trees — early-season cider is bright and tart, October cider is deep and sweet. Unpasteurized, UV-treated, keeps three weeks in the fridge or a year frozen.
- Hot cider, 12 oz$3
- Cold cider, 16 oz$3.50
- Cider slushWeekends through Sep$5
- Half gallon$8
- Gallon$13
Pies & sweets
Haralson pies are baked each morning starting at 5. Whole pies usually sell out by 2 on Saturdays; pre-order to be sure.
- Haralson apple pie, whole 9"$22
- Pie by the sliceAdd ice cream, $2$5
- Apple crisp, 8×8 pan$16
- Caramel appleHoneycrisp, with or without peanuts$5
- Apple cider caramels, bag of 12$8
- Honeycrisp turnover$4
Lunch window
Weekends 11–3, weekdays 11:30–2. Eat in the picnic grove or at the barn tables.
- Hoffman's brat on a bunKraut and onions on the side$7
- Apple & cheddar grilled cheese$8
- Kids' grilled cheese$5
- Beef chili, bowlWith cheddar and cornbread$8
- Soup of the day, bowlUsually squash$6
- Kettle cornFestival weekends, by the maze$6
Allergens: donuts contain wheat, egg and milk and are fried in canola oil; the caramel apple station uses peanuts. We can't make anything gluten-free in the barn kitchen, but the cider, caramels and the fruit are all naturally free of the big eight. Ask at the window and we'll walk you through anything.
Also on the shelves
- Pre-picked apples by the peck ($34) and half bushel ($58), every variety that's open
- Hollow Oak apple butter ($9), cider syrup ($12) and raw honey from Prairie Creek Apiary ($10/lb)
- Shepherd's Way sheep's-milk cheeses, Hoffman's brats and summer sausage
- Cider donut mix, a pound bag with instructions — not quite as good as ours, but close ($8)
- Mums, cornstalk bundles and straw bales for the porch ($8 / $6 / $7)
- Hollow Oak hats, hoodies and the kids' "I got lost in the maze" tee
Open 30 minutes after the orchard closes
The Bakery Barn opens with the farm and stays open half an hour after the gate closes so you can pick up your donuts and cider on the way out. Donut frying stops at 5 on weekends and 4:30 on weekdays; whatever is left is sold at half price in the last half hour. There usually isn't much left.
During Flashlight Maze nights (Fridays and Saturdays, Oct 9–24) the barn reopens from 6:30 to 9:30 with donuts, hot cider and chili.
You don't need admission to shop at the barn. On weekends, tell the gate you're "just going to the bakery" and park in the 20-minute spots by the barn door.
Skip the line: order dozens and pies for pickup
Order by 8 pm the night before. Pay at the side window when you pick up — cash or card. Weekend pickups are at the Bakery Barn side window, not the main counter; look for the green awning.