Lapacek's Orchard LLC

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

2012-01-16T22:54:00.001-06:00

This cheesecake is rich and creamy, but the real showstopper is the caramel apple topping. If it weren't for my naked cheesecake that needed its topping to be presentable for the office potluck, I might have given in to the temptation to eat the entire pan of apples in warm caramel sauce.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

~Kerry, NoneSuchExists

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 Tbsp. egg white

1 Tbsp. water

Cheesecake

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup light sour cream

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

24 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs

Topping

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. water

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. half-and-half

1 3/4 cups thinly sliced peeled apple

Dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400ºF. To prepare crust, combine the crust ingredients together, and toss with a fork until moist. Press mixture lightly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, wrap the outside of the pan with a double layer of foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF.

Combine cheesecake ingredients, except for the eggs, together in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until blended. Pour cheesecake into prepared pan. Place springform pan in a large roasting pan. Add hot water to the roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch.

Bake for one hour or until cheesecake center barely moves when the pan is touched. Remove from the oven, and let stand in the water bath 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cheesecake. Remove from the water bath, and cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Cover, and chill at least 8 hours.

To prepare topping, combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Cook 4 minutes or until golden without stirring. Remove from heat. Add butter, and gently stir until butter melts. Stir in half-and-half. Cool slightly.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add apple to pan, and saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in sugar mixture and nutmeg. Serve topping with cheesecake. Makes 16 servings.

Interesting find on ‘Pip’

2012-01-08T12:15:00.001-06:00

My dad discovered interesting about what Pip (aka what we call our youngest daughter, Persimoni) means while working on a crossword puzzle the other day. I had to go to dictionary.com to see if it was true:

pip

noun

1.

a small seed, especially of a fleshy fruit, as an apple or orange.

And sure enough – Pip is part of an apple! Too ironic!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T09:19:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

I hope you all have had an enjoyable holiday season. We had a very nice Christmas and the girls were really excited about seeing all their family, opening presents, and of course, Santa.

Here is Cedi and Capri with four of their cousins – excited for the Packer’s to win that night!And Pip discovered that opening the presents was easiest if she sucked the paper off.

I was so grateful that we weren’t sick during Christmas this year – but of course, the day after Christmas brought us to Urgent Care.

Cedi and Pip had Pink Eye. The next day Mom and Capri also got pink eye. I also developed a bad cold with a terrible sore throat. I couldn’t handle it anymore so yesterday I went to urgent care and it turned out to be an ear infection! Crazy!

Anyway, I think today we’re all finally on the mend and we plan on leaving our ‘cave’ and watching the Rose Bowl with some family and friends.

I have to tell you – the last two mornings we’ve had pancakes and french toast. I did not put syrup on mine – instead I spread a nice coat of our ‘Spiced Cider Jelly’ on them. Oh man – DELICIOUS! It was so good! I’m not even a pancake eater and I had two of them because the jelly was so good. This fall we had one customer that called it his ‘Crack’. He would come in and announce, “I’m here for my Crack.” On busy days he would definitely turn some heads and I would have to assure everyone that he was talking about the Spice Cider Jelly. Now – I can completely understand what he was talking about. I know I tried it when we first made it and liked it but I think sometimes you need to be reminded of how amazing something is!

With that said – even though we are closed until next fall – if you need any canned goods, honey, or maple syrup – give us a call. We can schedule an appointment to meet with you for pick up.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T20:31:00.001-06:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas before I shut my computer down for the next few days. My littles are tucked into bed with instructions that Santa won’t come unless they are sleeping. After the last few days of celebrating they’ve had I can’t believe that they will be up long.I’m sitting here enjoying a nice hot cup of Friendship Tea as I blog. I have probably shared this in the past but if you don’t remember – here’s the simple recipe. (also can make a beautiful last minute gift – just put it in a mason jar with a ribbon tied around the lid…)

Friendship Tea

1 cup Instant Tea
2 cups Tang
2 pkgs of presweetened lemonade (if unsweetened add 1 cup of sugar…pink lemonade makes it look even prettier…)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and store in covered jar.

Use 1 heaping tsp or more to 1 cup boiling water

Friendship Tea has become a ‘comfort’ drink for me. It reminds me of childhood – being warm and snuggly, under a blanket and enjoying a good book.

We still have a few Christmas celebrations left but so far things are going nice and smoothly (knock on wood).

We’ve had too many Christmas’s that the girls have laid on my lap and let me open their presents from Santa for them because they were just too sick. Really, really hoping and praying that they wake up super excited tomorrow morning! They are at such a wonderful age for all the Christmas magic of the season…except Pip – but she really does enjoy eating the wrapping paper!

The other day I got really nostalgic about some of the movies I used to watch at Christmas time when I was a kid. They included The Muppet Christmas Carol, One Magic Christmas, and The Night They Saved Christmas. I decided to order them so that I could have my kids have the same memories of them as me. (I have now added Elf and Bad Santa to those favorites…but don’t worry, I won’t let the girls watch Bad Santa for a long while).

I never expected the movies to arrive before Christmas since I asked for the ‘Free Shipping’ method. But, much to my surprise – two of the movies arrived today! It was a Christmas Miracle :) Jared and I are watching the Muppets tonight and I’m sure I’ll be watching it again with the girls tomorrow night while Papa is at the Packer Game with Uncle Brian.

Pip still only has her one tooth…but she’s been such a happy adorable baby. Also – so tolerant of the crazy schedule and rocked to sleep naps in the car seat. We are so blessed to have these wonderful babes. I won’t leave you in suspense too long – I’ll be blogging more about this next week. I’ll leave you with yes – that’s a bedazzled beer bottle full of High Life AND a caterpillar/pumpkin teeth beer bottle full of High Life. AND yes – it is for one of our Christmas celebrations…

And with that – Merry Christmas to everyone! I’m signing off the computer for a day or so and just taking the time to enjoy my family and this wonderful holiday!

See how to make your very own felt stockings HERE!

Vanilla Pear Jam

2011-12-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

Jam, in my mind, is a summer creation. I associate the sticky process of making jam with fresh berries, but that's not always the case. Frozen berries can make excellent jam. And jam is not reserved just for berries.

I certainly broadened my jam repertoire this summer with new creations involving tomatoes, basil and ground cherries (not all in the same jam). This fall, I fell in love with my cranberry jam creation. And a surplus of pears led to my latest jam, Vanilla Pear Jam.

This jam retains the distinct texture of the pears and combines their sweetness with flecks of vanilla. This jam was an experiment for me with whole vanilla beans, which might become a staple in my kitchen. There's something satisfying about using ingredients in their purest form.

Vanilla Pear Jam
8 cups chopped pears
4 cups sugar
2 vanilla beans

Chop the pears into fairly uniform pieces, removing the cores but leaving the skins intact. Split vanilla beans down the center, and scrape out the tiny seeds. Combine pears and sugar in a large, heavy-duty pot. Add both the vanilla bean shells and the seeds. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the pears are soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon.

Remove pears from heat, and remove the vanilla bean shells. Puree the pear mixture in a food processor or blender to reach desired texture. A potato masher may also be used.

Return the pear mixture to the pot, and continue to cook over medium heat until the pears are fairly thick (approximately 20 minutes). Remember, the jam will thicken slightly once you remove it from the heat. There are various ways to test jam, such as a plate method or spoon test. The nice thing about jam is that even if it's thicker or thinner than intended, it still tastes delicious.

Ladle jam into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Cover with sterilized lids and bands. Process in a hot water bath 10 minutes. Cool completely. Check to ensure each jar is sealed. Any jars that aren't sealed should be refrigerated.

Lesson learned while putting my jars in the basement: dropping jars on a concrete floor may pop the seal. I figured that's better than the jar itself cracking and ruining a jar of jam.

Notes: I used several varieties of pears (Bosc, Red Anjou, Green Anjou and Bartlett) for my jam, but one would also work. This recipe should yield approximately 3 half-pints of jam.

~Kerry Blondheim, Nonesuch exist

Introducing – Kerry Blondheim – Queen of the Kitchen & Guest Blogger

2011-12-19T15:23:00.001-06:00

I am happy to be introducing you to my cousin (through marriage) – Kerry Blondheim. I first discovered what an amazing baker/cook/canner (hence – Queen of the Kitchen) she is when I was collecting recipe’s for our cookbook – Farm Fresh Recipes. She sent me TONS of fantastic recipes that helped fill our cookbook with a great variety.

Recently we were chatting and I asked Kerry to be a guest blogger for the orchard. She’s going to share with us her recipe’s and experience creating dishes that use anything that we grow at the orchard. I think you’ll be happy to see the variety she shares with us all!

Before I post her first recipe – here’s some questions she answered for me:

When did you start creating in the kitchen?

I "helped" my mom in the kitchen from an early age. She was wonderful about encouraging my interests without worrying about the messes I'm sure I created. The first cake I made and decorated was an igloo-shaped cake, not a simple sheet cake. I was probably 7 years old at the time.

How did you learn to cook?

My mom encouraged me to follow recipes, and she let me practice making things on my own.That resulted in a few learning experiences, like the time I used granulated sugar to make frosting for my dad's birthday cake. I hadn't realized that confectioner's sugar was powdered sugar. Those type of lessons stick with you.

What is your favorite thing to make?

This is a tough question because I enjoy both cooking and baking. My favorite creations are probably cupcakes and bread. I have a tremendous sweet tooth, and there's something extremely satisfying about making bread that's far more delicious and healthier than most loaves in the store.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned in the kitchen?

In addition to learning about confectioner's sugar, I've had a few other mishaps. I learned to make sure I knew my sugar container from my salt container when I made a very salty blueberry cobbler. And I learned to double check that I added all the ingredients when I made banana bread without flour, of all things. Fortunately, I covered those basic lessons when I was younger than 10, and my family forgave me for all of them.

Do you have any 'tricks' for cooking?

It's not really a trick, but don't be afraid to experiment or go outside your comfort zone whether it's trying a new technique or a food that you don't usually use. The trick I'm working on mastering now is learning how to bake and cook with a 3-month old!

Who is your favorite 'taste tester'?

My husband David is the only captive audience I have as a taste tester, so he wins this category. I've taken things into work as well and shared with other family members, but David is the one who tries everything. He's a really good sport, probably because there's more treats like Tequila Sunrise Cupcakes than soups where I sneak in ingredients he thinks he doesn't like, such as squash.

What do you do with all that food!?

Most of my breads go into the freezer until we're able to get to them. Treats with shorter shelf lives like cupcakes or the pumpkin flan that's baking right now become our treats for the week or get shared with others. And the fullness of our freezer is really what inspired me to start canning, which has become another hobby. This summer, fall and winter, we've canned 287 3/4 pints. That's a record I'm going to attempt to break next year! A lot of our canned goods become Christmas presents for co-workers and family members. I'd love to start selling some of my canned goods, breads or cupcakes, but I'm not there ... yet.

Anything else you'd like to share with my readers about your kitchen life feel free to include!

I use my blog as my virtual recipe box, so I can find favorite recipes and share recipes with others. You can follow my kitchen adventures online at www.nonesuchexists.blogspot.com.

Kerry, my cousin David, and their son, AJ

Stay tuned for the first recipe Kerry’s sharing with us: Vanilla Pear Jam

I’m crossing my fingers that Kerry’s going to find a jar to share with me ;)

Saucesational – An Experiment in Applesauce - Cameo

2011-12-18T21:48:00.001-06:00

Before I get into my analysis on Cameo Applesauce, I hope you take a little time (less than a minute) to see my video on our suction peeler/corer/slicers. You’ll quickly see that they work fantastically and are so easy to use my 3 year old can do it!

Okay – now onto the Cameo’s! Cameo’s are a newer variety to the orchard and so far our customers have been extremely happy with them.

I’m happy to say - I really liked the cameo’s as a sauce apple. They were smooth, sweet but with a slight tang. I really liked this one – the flavor stayed with me after I ate it. It was quite pleasant. (sorry no post-cooked picture…)

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 9

Texture: 8

Color: 8

AVERAGE POR: 8.33

Past apple tests:

On Deck

– Silken, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Spartan, Idared, Red Delicious, Empire

Last Minute Gifts - Book Wreaths – Yup, I’m Teaching a Class

2011-12-13T07:35:00.001-06:00

Join me TONIGHT at The Glitter Workshop (6138 Mineral Point Road, Madison WI) from 4 until 7 to create your very own (or that perfect gift for the someone you haven’t figured out yet…) book wreath!

All you need is YOURSELF! I have books (edges pre-dyed or charred), wreath bases and hot glue! Yup – you get to enjoy one of my favorite tools in crafting – hot glue!

Wreaths will start at $12/wreath depending on what size you want to do. The one I’m holding in the picture is a $12 size.

These are seriously a fantastic piece of art you can display in your home year round! I sold quite a few last holiday season and I have heard that they are still enjoying them to this day. To make things even better – they’re super easy to make!

Saucesational – An Experiment in Applesauce: Braeburn

2011-12-05T23:00:00.001-06:00

Our Braeburns are still nice and crisp. Without a doubt a good keeper.

It was time for me to put the Braeburn to the test. I peeled, cored and sliced the apples up and put them in the slow cooker. They cooked up pretty decently. I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce flavor (even though I do like to eat them fresh). The sauce was sweet with maybe a tanginess to it – but I’m not exactly sure how to word the flavor exactly. It was definitely not my favorite of the sauces…

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 3

Texture: 5

Color: 5

AVERAGE POR: 4.33

Past apple tests:

On Deck

– Silken, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Cameo, Spartan, Idared, Red Delicious, Empire

Craftacular 2011! Sneak Peak - KimsCraftyApple

2011-12-02T20:10:00.001-06:00

As many of you know – once apple season slows down – crafting season begins for me! One of the big things that I do in December is the Craftacular in Madison. The show is actually going to be tomorrow, December 3rd from 10-5 at the East Side Club. I hope you stop by if you have a chance or are in the area.

Also – the apple store itself will be open tomorrow from 9 to 12. If you need cider, apples, honey, canned goods, etc, feel free to stop on in.

Here’s some links to ‘sneak peaks’ I’ve given about vendors you’ll see there:

If you’re just tuning in here are previous Craftacular Posts:

Now, I’m going to talk a little about what I’m offering and how I altered my display a bit.

One thing that is going to be different this year is that I won’t have a lot of quilts, bags, or aprons. If there was anything that you wanted to look at please let me know now and I’ll be sure to pack it along.

One of the new things I’m offering this year are tutu’s. I made both my girls one for their Halloween costume and I loved them so much I had to make more for you all to pick from! Not only are there fantastic tutu’s but there is also a good selection of ‘Magic Apple Wands’, funky headbands, and fun hair pins. If any of you remember my display from previous years it was all just brown wood. Well, earlier this week I decided to modify it a bit – I spray painted the earring racks and other display items with chalkboard paint. I tried to spray paint a few of my apple crates white but that really didn’t work so I had to go to brush painting white. I think the white will really help you see into the crates at what’s displayed inside. Overall – I’m really happy with the new look and can’t wait to see what you all think tomorrow! Capri dancing around in the rainbow tutu.Another new item I have this year are hand-dyed t-shirt rosette head bands. Of course, I had to get some fun manikin heads to put them on! Here is a close-up of my earring racks. I organized my earrings this year by price and then wrote with a chalk pen next to them how much they are. This will hopefully ease your ability to shop for the perfect pair! Every time I tried a different tutu on Capri she would come up with a new dance move! It’s amazing what those little circles of tulle will do to your child!

I will also be having a few ‘craftacular’ specials on earrings and ornaments so be sure to stop by my booth! Hope to see many of you at the show tomorrow!

Happy 5th Birthday Mercedi Rose

2011-11-29T21:14:00.001-06:00

WOW! My daughter, Cedi turned FIVE today! I can’t believe that she’s already FIVE! Before I get into all saga of all the adventures she had for her birthday I thought we’d take a look back at some photo’s…

Click HERE to read the story of Mercedi Rose’s Birth.Cedi – right before I went to the hospital.November 29th, 5:30pm Mercedi Rose Lapacek was born weighing in at 6lbs 13 oz and measuring 20-inches long.

photo by Friends in Photography

Mercedi Rose – 5 years old (well…almost 5 in this photo…)

Cedi and Me on her 3rd Birthday. Me and Cedi on her 4th Birthday. Me and Cedi on her 5th birthday.

We are so blessed to have Mercedi. She is a wonderful little, pistol of a girl. I’m pretty sure she got her stubbornness from her papa ;). She’s a smart little girl that likes everything just perfect (and I know she didn’t get that from me!). I love seeing the excitement when she discovers something new that she can do and the things she imagines up for her and Capri to pretend never cease to amaze me. She’s an absolute sweet heart to Persimoni and calls her ‘Bibble’. Monkey bars are no obstacle for this girl. She came home with bleeding blisters on her hands once she learned she could do them and we had to keep her off for a few days. As soon as her hands slightly started to heal – she was back up there. I could go on and on but really – she’s truly a magical little girl.

Now…enough gushing about Cedi – what did we do to celebrate her birthday!?

We did so much for Cedi’s birthday that I’ll just give you some sneak peaks at it tonight and I’ll show more pictures later. It was lots of fun but I think next year – we’re going to go to a movie and have a quiet birthday. I may have planned TOO much fun into a few days…

Cedi’s birthday celebration all started on Thanksgiving at my parents. She had cake and opened some presents from her grandparents and Uncle Brian. On Sunday night, we headed over to Frank’s parents for a celebration there as well!Yesterday, I took Cedi to get her ears pierced. She did really good – no tears, no whimpers – just a brave little girl. We then came home and had cake with some friends and opened her presents from us and her sisters. It was a very nice night and probably would have been fine to end it there.

But…I didn’t.Cedi had her first day as a 5 year old 4K-er this morning.I brought her birthday treat in towards the end of the day so the kids could take their caramel apples home with them to enjoy. Then, it was off to Cedi’s (and Capri and Pip’s) first visit to Chuck E Cheese. They had lots of fun with their daycare friends! Our next stop was at The Glitter Workshop for the Tuesday Make ‘n’ Take Night of decorating Christmas Cookies!Both of the girls (and me) had LOTS of fun with this adventure! It was great that all the hard work was done for us and we could just have fun with the decorating.

And to end the night we headed to the Melting Pot for some chocolate fondue dessert. Whew…what a birthday!

Now, I have to remember – a movie and cake will be just fine for Birthday 6!

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce – Golden Delicious

2011-11-28T20:20:00.001-06:00

My favorite thing I ever read on how to describe the Golden Delicious was, “NOT a Red Delicious.” I think a lot of people tend to group Golden D’s with the Red and don’t give them the chance they deserve. Golden Delicious are sweet, juicy and crisp. They are great for fresh eating and for pies. They tend to hold their shape when cooked.

These are a really good apple and we still have plenty. Either stop in on Saturday’s from 9 until Noon or give us a call to schedule a pick up time.

I was not disappointed with my Golden Delicious Sauce. It had a great sweet flavor with just a touch of tart. They held their shape pretty well – they look pretty mooshed down but I cooked them for a good 4 hours in my crock pot so they should be! Definitely a decent apple for sauce.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 8

Texture: 8

Color: 7

AVERAGE POR: 7.67

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Silken, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Cameo, Spartan, Braeburn, Idared, Red Delicious, Empire

thankful

2011-11-24T05:56:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We wanted to wish you all a safe and joyous day with family and friends!

In honor of Thanksgiving this year I went around and asked the family to let me know what they were thankful for this year. Here’s what I was told:

Pip: “Wha”

Capri: “Mommy & Pops, Shaun, play set, friends, sisters, blocks, teeth, hair, and eyes"

Mercedi: “Mommy & Daddy, food & my friends & my kitties & my dogs & my sisters & my new playground & Shaun.”

Jared: “I am thankful for a good apple season, great family and stuff.”

Frank: “Good health, a successful harvest and gracious customers.”

Diane: “Our wonderful family and the amazing customers who made this another great season.”

Me (Kim): Wow – when I have to think back about what I’m thankful for this year…my list gets pretty long.

I’m thankful for my amazing husband who is so understanding, loving and supportive in everything I do.

I’m thankful for Mercedi who surprises and amazes me everyday with what she absorbs, learns, remembers, and achieves.

I’m thankful for my sweet Capri who has the tenderness heart and kindest smile and amazing imagination.

I’m thankful for my beautiful, healthy, happy new baby Persimoni. Her joy and beauty brightens my every day.

I’m thankful for all the family and friends who have supported us through a new baby this year AND through another successful apple season. We could never accomplish what we do without them.

I’m thankful for all the apple lovers out there – if it weren’t for you all, our lives would be completely different.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you take some time to look back and reflect on all you have to be thankful for this past year. My list could go on and on…but I need to get to my mom’s to see family and munch on some delicious food!

Thanksgiving Feast: Baked Buttercup Squash and Apples

2011-11-23T20:56:00.001-06:00

Baked Buttercup Squash and Apples

Sun Prairie Farmer’s Market

1 small buttercup squash, sliced

2 apples, peeled and sliced

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 T. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Place squash and apples in flat baking dish. Blend other ingredients together and sprinkle over apples and squashed. Cover with foil and bake at 350-degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover the last few minutes to brown.

Thanksgiving Feast: Scalloped Apples

2011-11-22T08:05:00.001-06:00

I think this recipe could fall in the ‘dessert’ or ‘appetizer’ category. Definitely something fun to munch on as we watch the Packer’s kick some butt!

Scalloped Apples

Karma Lapacek

6 medium apples

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 c. water

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/3 c. butter

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Pare, core and slice apples. Place in buttered shallow casserole dish. Combine spices, lemon juice and water. Pour over apples. Work sugar, flour and butter together until crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400-degrees for 30 minutes.

FINAL WEEK HOURS ***EXTENDED***!
Tues, Nov 22nd - Wed, Nov 23rd: Noon to 6pm

Saturdays – 9 to NOON

I'm also going to continue to post great recipe's for your Thanksgiving meal on my blog for the rest of the days leading up to Thanksgiving so be sure to keep an eye on it!

Thanksgiving Feast: Quick Apple Dumplings

2011-11-21T07:46:00.001-06:00

This yummy recipe would be great either as an appetizer OR as an additional dessert!

Quick Apple Dumplings

Kathryn Lapacek

2 large apples, peel, core & cut each apple into 8 wedges

2 tubes crescent rolls, divided into 16 crescents

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 can Mountain Dew

Wrap 1 apple wedge in each crescent, beginning at the narrow end. Place in a 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon, stir well. Pour over dumplings in pan. Pour soda over top. Bake 45 minutes at 350-degrees.

NOTE: Serve warm or cold, with or without whipped cream or ice cream.

FINAL WEEK HOURS ***EXTENDED***!
Mon, Nov 21st - Wed, Nov 23rd: Noon to 6pm

Saturdays – 9 to NOON

I'm also going to continue to post great recipe's for your Thanksgiving meal on my blog for the rest of the days leading up to Thanksgiving so be sure to keep an eye on it!

Thankgiving Feast using Produce from Lapacek’s Orchard

2011-11-20T10:10:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Here are some fabulous recipes you can add to your Thanksgiving menu if you want! AND I have bolded all the ingredients that you can find at Lapacek's Orchard during our Extended Hours for our last week open of the 2011 Apple Season.

A Thankgiving Feast using Produce from Lapacek’s Orchard

I’m going to assume you all know how to cook the main portion of your Thankgiving Feast – the Turkey so I’m going to just give you some appetizer, side dish, dessert and drink ideas to help create a meal to remember! All of these great recipes can be found in our Farm Fresh Recipe Cookbook - stop by the store to get your own copy or you can purchase it from my etsy shop HERE.

Appetizers
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Betsy Meeuwsen

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ c. pureed pumpkin
1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple, well-drained
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pkg. (2 ½ oz) dried beef, finely chopped
1 T. finely chopped onion
celery leaves
crackers and/or raw veggies
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, pumpkin and pineapple. Stir in cheddar cheese, beef and onion. Shape into a ball; place on a serving platter. Score sides with a knife to resemble a pumpkin and add celery leaves for as tem. Serve with crackers and/or raw veggies.

Apple Raisin Loaves
Linda Finn
3 eggs
1 ½ c. vegetable oil
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
2/3 c. chopped nuts
2/3 c. raisins
2 c. chopped, un-pared apples
Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with nuts, raisins and apples. Stir until mixed, do not over beat. Pour batter into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350-degrees for 55-60 minutes.

Side Dish
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Kerry Blondheim

6 acorn squash (about 1 lb each)
1/3 c. Hedmark’s maple syrup
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes. Cut each half crosswise into 1-inch slices and peel. Combine syrup, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring well. Add squash and toss to coat. Place squash in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes or until tender, stirring every 10 minutes. Yields 9 servings.

Dessert
Kelly’s Favorite Apple Pie
Kim Lapacek

1/3 c. sugar
3 T. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 T. brown sugar
¼ tsp. allspice
6 c. apples - sliced (recommend our Baker's Mix)
1 pkg. Pillsbury rolled pie crust
1 pinch sugar
1 pinch cinnamon

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and allspice together. Mix in apples until they are evenly covered with dry mixture. Put the mixture into the Pillsbury crust. Put second crust on top and pinch sides together. Cut slits in the top of the pie (I like to make my slits look like a tree). Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and sugar over the top of the crust. Bake 50 minutes at 425-degrees. Cover the edges with foil for the last 10 minutes if top browns too quickly.

Hot Drink
Hot Pirate Cider (must be 21 or older to consume)
Jared Lapacek
1 c. Lapacek’s Apple Cider
1 ½ shot Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 cinnamon stick
Microwave cider in coffee mug on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until steaming. Add liquor. Serve with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

FINAL WEEK HOURS ***EXTENDED***!
Sun, Nov 20th - 10am to 5pm
Mon, Nov 21st - Wed, Nov 23rd: Noon to 6pm

I'm also going to continue to post great recipe's for your Thanksgiving meal on my blog for the rest of the days leading up to Thanksgiving so be sure to keep an eye on it!

Hope you all have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving if we don't see you at the store before then!

Friday Pin - Handmade

2011-11-18T15:16:00.001-06:00

Source: etsy.com via Kim on Pinterest

Stop by the orchard today or tomorrow and stock up on Holiday goodies at our 5th Annual Handcrafted Hoedown for the Holidays!

Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s - Sneak Peak

2011-11-18T06:04:00.001-06:00

Opening at 9am today…

Here’s a sneak peak…

Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holidays – Before and After

2011-11-17T19:59:00.001-06:00

I took a picture of the apple shop yesterday before we started our change over to a craft shop (see above)… And from the same spot I took a picture post craft shop transformation…it’s going to be a fun sale!

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Fireside

2011-11-17T07:49:00.001-06:00

Next up to talk about it the Fireside. Now, the Fireside’s are big apples and are a bit more tricky to get through my peeler, corer, slicer but I still managed!

The Fireside is a very large fruit with sweet, pleasant flavor and fine-grained flesh good for fresh eating, salad, and baked apples. Good storage life.

I cooked the apples down in the miniature slow cooker for 3 hours. It was a sweet, chunky sauce. I did like it better than the Gala as far as flavor goes. I thought there was a lot of great flavor at first but it died off. It was decent but I could see that would add a fantastic sweetness if it were mixed with another apple or two.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 7

Texture: 7

Color: 6

AVERAGE POR: 6.67

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Golden Delicious, Silken, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Cameo

Nominated for the CCEDC Business of the Year

2011-11-16T22:34:00.001-06:00

Thank you so much for this lovely plant! We are honored to have been nominated for the CCEDC Business of the Year Award.

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Fuji

2011-11-15T20:51:00.001-06:00

We still have some fantastically sweet and crisp, full flavored Fuji’s in the shop so it was time for me to make them into some sauce!

As you can see in the picture the Fuji’s really kept their shape – in fact – this is a photo after I cooked the Fuji for 4 hours instead of the standard 2 or 3. It was also super watery. The flavor was a decently sweet flavor but I had a hard time getting over all that ‘watery’ texture. Fuji’s were definitely not my favorite apple for saucing.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 6

Texture: 4

Color: 6

AVERAGE POR: 5.33

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Fireside, Golden Delicious, Silken, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Cameo

Friday Pin: Mini Pumpkin Cream Pie

2011-11-12T00:42:00.001-06:00

well…technically it’s super early on Saturday..but at least I tried!

Source: everycreativeendeavor.com via Kim on Pinterest

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Jonagold

2011-11-10T21:31:00.001-06:00

Next up on the Sauce-Sational Analysis – the Jonagold. Jonagold is our apple that people tend to go to once the Honeycrisp sell out. The Jonagold is firm, crackling, juicy, slightly tart, flesh. Superb, rich, full flavor. Finest dessert and eating quality. Good cooking properties. I did not make the ‘over cooking’ mistake with the Jonagold’s. I left them in the slow cooker for 2 hours and it made this nice chunky/smooth sauce. Of all the apples so far I think, singularly – this one is the best. It had a great tart flavor at first that got sweeter. It seemed like I was eating a sauce that had a mixture of apples. The only thing I could say is the tart part was slightly too tart for me…but it was a good sauce.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 9.2

Texture: 9

Color: 9

AVERAGE POR: 9.07

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Fireside, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Silken, Honeycrisp

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Valstar

2011-11-09T07:30:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven’t been posting as frequently as I had been. I was in a beautiful wedding this weekend and it took up a lot of time – and then of course there is catching up on sleep post-wedding as well.

Back to some sauce-analysis. We’ll move on today to the Valstar.

The Valstar is one of our newer varieties. When we plant a new variety we try not to go too overboard in case no one really likes them. We did not have to worry about that with the Valstar – these have definitely been a customer favorite.

The Valstar is crisp with a lively flavor that's sweet, yet tangy. Perfect in fruit trays, for snacking and also makes great applesauce.

Like normal, I peeled, cored and sliced up my apples and stuck them into the crock pot. I cooked these for about about 3 hours and I should have probably cooked them for a little less time. They had a really good aroma as they could. The sauce would have been chunkier had I not left it in the pot so long. The sauce starts out with a little sweet flavor but leaves a tart taste in my mouth. It wasn’t my favorite but I could see that with a little cinnamon or other seasonings added (or other apple varieties) that the Valstar would be a delicious sauce.

Photo by Friends in Photography

I do have to say that Pip just sucked the Valstar sauce down though. I have to admit – I don’t think she’s too particular about flavor when she decides what she’ll eat or not. She pretty much will eat anything we put in her mouth right now.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 7

Texture: 8

Color: 7

AVERAGE POR: 7.33

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Jonagold, Fireside, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Silken, Honeycrisp

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce – October Baker’s Mix

2011-11-04T13:48:00.001-05:00

Inevitably, if you walk into our apple store or stop by our table at a Farmer’s Market and ask us, “What apples make the best sauce,” – we’ll answer ‘Baker’s Mix, of course.’ With all this sauce testing I’ve been doing I decided I probably should try out a baker’s mix to have a true comparison. I wanted to be sure that our recommendation is truly what I feel makes the best sauce.

So, I grabbed some MacIntosh, Cortland, and Idared apples (which is our current Baker’s Mix – don’t forget this changes throughout the season and even on any given day…you may get more of a variety…it’s whatever we have that’s good for baking!) and brought them to my kitchen to put it to the test.

I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples with my apple machine and turned the crock pot on. You can see in this photo some of the apples mushed – other’s didn’t. I personally like my sauce with a little texture so this was definitely a thumb’s up for me.

When I tasted this sauce – it made me smile.

It had a fantastic flavor – the perfect blend of sweet and tart. It was nice to see that our recommendation of Baker’s Mix was spot on.

Because of this experiment I am finding out what other apples do work in their singular form, but at least so far…nothing has beat the Baker’s Mix.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 10

Texture: 10

Color: 9

AVERAGE POR: 9.67

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Valstar, Jonagold, Fireside, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Silken, Honeycrisp

Friday Pin: Apple Rings

2011-11-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

Source: howto-simplify.com via Kim on Pinterest

Seriously…this looks AMAZING!

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Jonathan

2011-11-01T23:07:00.001-05:00

We had many disappointed customers when our Jonathan’s sold out extremely fast this year. There just weren’t many on the trees…not exactly sure why. But I can tell you – we are planting more Jonathan trees and after making applesauce with them I will definitely keep encouraging Jared to keep the stock up.

When the guys came in with 10 ‘found’ Jonathan I immediately snatched them up for my applesauce experiment. I peeled, cored, and sliced five of the apples and cooked them down like normal.It did not take long for them to cook down to a nice, smooth sauce that was wonderful tasting. I would describe it as a true apple taste – tart, but not too tart. A really rich applesauce – especially for one with just a single apple in it.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 8.5

Texture: 8

Color: 8

AVERAGE POR: 8.17

One thing that customers have always told me about Jonathan’s is that if you leave the skins on they make a beautiful pink sauce.

So I took the other five apples and chopped them up – just removing the core and cooked them up. Again, it wasn’t long before I had this gorgeous pink sauce – seriously – what a rich, beautiful color! AND, the skins seemed to sweeten the sauce up making it a truly delicious sauce. Now, if I were to feed this to my baby I would have put it through a food mill, but since we adults munched on it, I just left the skins right in there. They really weren’t too noticeable.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 9

Texture: 8

Color: 10

AVERAGE POR: 9.0

Past apple tests:

On Deck – October Baker’s Mix, Valstar, Jonagold, Fireside, Golden Delicious, Fuji

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:49:00.001-05:00

From two sweet Fairies and a crazy octopus! (and the rest of us at the orchard of course!)

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce – Granny Smith

2011-10-31T13:55:00.001-05:00

Next up on the Sauce-sational Applesauce Experiment is the Granny Smith.

Of course, I took a picture of the peeled/cored/sliced Granny Smith without the memory card in my camera – awesome. One thing I want to point out is that they were very HARD. A few times the suction came loose on my apple machine because I was pushing so hard to get the apple in. Once the peeling, coring, slicing was done the apples stayed directly in their coil – definitely kept their shape.

This particular apple smelled REALLY GOOD while is was cooking. A very pleasant apple aroma filled my kitchen. I stirred the sauce around the hour mark and the apples were really firm. At the 3 hour mark, you can see that the apples had cooked down quite well.

Now this sauce was mouth puckering tart. Definitely too tart for me but my daughter Cedi loved it. I do think as far as a tart sauce goes it had better flavor than the NW Greening did. I could definitely see how this mixed with some sweet apples would create some amazing sauce!

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 6.5

Texture: 7

Color: 8

AVERAGE POR: 7.17

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Jonathan, October Baker’s Mix, Valstar, Jonagold, Fireside

Apple-Palooza 2011: A Success AND of Course The Pie Winners

2011-10-30T20:29:00.001-05:00

Even with the dreary cold, rainy weather we ended up with today – Apple-Palooza 2011 was a success! People enjoyed the old-fashioned cider pressing demo’s, hearing about Rock n Wool Acres, learning about Hard Apple Cider, visiting with The Glitter Workshop and of course, trying out some apple pie once the judging was complete. Thank you so much to everyone that came out to participate or just watch from the wings! If it weren’t for our fabulous customers and supporters none of this would be possible.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and an extra big thanks to our Pie Judges! I never dreamed I would have NINETEEN pies for them to judge for the first year of this event! They definitely had their work cut out for them!

And now – the moment you’ve been waiting for…the Winner’s of the Apple Pie Baking Contest

Taking home $25 to Lapacek’s Orchard, a gift card for a large pie from Market Street Diner in Sun Prairie, a Baking Spice Gift Box from Penzey’s Spices, and of course a fabulous ‘Grand Prize’ Pin from The Glitter Workshop was…

Melissa Walsh with her ‘Cranberry Apple Streusel Pie’. Melissa used Lapacek’s Baker’s Mix apples for her pie and it was a new recipe for her!

Taking home $10 to Lapacek’s Orchard, a gift card for a small pie from Market Street Diner in Sun Prairie, a bottle of Penzey’s Cinnamon, and a fun 2nd place pin from the Glitter Workshop was…

Carolyn Brown with her ‘Last Minute Apple Pie’. Carolyn used Granny Smith and MacIntosh Apples for her pie. It was a last minute pie! Carolyn changed the recipe at the last second!

And taking home $5 to Lapacek’s Orchard, a gift card for a small pie from Market Street Diner in Sun Prairie, a bottle of Penzey’s Cinnamon, and a fun 3rd place pin from the Glitter Workshop was…

Gen Bancroft. Gen used Idared apples and she got the recipe for her pie from a friend in Arizona. Gen was very excited about the pin she won and is already planning to wear it for coffee in the morning!

Today is Apple-Palooza!

2011-10-30T08:36:00.001-05:00

I just checked out the weather and it looks like the rain is going to hold off for most of the day! Which is absolutely fantastic as today is Apple-Palooza! There is LOTS and LOTS of fun things going on today so be sure to check out the ITINERARY so you don’t miss what’s most important to you!

I’m really excited about our first Apple Pie Baking Contest. I have a special room all set up for the pies. In fact – I already had one pie delivered this morning!

Melissa and her son Easton were here bright and early to deliver a delicious looking pie for the contest!

I’ve gotten some great ‘Pie Stories’ from some of the participants too:

Monica Freng shared with me her story,

My apple pie is pretty basic: tart apples, a little sugar n cinnamon, and a double crust using my moms family recipe for crust. We are self proclaimed pie snobs in our family - nothing ever comes close to moms homemade pie, it's always fruit or pumpkin (no chocolate mousse, etc) and it's always better for breakfast. :) we have been known to judge potential spouses by their love of such things. The first time my (now) husband came home with me we were in the kitchen while mom put together pies for Easter. I turned to him and asked, "you DO like pie don't you?" and his responded taken aback, "you might as well ask me if I like good things!"
I am certain that was the moment I knew he was a keeper!

Fred Geisler wrote:

I am planning an entry in your pie baking contest. As far as my story - my Norwegian grandmother operated a boarding house in North Dakota. She always made homemade pie and one of my favorites was Dutch apple made with apples from the trees in our back yard.

I’ll have more stories to share along with an update on how everything goes today!

I hope have some time to stop out to see some cider pressed, learn about a new winery, get some good info about making your own hard cider, get a hair feather, check out the pies, get a last minute pumpkin or two…and course stock up on apples!

The Lapacek’s

2011-10-28T22:01:00.001-05:00

It’s not often that we get a picture of our whole family but the other weekend when Jared’s sister, Karma, was home Cory from Friends in Photography was over and did a family photo shoot. And here we are!

from the left: Karma, Great Grandma Lapacek, Jared holding Persimoni, Me (Kim) with Mercedi in front of me, Diane with Capri in front of her, and of course, Frank

WIC and Wisconsin Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Checks

2011-10-27T13:14:00.001-05:00

Don’t forget to use your WIC and Senior FMNP Checks up! They expire on October 31st, 2011. We accept them at our shop AND at the farmer’s markets. I’ll be in Sun Prairie this Saturday from 7-12.

Apple of the Week: Empire

2011-10-27T10:06:00.001-05:00

Lapacek’s Orchard has been teaming up with a local CSA – Burr Oak Gardens to provide an ‘apple share’ to their clientele. This was the last week they picked up apples from us for their shareholders. It was a huge decision for me – what would be the last ‘featured’ apple for this year’s CSA Share. I finally decided that it would just have to be Empire’s.

Before I tell you about the Empire, I just want to say that we hope the share holders enjoyed their apple share as much as I’ve enjoyed figuring out the ‘perfect’ apple to send for the week. I hope we continue to do this in future seasons as I barely was able to even touch on all the varieties we have to offer.

THE EMPIRE: Creamy white, juicy, moderately subacid flesh. High quality – fantastic ‘keeper’. Stores in refrigerators until March and will keep its crisp. Farmer Jared’s FAVORITE APPLE!

McIntosh x Red Delicious

Have you heard about Apple-Palooza 2011?

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce – NW Greening

2011-10-27T09:45:00.002-05:00

Next up on the Sauce-sational Applesauce Experiment is the NW Greening. NW Greenings are another heirloom apple, like the Tolman Sweet. It’s a large, green apple. It’s flesh is dense and tart.

I cooked it on high for 3 hours – admitted this was probably too long to cook the sauce at it was quite mushy in the end.

I was out sorting apples and I completely forgot to go check and stir at the 2 hour mark. By the time I got to it – it was boiling. I definitely cooked it too long. I might try again later but we’ll see. The flavor of the sauce was way too sour for me. It almost didn’t have flavor in my mind because of the sourness.

I do have to tell you that my daughter, Cedi, liked the NW Greening Sauce more than the Tolman Sweet sauce. This is the only reason I might try again – cooking it for a shorter time – Cedi would eat it.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 4.5

Texture: 7

Color: 7

AVERAGE POR: 6.17

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Jonathan, October Baker’s Mix, Valstar, Granny Smith

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce: Tolman Sweet

2011-10-27T00:03:00.001-05:00

I’m going slightly out of order for my next apple in the Sauce-sational Applesauce Experiment. I wanted to go to the Tolman Sweet since we’re running low and if my analysis seems like something you want to try – don’t wait too long.

The Tolman Sweet is a heirloom, antique variety that is very sweet, tender and rich. This is probably the absolutely sweetest apple we have to offer at the orchard. I haven’t heard of many other orchards that carry this particular variety so don’t hesitate to stop by for a sample.

After my gala experience I was sort of afraid to see what would happen with these SUPER sweet apples.

But, I peeled, cored and sliced them up in my apple machine and put them in the crock pot for the test.It was definitely not the ‘prettiest’ apple sauce. The apples did not really cook down too much either but it wasn’t a ‘hard’ chunky sauce either. And then there is the flavor – and I just want to remind you here that I enjoy ‘sweet’ apples’ – WOW! This was amazing! I just LOVED the flavor! The sweet did not get lost during the cooking at all. It was missing the ‘depth’ that you get from the mix but it was such a good, rich sweet flavor that I’m going to forgive the sauce for that. I put this one in a special container so that ‘mommy’ gets to enjoy it.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 9.5

Texture: 8

Color: 7

AVERAGE POR: 8.17

Past apple tests:

On Deck – Jonathan, NW Greening, October Baker’s Mix, Valstar

Sauce-Sational: An Experiment in Applesauce: Gala

2011-10-25T20:01:00.001-05:00

Next up for the Sauce-sational Applesauce Experiment – one of my favorites for fresh eating – Gala!I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples with my apple machine and put them in the min slow cooker. 4 hours later…I had a juicy, chunky sauce.

That had very little flavor. The sweet deliciousness of a fresh gala seemed to disappear with this sauce. I was not impressed… I did like the chunky consistency but that’s pretty much where it ended. I never would have predicted this. I made MacIntosh and Gala sauce in the same day and the Mac was the clear winner between Jared, Cedi and myself.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 3

Texture: 8

Color: 6.5

AVERAGE POR: 5.83

Past apple tests:

McIntosh

On Deck – Jonathan, Tolman Sweet, NW Greening, October Baker’s Mix, Valstar

Apple Pie Baking Contest: Prizes & Judges

2011-10-25T12:23:00.002-05:00

As you hopefully know by now (and if you don’t I’m glad you’re reading it now) this coming Sunday, October 30th, is the first Apple Pie Baking Contest at our orchard for Apple-Palooza 2011. Not only will everyone that brings a pie receive a free 1/2 peck of Baker’s Mix apples and a fun “I Baked an Apple Pie” pin made by The Glitter Workshop but there will also be a 3rd, 2nd, and of course GRAND PRIZE for the top three pie bakers.

Judges

First, I’m going to tell you who are judges are:

Becky Gutzman, WNEP Coordinator for UW Extension – read a great interview with her HERE

Alan Otto, Capri’s Godfather and he’s had 32 years of pie eating experience

Patricia Fischbeck, the inn keeper of a beautiful Bed and Breakfast – the Speckled Hen Inn

Bob Lapacek, Frank’s brother and LOVER of all desserts

Prizes

And now – onto the prizes.

Prize list updated 10/27/11

Grand Prize

The best pie maker will take home a new Apple Machine: Peeler, Corer, Slicer from Lapacek’s Orchard (if you already have one you can have $25 towards apple products at the store instead). These Machines make baking with apples easy peasy!

I have heard from many, many customers about how amazing Penzeys Spices are/is. I recently found out that there was a new Penzeys Spices store that opened up on the East Side of Madison. So, yesterday morning I headed out to run some errands and stopped at Penzeys to get another part of the Apple Pie prizes. When I told the folks working there about our Apple Pie Baking Contest they donated a Baking Mini Gift Box for the Grand Prize winner! What an amazing donation - thank you Penzeys! Baking Mini Gift Box includes 1/4 cup jar each of their Powdered China Ginger, East India Ground Nutmeg, Ground China Cinnamon, and Ceylon Cinnamon. Not only do you get the spices but you also get cards taht include handy tips for each spice. What a fantastic little gift box!

Also, I’ve noticed that a lot of the best pie maker’s in my life don’t necessarily eat the pie they’re famous for. So, the next part of the prize is a gift certificate to Market Street Diner in Sun Prairie that will get you one of their largest pies!This way you can choose your flavor AND enjoy a pie without having to make it yourself!

Second Place

Our second place winner will take home a gift certificate of $10 good for any Lapacek’s Orchard Apple products, a gift certificate for one of Market Street Diner’s smaller pies, AND a jar of Penzeys Cinnamon.

Third Place

Third place will take home a gift certificate of $5 good for any Lapacek’s Orchard Apple products, a gift certificate for one of Market Street Diner’s smaller pies, AND a jar of Penzeys Cinnamon.

If you want to enter a pie please have it to the orchard by 12:45 on Sunday, October 30th. Please feel free to email me {lapaceksorchard (at) gmail (dot) com} to let me know to expect you!

Thanks to everyone for their support of our upcoming Apple-Palooza!

Sauce-ational: An Experiment in Applesauce - MacIntosh

2011-10-23T08:58:00.001-05:00

I decided to start my Sauce-sational Applesauce Experiment with the MacIntosh Apples. As you’ve all heard, we have a five month old (six months on the 28th – WOW – time goes by fast!) and she’s starting to eat food. What can be better than making her some delicious applesauce – no sugar or preservatives added!? I didn’t want to have to put the sauce through a food mill so I decided to start with the MacIntosh – an apple that mushes when cooked. I put the Mac’s through my Apple Machine (peeler, corer, slicer). They were a bit difficult to put through the machine – it seemed like the peels kept getting jammed in the peeler portion so I had lots of skin still left on my cored and sliced apples. I could have just peeled the skin that was still on by hand but I decided to make a Taffy Apple Cake at the same time. Then – the portion of the apples with the skin still on went in there (we could deal with it…) and I put the skin-free apples into the saucing crock pot. I left the apples in the crock pot, on low, stirring whenever I came upstairs for a break from donut making for four hours. At that time I had a nice smooth sauce (the chunks you see easily break down when you mush with a spoon).

Time for the taste test!

DELICIOUS! A wonderful smooth sauce – I personally prefer my sauce chunky though, so if this wasn’t for Pip I probably would have mixed some other apples that kept their shape (we’ll find out which ones do this as I continue my experiment). The flavor was fantastic though. Slightly tart but still plenty sweet (remember I’m a sweet apple eater typically). It did not make my jaw tingle and too me – that’s fantastic.

What did Pip think? She LOVES it! She gobbles it down! If there are other foods she’s not that into (carrots), I just add a little sauce and it goes right down the hatch with no fight.

My Personal Overall Rating (POR) (scores are out of 10)

Flavor: 9

Texture: 4

Color: 8

AVERAGE POR: 7

On deck – GALA, Jonathan, Tolman Sweet, and NW Greening

Saturday Pin(s): More than just apples…

2011-10-22T19:08:00.001-05:00

Source: pauladeen.com via Kim on Pinterest

We have squash too!

Sauce-sational: An Experiment in Applesauce

2011-10-21T07:47:00.002-05:00

As I’m sure you’ve heard us advice you before, the best apple to use to make sauce is – as many different varieties possible (aka our ‘Baker’s Mix’). This is the same reasoning behind our amazing unpasteurized, unpreserved apple cider – all those different apples create such an amazing, delectable blend of apple goodness it’s hard to imagine anything else.

Well – since I live on an apple orchard and we grow 55 varieties I’m going to test our theory of the mix and sauce making. I’m going to make a mini crock pot of sauce out of each variety we have and then share with you my opinions and observations. If the rest of my family is present I will also share with you their thoughts on the subject. Please remember when reading my comments – I’m a sweet apple girl. My favorite apples are Silken, Sansa, Honeygold, Gala, and Fuji – all super sweet apples.

For the most part, I will be running the apple through our peeling/coring/slicing machine and putting in the pot. I will never add any seasoning or sugar to the sauce (I may do some random pots of sauce with other ingredients along the way but I’ll be sure to be very clear when I do this). Not only will this help stock my fridge with sauce for my kiddo’s for awhile but it will give me a better idea as to how each type of apple cooks.

Since I’m starting mid-season I should be able to test about 20 different apples for sauce this season… This whole experiment will probably take a few years but I promise to get through it for you and by the end, we’ll all know the truth about which apple(s) make the best sauce.

First apples on deck: MacIntosh, Gala, and Jonathan – stay tuned…

Escape of the Emus

2011-10-20T13:06:00.001-05:00

Before I go any farther I’ll start by assuring you that emus are fine and they’re happily back in their pen.

At about 8:45 I get a call from Frank - “Is Jared there? The emus are out.” Me, “Crap, I’ll get him…”

I yell for Jared and we both bundle up quickly and head outside…of course I grabbed my camera. We’re walking over to the emu pen area and Diane is organizing the pumpkin area – we quietly tell her the emus are out. Diane and I get the dogs into the shed so they won’t scare the emus. If you remember reading my earlier emu post, emus can sprint up to 30mph so we didn’t want to cause that to happen… Mac never went too far from the pen and it was fairly easy to lure him back in – a little food will do just the trick.Tosh turned out to be a bit more work. She headed over to where the underground building used to be and decided to do a little grazing. Luckily for us our Emu Whisperer (EW), aka Frank, was on the top of his game. He grabbed to sticks to emulate longer arms. If you can be taller than the bird they feel that you are dominating them and will sort of go where you direct them.

If you listen close at the end of the video you can also hear that EW (Frank) is real good at calmly talking to Tosh and gets him to go the direction he wants. Once we got Tosh fairly close to the pen the whole venture slowed down – she didn’t really want to go back. So, taking his dad’s advice, Jared got behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug and carried her over. Of course – I barely got this shot, let alone a picture at all. Jared said she wasn’t heavy – just boney and awkward to carry. Soon, we had both of the emus safely back into their pen and the door securely shut.

Just another day at the orchard…

Apple-Palooza 2011 - Itinerary

2011-10-19T10:32:00.003-05:00

The Apple-Palooza 2011 has turned into more than I initially thought it would. Because of that, I’m providing you all with an ‘itinerary’ for the day so you don’t miss any of it that you were hoping to see, do, learn about.

ITINERARY:

10:00—Store & The Glitter Workshop Open for Business

10:30—Old Fashion Cider Pressing Demo

11:00—Hard Cider Info Booth Opens until 2:00

11:30—Rock ‘N’ Wool Acres: A Wisconsin Winery Talk

12:00—Releasing of the Homing Pigeons (weather permitting)

12:30—Old Fashion Cider Pressing Demo

12:45—Apple Pies Arrive for the Contest

1:00—Viewing of the Apple Pies

1:30—Apple Pie Contest Judging Starts

2:00—Hard Cider Info Booth Closes

2:30—Old Fashion Cider Pressing Demo

5:00—Store Closes

Apple of the Week: Fireside

2011-10-19T10:18:00.001-05:00

Lapacek’s Orchard has been teaming up with a local CSA – Burr Oak Gardens to provide an ‘apple share’ to their clientele. This week they will be receiving the Fireside apple from us!

Apple of the Week: Fireside

Very large fruit with a sweet, pleasant flavor and fine-grained flesh. Good for fresh eating, salad, and baked apples. Good storage life.

McIntosh x Longfield

Have you heard about Apple-Palooza 2011?

The Look Out Deck

2011-10-17T21:35:00.001-05:00

Photo Courtesy of Friends in Photography

It seems lately that there are two main questions on everyone’s mind – do you still have Honeycrisp apples (answer - no) and

Can we pick our own apples?

Answer: No, we don’t offer pick your own apples but we do have LOTS OF FREE FAMILY FUN! One of the fun things you can do on your visit to the orchard is to go on the Orchard Walk – in the middle of it, you’ll end up here – at the Look Out Deck. What a view!

Sunday Pin: Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-16T09:29:00.001-05:00

Source: marthastewart.com via Kim on Pinterest

A new fun way you can decorate your pumpkins this fall! Stop by the orchard today from 10-5 to get your pumpkin!

Apple of the Week: Regent

2011-10-12T10:49:00.001-05:00

Lapacek’s Orchard has been teaming up with a local CSA – Burr Oak Gardens to provide an ‘apple share’ to their clientele. This week they will be receiving the Regent apple from us!

Apple of the Week: Regent

Flesh is juicy and crisp. Flavor is an outstanding balance of sweet and tart. Excellent for fresh eating and cooking.

Red Duchess x Red Delicious

I just munched on a Regent this morning and it was DELICIOUS! Be sure to ask for a sample when you stop by this week!

Have you heard about Apple-Palooza 2011?

Apple-Palooza 2011

2011-10-11T20:47:00.006-05:00

I’m sure many of you have heard that we were planning an ‘Old Fashioned Cider Pressing Day’ on October 30th. Well – this event has blossomed into much more…here’s a summary of what will be happening on Sunday, October 30th.

Old-Fashioned Cider Pressing Demo:
“Come Squeeze Our Apples”

Jared will be demonstrating how we used to press our apples to make cider with an old fashioned wood cider press. These demo’s will take place at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm and will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Apple Pie Baking Contest

We are hosting our very first apple pie baking contest. Each person that brings a pie to be judged will go home with a free 1/2 peck of Baker’s Mix Apples (to go towards future pies of course…). There will also be a spectacular grand prize for the winner…and I’ll be sure to update you all when I figure out exactly what that will be…

If you ware interested in baking a pie for the contest please send me an email: {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with your name and pie baking story (if you have one – if not , no worries). Plan on arriving at the orchard by 12:45pm with your pie. Pie viewing and photo’s will take place at 1:00pm and judging will start at 1:30pm.

More details on prizes, judges, criteria to come – watch for a blog post soon!

Rock ‘N’ Wool Acres: A Wisconsin Winery – How & Why

At 11:30, our cousin, Shaun Lapacek, will be giving a talk about the winery he and his father are building in Poynette – Rock N Wool Acres . His talk will focus on three things:

Starting a winery
Creating a vineyard
Why a winery in Wisconsin?

Hard Apple Cider Booth

Our good friend Jay Walters will have a booth set up from 11am - 2pm to talk about and answer all your questions on how to make hard cider. Jay has been doing this for years and we’ve helped enjoy many of his products – this guy knows what he’s talking about.

The Glitter Workshop

Some of you may remember the spectacular ‘Craft-Apple-Ar’ that helped our season get off to a fantastic start. My friend, Naomi of The Glitterworkshop, is the reason this fabulous event happened and she’ll be joining us again at the orchard for this fun day. Naomi will be there putting in hair feathers for fun (or perhaps, a good prop for a costume…) and have some fun Halloween/Autumn hand made goods for sale as well!

All of this fun will be happening on October 30th so don’t miss out on all the ‘Apple-Palooza’ Fun!

View the full itinerary of the day HERE.

Monday Monday

2011-10-10T20:54:00.001-05:00

Friday Pin: Caramel Apple Bites

2011-10-07T17:59:00.001-05:00

Source: domesticali.typepad.com via Kim on Pinterest

Read this blog to find out how to make your very own ‘Caramel Apple Bites’

Duck Race Video

2011-10-06T12:40:00.001-05:00

The Duck Races are one of our best kept ‘secret’s of fun at the orchard. I haven’t talked about them too much as the pumps tend to jam up and require fixing fairly often (at least last year – I think they’ve been okay this year).

Next time you visit, if you haven’t tried them out already – be sure to stop by the playground to the North of the building and have some fun racing your ducks!

Apple of the Week: Cortland

2011-10-05T08:26:00.001-05:00

Lapacek’s Orchard has been teaming up with a local CSA – Burr Oak Gardens to provide an ‘apple share’ to their clientele. The share owners decided if they wanted to opt in for either a 1/4 peck share or a 1/2 peck share. This means that each week they either got a 1/2 peck of apples or a 1/4 peck of apples. I’ve personally LOVED this new partnership. It’s been fun deciding which apple would be ‘best’ for that particular week. I’ve been trying to include a little information to go along with each bag about the apple and here’s what was included for this week:

Apple of the Week: Cortland

Big with dark stripes, perfumed, slightly acid, very good flavor. Keeps shape in cooking. Pure white flesh stays white after cutting. Stores well when refrigerated.

McIntosh x Ben Davis

Check out my blog to see the fun ‘Apple Cider Apple Cups’ I made out of Cortland’s: http://lapaceksorchard.blogspot.com/2011/09/apple-cider-in-apple-cup-of-course.html

Hopefully the share owners have enjoyed this as well and it works out again for next season.

Tune in to see what next week’s ‘Apple of the Week’ will be!

5th Annual Handcrafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s at Lapacek’s Orchard

2011-10-04T13:00:00.003-05:00

Yes! We are having the Handcrafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s again this year. I’m excited to be able to share with you some familiar faces and some new ones in this years collection of goods. Can you believe this is the FIFTH year for the sale! How amazing!

I’ll start out with talking the basics:

What: An opportunity to buy unique, locally hand-crafted items for friends and family while listening to holiday music!

Items from numerous artists include: Quilts, Ornaments, Baskets, Bags and Purses, Belts, Scarves, Holiday Decorations, Baby Items, Hand-dyed Clothing, Jewelry, Crocheted Hats, Winter-Wear Items, Stockings, Tree Skirts, Candles and MORE!

Don’t miss the mini quilt shop!

WHEN:

Friday, November 18th from 9am – 6pm

Saturday, November 19th from 9am – 5pm

***NEW*** A Girl Scout Cookie Booth will be set up on November 19th from 9am to 3pm!

WHERE:

Lapacek’s Orchard

N1959 Kroncke Road

Poynette, WI 53955

***NEW***

Gift Wrapping for Children in Need

We are going to be offering gift wrapping this year. The station will be donation only - all proceeds from the gift wrapping will be used to buy gifts for children on the Poynette Bank Giving Tree. I'm really excited about this! Cedi, Capri, Persimoni and I will do the shopping (yes - I love to shop!)

Expect to find Goods from the Following Artists:

Kim’s Crafty Apple – Quilts, bags, Quilted Paper Dolls on the Go, Ornaments, Hand-Dyed Clothing, Belts, plush owls, book wreaths and MORE!

theApple – Crazy, fun, colorful jewelry

Diane Lapacek – Quilts, Ornaments, Decorative Hand-Painted/Stained Gourds, Christmas Decorations

Baskets by Becky – Handwoven Baskets for many occasions

My Poplin – coffee cozies, calming cozies, travel chalkboards, ribbon blankets, bib/burp cloth sets

Nise’s Niche - Bags

CJ’s Eco Chic – Soy Candles

Jen G’s – Handmade Soap

Karol T - Recycled Wool Sweater Mittens and More!

The Painted Daisy – scarves, arm warmers, scoodies (Hood + Scarf = I can’t wait!), wristlets

Glitter Workshop – coasters, hair clips, and other fun randomness :)

Barb Cook - Crocheted Goodies!

Lori Cox - Primitive Art

Julia Jiannacopoulos - Uncommon Objects for the home and body

Bob Tomlinson - Santa Woodcarvings

Jane Fullerton - Scrabble Tile Necklaces

Lilac Hill Soaps & Sundries - Balms, lotions, chap sticks, pincushion rings

Upcycled Funk - upcycled snack bags, hair flowers. mason jar sewing notions kits and snowmen made out of brick pavers

Jenny Blasen Pottery – yarn bowls, soap dishes, mugs and wee dishes

Eric’s Wood Work Designs– tables and doll beds

Concrete Leaves from Peach

***I will continue to update this list as more artists get back to me***

Saturday PIN – DIY Indian Corn Wreath

2011-10-01T05:47:00.001-05:00

I’ve come to the realization that I’m not going to have time to blog much on the weekends. I think I’ll try to just post some of the pins I’ve collected on Pinterest since there are TONS of amazing apple orchard/autumn/pumpkin type ideas being posted lately.

Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest

Here’s a great DIY project – and you can come to the orchard to pick out the perfect Indian Corn for your wreath!

Friday Pin – Candy Apple Pie

2011-09-30T06:21:00.001-05:00

Source: tastykitchen.com via Kim on Pinterest

This candy apple pie looks so mouth watering delicious I just had to share it with you!

Rain and Rainbows

2011-09-29T21:48:00.001-05:00

The crazy rainy/windy weather we had today reminded me that I had snapped these rainbow pictures the other night from the shop… just thought I’d share them with you…

Music Wall Video!

2011-09-28T19:35:00.001-05:00

One of the newest additions to the orchard fun is the Music Wall thanks to Diane’s ingenuity. Here’s a great video one of our customers made of her kids enjoying the fun!

Apple Cider in an Apple Cup – of Course!

2011-09-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest

I saw this pin on pinterest while I was glancing through my feed the other day. Since I had a little bit of down time when I took an over-tired, cold stricken, melt-down mode Cedi in the house a little before closing, I decided I would try making some special apple mugs for dinner that night. I chose some large Cortland's because they aren’t suppose to brown when cutting them…if you look at the picture this doesn’t seem to be the case.

I sliced just the top off the apple and then I used a melon-baller to hollow out the inside of the apple. Just for fun, I sprinkled a little cinnamon into the apple before filling our ‘cups’ with our very own unpastuerized cider. Even Jared thought this was sort of fun! I have to say I’m super amazed that we didn’t have any spills. The bottoms of the apples just aren't quite as flat as real cups…

PS> I never actually clicked on the pinterest link to see how these are actually supposed to be made…maybe they have some tricks to getting them to look ‘prettier’…

Chickens: Then and Now

2011-09-27T07:13:00.001-05:00

Remember those baby chicks you visited during Apple Blossom Days this year in May? Well, they’re grown up now and are starting to lay eggs. We’re trying to train them to lay in the mornings in their coop but if you are at the orchard and you hear a lot of ‘bawck-ing’ check around for an egg…you just may find one nearby…

Orchard Photo Shoot – Michelle Cross Photography

2011-09-26T23:03:00.001-05:00

The orchard truly is a beautiful place to have family photo’s taken. I’m beyond happy that so many fabulous photographers are using it to take some pictures that families will enjoy for a lifetime. The next featured photographer that uses our orchard is Michelle Cross Photography. The first time I officially met Michelle was just a few weeks after I had Persimoni. She came with the Walsh family to Apple Blossom Days to take these fabulous family photo’s sans any blossoms (of course, we all know that the apple blossoms were late this year…) I had however heard about her many times before as she is the daughter of a fantastic Poynette Teacher that often frequents the orchard. Michelle lived up to her reputation. She is just a sweetheart and I a person can just feel her joy, passion and ambition for photography when you’re near her. I love how Michelle used so many of the great photo ops in the orchard to capture some truly beautiful shots.

To see some shots that Michelle took of her niece playing at the orchard on Labor Day. Michelle definitely knows the ‘spots’ to take you to and is sure to capture some fun and joyous moments.

Check out Mchelle’s website: http://michellecrossphotography.blogspot.com/

Like her on ‘facebook’: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Cross-Photography/163952323646045

Schedule your shoot at the orchard:

call: 608.338.3144

2011 Savor and Sample – TODAY – at Thunder Valley Inn near Wisconsin Dells

2011-09-25T09:50:00.001-05:00

I’m sure many of our fabulous customers remember the spectacular ‘Savor and Sample’ event that Columbia County Extension Local Food Groups put on at our orchard last year.

We had beautiful weather for our event last year but unfortunately it’s not looking quite as nice today. FORTUNATELY many of the activities will be taking place under cover so you won’t have to worry about standing around in the rain. Pack up your family and head on up to the Dells for a fun day at Savor and Sample.

A great preview article was written up in the Portage Daily Register a few days ago – read it HERE.

If you go to the Third Annual Columbia County Savor and Sample Fest:

What: Third annual Columbia County Savor and Sample Fest.

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. (Attendees may come as early as 8:30 a.m. for a local-foods brunch.)

Where: Thunder Valley Inn and Farms, W15344 Waubeek Road, one mile north of downtown Wisconsin Dells.

How to get there: From Portage, the easiest way to get there is to travel west on Highway 16. At the intersection with Highway 23 near Wisconsin Dells, proceed on Highway 13 north for about one mile, then follow the sign directing traffic over a narrow bridge. Travelers also may use Interstate 90/94 and exit at Exit 87, travel through Wisconsin Dells and turn left on Highway 13 at the intersection.

Cost: Admission to the event is free, but some activities (such as the beer, cheese and chocolate tasting) have a fee, and food will be offered for sale.

This year's event includes several new features:

• A farm tour, in which visitors can ride Wisconsin Dells' famous amphibious "ducks" for a visit to a working milking parlor.

• An appearance by the reigning Alice in Dairyland, Katie Wirkus.

• A chocolate, beer and cheese tasting. This requires advance registration, by calling Sarah Lloyd at 920/210-7335, or emailing Lloyd at sarah_lloyd@centurytel.net.

• Informational sessions on raising chickens in rural or urban settings. (Local ordinances vary.)

• Workshops on topics such as foraging for local food, or preserving foods.

Back is a farmers market, featuring foods grown in Columbia County and cooking demonstrations throughout the event.

I hope you all can go to learn about and support the local farmer’s.

Hwy 51 – Under Construction

2011-09-22T11:11:00.002-05:00

**UPDATE 10/18/11*** Jared and I just drove on a smooth, newly paved Hwy 51 that construction is COMPLETE! Feel free to take whichever route you want to visit our orchard!

On Wednesday, they started repairs for Hwy 51. This may cause some delays for some of you to get up to the orchard. So, I put together a little ‘detour map’ of an easy way to get around the construction and still get your delicious apples, caramel apples, cider and Saturday donuts.

Go North on Hwy 51. Take a right (east) on Hwy V – this should be right before construction starts. Go east for about 2 miles and you’ll take a left on a road called Helmke. Helmke road turns into Kroncke so if you just stay going straight (North) you’ll run right into our orchard – N1959 Kroncke Road.

Hope this helps! See you at the orchard!

Hazen – A New Variety to the Orchard

2011-09-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

The pickers (Frank and Jared) just brought a new variety in from the orchard – the Hazen. We planted our Hazen trees in 2006 and this is the first we’ve been able to try them.

Hazens are greenish yellow, medium firm, juicy, very sweet flesh; mildly subacid flavor. Pleasant for eating, good dessert and cooking apple. They have a short storage life.

Stop by the orchard soon to try this ‘new to us’ apple!

Why are Apples Sweet?

2011-09-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

School tours at the orchard started today. We had two great groups and with those groups came some great questions from the kids. As Lisa, my tour guide, shares these great questions with me I’ll try to shed some light on the answers with you all.

Why are Apples Sweet?

Wiki Answers gave me:

All fruits contain natural sugars, especially fructose. This makes them taste sweet.

You can read more about the amount of sugar in an apple HERE. Something interesting I read was:

The Ohio Apple Grower's Association notes that the natural sugar in apples is slowly released into the bloodstream due to the high fiber content of the fruit.

This relates to the fact that apples have a low glycemic index number of 38. Because of this low number they will generally make your blood sugar rise more gradually, which gives your body time to signal for a smaller and more gradual increase in insulin production.

Research has shown that consumption of low GI foods leads to:

-improved blood sugar (glucose) control and lipid levels in individuals with diabetes

-better weight control because these foods reduce the appetite and delay hunger

-reduction of insulin levels and fewer spikes of insulin

-a lower incidence of heart disease

-a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes

If you have an ‘apple’ question just leave a comment and I’d be happy to try and find your answer!

A Raspberry Update

2011-09-18T09:16:00.001-05:00

Photo taken by Friends in Photography

With the recent cold nights our raspberry’s have slowed down drastically in ripening. If you’re looking to pick large quantities, I’m sorry to say it most likely won’t be happening in the near future.

Photo by Friends in Photography

Also – our high tunnel was supposed to extend the life of the raspberry season as well but from the looks of it – it hasn’t worked… Again, we’ll know more in a few days. The raspberries didn’t freeze but it seems as if they aren’t pollinating anymore. This entire tunnel is a learning experience for not just us but researchers as well so as more berry season go by we’ll know more about what we should be doing. Thanks for understanding!

Only time and the weather will tell what’s really going to happen but I just wanted to keep you all posted.

Friday Pin – brussel sprouts, bacon and apples…

2011-09-16T23:26:00.001-05:00

Source: samstermommy.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Bacon and Apples…

Special Signs

2011-09-16T20:48:00.001-05:00

Our two older girls – Cedi and Capri – have taken to writing and helping us make the signs around the orchard. Be sure to look around and you’ll see beautiful signs they’ve made like this ‘EMUSANDGOATS’ one with the people in the garden. Capri just drew a picture for her sign…love it! Capri picked the cherry tomatoes, Cedi put them in containers and made the sign. Now..the sign above might be a little more difficult to interpret but if you flip it over…

Cedi was somehow trying to copy the Jalapeno sign…

Mac ‘n’ Tosh – our Emu Pals

2011-09-14T12:51:00.001-05:00

photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

Mac and Tosh – our two emus, have been a part of our family since 2006. You can visit them and wave to them when you visit our orchard. They are one of the first stops on our ‘orchard walk.’ They’re not the friendliest creatures but they are really neat to look at. In the spring they also lay some really beautiful eggs that we have blown out in the store for sale - or you can by a painted one.

Fun facts about emus:

Largest bird native to Australia
It is the second largest bird in the world (the ostrich beats them out in this department)
Emus have two sets of eyelids – one for blinking and one to keep the dust out
Emu feet are long, with three toes. One toe on each foot has a long talon, for fighting.
Emu feathers are soft and light-brown with dark tips. Each feather has a double shaft.
Emus can grow to between 5 to 6.5 feet.
They weight up to 130 pounds – females tend to be slightly larger than males.
Males (Mac) make a grunting sound like a pig and females (Tosh) make a loud booming sound.
The emu belongs to a family of flightless birds called Ratites. Most Ratites are now extinct, and only the emu, ostrich, cassowary, kiwi and rhea are alive today.
Emus are fast and can sprint at 30 miles per hour.
Emus can swim and if they have to, but they prefer to just play in the water.
Emus feed on grains, flowers, berries, soft shoots, insects, grubs and whatever else they can find.

Bring your ‘Play Group’ to the Orchard

2011-09-12T15:10:00.001-05:00

Have you been trying to think of a fun place to go with your play group this fall? How about the orchard!

There are TONS of fun and free things to do here with your little ones. Why not make a morning or afternoon of it with some other friends too? Start your day by going on our orchard walk and try your hand at our photo scavenger hunt. On your way you’ll visit the goats, emus, chickens and kitties! Play hide and seek in our sunflower field, pick a few raspberries, and play in our tires. We even have a music wall that your kiddo’s can bang away at and be as loud as they want. Take a break in our picnic area and enjoy your lunch with your kiddo’s. Your kids can play on the equipment while you chat with other mom’s and catch up on things.

So – get your group together (or just you and your family) and come on over and enjoy our orchard. Don’t forget your camera!

Check Out the New Jugs!

2011-09-08T22:28:00.001-05:00

Quart jugs of cider that is…Yup! We now offer four options for your cider purchase – gallon, 1/2 gallon, quart, or pint. It’s added a bit more work to the jugging side of the cider but our customers have seemed to be really happy about more choices. Don’t forget – if you get cider and don’t think you’re going to drink it all within that week or so – freeze it! Remove some of the liquid to allow for expansion and stick it in the freezer. When you want to thaw it to drink it just make sure you thaw it completely and shake – still just as good as it was before freezing!

A fresh batch of gallons, 1/2 gallons, quarts, and pints are already in the cooler for tomorrow ready for you and our 9am opening.

Madison Quilt Expo - 2011

2011-09-07T21:26:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. The Madison Quilt Expo opens tomorrow. The next three days will included 144 informational lectures, 54 stage presentations, 30 sit & sew workshops, 12 hands-on workshops, and a 10 category quilt context and exhibit…let’s not forget about all the fabulous vendors that will also be set up and selling their wares at the show. While you’re enjoying all of the fun things I talked about (including taking a class from my aunt-in-law, Barb Raisbeck of QuiltsbyBarb, on “Long Arm Quilting – What’s Not in the Manual) be sure to look for my quilt, “Spring Convergence” that was accepted into the contest and exhibit!

I created this piece for the ‘Large Scale Print’ Challenge of Project QUILTING’s second season. (and yes, those are mirrors in the middle of the yo-yo’s) To read more about how I came up with this piece feel free to check out THIS.

I am absolutely ecstatic to even have one of my quilts hanging in this show! AND, to top it all off – I have NEVER been to the Quilt Expo before since it always happens during apple season. BUT this year, I get to leave the farm early to get a peak at my quilt before the show ends. Yeah!

First Day of School

2011-09-07T12:35:00.001-05:00

Many of you have already met Cedi at the apple store but if you haven’t she’s the one pictured above. Cedi had her very first day of school on Tuesday (4K) and it all went really well (only a few ‘Proud Mama’ tears from me). If you’re by the store in the afternoons you’ll probably see our little helper as well.

The biggest change in our lives with school is that there has to be more of a schedule. We need to get Cedi to her own bed before it gets too late and try not to interrupt things as much.

When we make our apple cider the girls go to Frank and Diane’s for the night. Grinding the apples into a pulp for pressing is really loud – too loud for little girls ears. On top of that, our monitors do not reach tot he cider making room so it’s impossible for both of us to be working out there after the kids go to bed.

Mali, Tank, and a Princess wait with Cedi

Making cider on Thursday nights works out well since the girls can have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s without a schedule to worry about (no school on Friday’s for 4K). With that said, in the past if we ran low on cider we would sometimes press it on Wednesday nights. We can’t do that anymore. Our kids need some stability, even during apple season, so there may be some weeks that our cider supply is low on Wednesdays and Thursdays – like this week. All I can do is guarantee that we will be making more on Thursday nights and we will do our very best to predict how much we will sell in the week so we don’t run out before the next pressing.

Thanks so much for your understanding and support as we continue to work at making our orchard a great experience for you and your family.

Cedi boarded the bus without a glance back. I’m so proud of her but can’t believe how big she’s getting!

Orchard Photo Shoot – Funky Monkey

2011-09-03T21:01:00.001-05:00

My next ‘Featured Photographer’ for the orchard is Justyna from Funky Monkey: photography with a tale. I met Justyna at the DeForest Farmer’s Market last year and later when she requested to use my orchard for photo shoots I was happy to oblige. When Justyna heard that I had a newborn she came over and did a gorgeous photo shoot of Pip with her sisters right in my house! Check that out HERE. The pictures you see here are from a shoot she did just over a week ago. She recently acquired this crazy fun table and chairs and wanted the girls to have a ‘tea party in the orchard’ (and of course they had to wear the dresses I made them using ZoZoBugBaby’s pattern.) I think these photo’s perfectly fit in with her slogan - ‘photography with a tale’ – I couldn’t have said it better… At last Sunday’s Craft-Apple-Ar, Justyna was there doing mini photo shoots! She has a few ‘sneak peaks’ posted on Facebook but rumor has it more will be up at some point on Sunday (9/4)! I can’t wait to see more of the fun that was had at our event!

Check out Justyna’s website: http://www.funkymonkeyphoto.com/

Like her on ‘facebook’: http://www.facebook.com/funkymonkeyphoto

Schedule your shoot at the orchard:

call: (608)-512-9005

email: info@funkymonkeyphoto.com

Friday Pin – Apple Sandwich Treat

2011-09-02T15:12:00.001-05:00

Source: beccacc.tumblr.com via Kim on Pinterest

I think this apple sandwich with peanut butter, granola, and chocolate chips would work fabulously with the Ginger Golds and later in the season with the Cortlands or Cameos since those varieties don’t tend to brown when they’re cut.

Raspberry Season

2011-09-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

Sam Brown (6) enjoying a raspberry, photo by Friends in Photography

One of the ‘extra’s’ we offer at our orchard for fun are pick your own raspberries. You can either pick in ‘Raspberry Fields Forever’ or on ‘Raspberry Row’. Whatever you choose is sure to bring great results. Raspberry Fields Forever can be found just north of our store near the Little Tyke Playground equipment. Part of the raspberry bushes can be found under the tunnel which theoretically extend their season past the first frost – hopefully we’ll see that it works this year. There are also some more berries not under the tunnel just west of the tunnel.

Becky Markgraf and Kenzie (3) in Raspberry Fields Forever, photo by Friends in Photography

Here the bushes are quite tall as they’ve been living there for a few years now.

Kenzie (3) ‘lost’ in berry picking, photo by Friends in Photography

I’ve heard from a lot of parents that they like to pick here because the kids can play on the equipment while they fill their containers.

photo by Friends in Photography

New in 2011 is our Raspberry Row which can be found behind the Goat and Emu area. here we have some very long rows of berry plants that are quite a bit shorter than the Field berries. These are the plants that we transplanted this season from the old location.

Pickers in Raspberry Row, photo by Friends in Photography

They’re not as tall as the other berries but are still fun to pick.

Jen Brown and Clayton (10) fill their tray of berries, photo by Friends in Photography

Some people wonder how we have fall bearing raspberry plants – well, here’s the story:

The raspberries we grow are primocanes, producing fruit only in the fall. They
fit well with our “season” when apples are ripening and can be managed with very
limited hand pruning. Because primocanes produce fruit in the fall from canes
grown the same year, we prune by cutting all canes at ground level in late winter.

If we wanted a summer crop, we would prune only the top part of each cane that
bore fruit in the fall. The rest of the cane would produce fruit the following
summer. After that it would be cut at ground level. Every cane would need to be
cut individually TWICE every year. Instead we can use a mower or brush cutter
and cut the entire patch very quickly.

Becky Markgraf and Kenzie (3) “sampling” the raspberries, photo by Friends in Photography

When you come to pick berries – don’t forget – we strongly encourage sampling when your out in the field. It’s all just part of the fun!

Stop by the orchard between 9-6 Mon – Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday’s to fill your pint (or two, or three…)!

Orchard Photo Shoot – Friends in Photography

2011-08-31T19:31:00.001-05:00

Cedi & Capri running through the trees (dresses from theMeasure)

In the last few years photographers have asked to use our orchard for photo shoots. My answer is always a resounding ‘YES!’ The whole situation is a win win for everyone – the photographer has a great place to get some fun, unique shots and we either have new people that find our orchard or they have family/friends that ask where they went for their fantastic photo shoot.

photo’s in the tractor tires – a unique setting

With that, I plan on featuring some of the photographers in the area who have done shoots and plan on continuing to schedule shoots at our orchard.

Just days before we mowed down our sunflower field Cory took some truly amazing shots

The first one I am going to feature is Cory Schuren of Friends in Photography. Cory went to High School with Jared and was the first photographer to utilize our orchard for sessions. She’s photographed many families at our orchard but I just had to share the shots that she took of my two little girls at the end of the fall last year. I am just SO in love with each and everyone of them!As you can see there are LOTS of great places for some great pictures in the orchard – the sunflower field, the tractor tire playground, the apple trees, up at the look out deck, with the kitties, the goats, or anywhere else you can imagine!

Mercedi & Capri – dresses from theMeasure

Check out Cory’s website: www.friendsinphotography.com

and ‘Like’ her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FriendsInPhotography

AND Cory got some great shots when Persimoni was just a babe in the apple blossoms…

Contact Cory today to schedule your photo session at the orchard: csoldwed@hotmail.com

A Craft-Apple-Ar Success!

2011-08-31T15:08:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday we hosted the very first ‘Craft-Apple-Ar’ sponsored by the Glitter Workshop and KimsCraftyApple. Naomi of the Glitter Workshop also hosts the annual Craftacular’s in Madison – always the best craft sales I attend – partly due to the huge crowds of people it draws. I took these photo’s of the event while I still had time – prior to the throngs of people that showed up to enjoy a beautiful (seriously – we could NOT have asked for any better weather) day, shop for some fun handmade goodies, and of course, munch on some apples. A wide selection of different vendors set booths up in our ‘yard’ and many had fun walking through the three main booth areas. My kids were giddy with all the fun that was set up on their lawn.

I want to thank all of the fabulous people that came to enjoy this event, my family for supporting me in putting on this event, to the sitters that watched my kids for me during the event (you did fabulous!) and of course, Naomi, for coming up with the idea and organizing all the vendors for this event. It’s really amazing to see what can come together when you team up with some fantastic people.

I’m 95% sure that with the success of this event we’ll be having it again next year!

To Market

2011-08-30T12:39:00.001-05:00

Someone from the orchard (typically Frank or I (Kim)) sell at four farmer’s markets throughout apple season – Middleton and DeForest on Tuesdays, Waunakee on Wednesdays, and Sun Prairie Saturday mornings. A little helper that you may see ‘helping’ Frank or I is Cedi. She attended the very first Middleton market with me last week and was absolutely amazing! I think she’ll be going to at least one market a week with one of us. If you want to meet this adorable little apple seller stop by Waunakee this Wednesday! She’ll be helping Grandpa Frank.

Friday Pin

2011-08-26T08:04:00.001-05:00

Blend 12 ounces reduced-fat whipped cream cheese with 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves until smooth. Serve with apple wedges.

Source: parents.com via Kim on Pinterest

This recipe would be fabulous using our Seedless Raspberry Spread. Slice a bag of Ginger Gold apples up for dipping so you don’t have to worry about the apples turning brown.

Craft-Apple-Ar! A Quick and Dirty Sneak Peak!

2011-08-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

In my ideal world this post would be full of live links and great photo’s of examples of what people will be bringing for the Craft-Apple-Ar…but my world is far from ideal right now and I at least want to get you all somewhat excited about all the fun goods and food that you’ll find at the orchard on Sunday. As people are still signing up I’m sure there will be even more fun and spectacular goods, food, and fun things to do when you arrive on Sunday!

ART & CRAFT– on the Lawn

The GlitterWorkshop – Hair Feathers!, jewelry, whimsical coaster sets, and much, much more!

My Poplin – Baby Items, flower pins, clutches

Artsy Fartsy – prints and art

blogged!

Recreative Crafts – skirts, etc – this is who made the ‘Made Locally’ you can see on Pip HERE.

AntiqueBasketLady- Purses

Janet Gangler – Needle felting, felted soap

Xanthe Walker – folk art

Meredith Dillman – fantasy art

Jackie Turbot – soap

Full Moon Farms

Heather Raabe – Jewelry

Innad – Wallets

Lilac Hill Soap – bath and body

Spry Whimsy Fiber Art – felted scarves, hats, etc

Nineteen Thirteen Jewelry – Jewlery

Stacy Anderson – Party Kits and Supplies

Genuinely Girls – fairy wands, tutu’s, dresses

Betsey Welty – Quilts, bags, baby things

Wool and Peace – art

Pretty {Much} Art – Coasters, Magnets

Photo of the three Leopold benches I had personalized for my three girls – Pip, Capri, and Cedi. Place orders for yours on Sunday!

Laib’s – Leopold Benches, Outdoor Wood Furniture, and jewelry

The ‘Time Out’ Leopold Bench by the Pick Your Own Herb Garden

ART & CRAFT – in the Apple Store

KimsCraftyApple – quilts, bags, hand-dyed clothing, miscellaneous fun

Diane Lapacek – Quilts, Gourd Art, Hand-dyed linens

TheApple – jewelry

Barb Cook – Knit Hats, grocery bags, and washcolthes

CJ’s Eco Chic - Soy Candles

Blue Sky Pottery – Apple Baker’s and Honey Pots

Miss Pottery – Owls

Pie Birds by Sharon – Pie Birds

Twigs and More – Crayons and Colored Pencils made out of Sticks

UnRavelMe – Apple Cozies

PeacoxCreations – Apple Scrubbies and Pine Needle Baskets

FOOD

Sugarbomb Desserts – Cupcakes

Paoli Bread and Brat Haus

Pasture-Raised Tenderloin Brat w/ homemade Peach Chutney or Grass-Fed 100% Beef Burgers
Served with Door County Kettle Chips and;
Choice of Beverage (Soda, Water, or Lemonade)
Apple Kolaches

lil chocolates - Lisa Nelson - Chocolates

Lapacek’s Orchard

Apples
Caramel Apples
Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cider – Unpastuerized and unpreserved
Sweet Corn
Pick your Own Raspberries
Various Canned Goods
Veggies

FUN

Funky Monkey – Back to School Mini Portrait Sessions (10am -2pm)

Mini Quilt Shop (in the store)

Patterns
Commercial Fabric
Hand Dyed Fabric

Orchard

goats
emuskitties

Photo of Capri & Cedi by Friends in Photograhpy

tractor tire playground
orchard walk
photo scavenger hunt
sunflower field
regular scavenger hunt

Local Food

Columbia County Local Food Networks will be exhibiting some fun info about buying local!

Bread and Brat Haus

2011-08-23T21:24:00.002-05:00

Bread and Brat Haus is coming to the orchard!

They will be here this coming Sunday from 10-4 for the First Craft-Apple-Ar! I’m so excited to have them at the farm. I had to write this blog before I went to bed so you all could be excited about the menu for the day:

For $6 you can get

Pasture-Raised Tenderloin Brat w/ homemade Peach Chutney or Grass-Fed 100% Beef Burgers

Served with Door County Kettle Chips and;

Choice of Beverage (Soda, Water, or Lemonade)

Apple kolaches are on the menu for dessert – which I just found out is a Bohemian dessert which is perfectly fitting since the ‘Lapacek’s’ are Bohemian!

Our Little Apple Sorter

2011-08-22T23:14:00.001-05:00

One of the goals this apple season is to keep Pip happy and content while we get things done. One of her favorite things to do is sit in her bumbo as she goes round and round on the sorting machine…

Welcome Wagon

2011-08-21T09:44:00.001-05:00

I snapped this picture the other day of our kitties just sitting and waiting for customers to arrive and pet them. There are 11 kitties and 3 momma’s that roam our orchard these days. Picture above (going from the left clockwise) are banana, Spot (or Dot), Midnight Kiss, Snowflake, Tiger, Orange, and Lemonade. We have two kitties that look like Holstein Cows – I have a hard time knowing which one is Spot and which one is Dot….

Saturday

2011-08-19T23:11:00.001-05:00

I’m just popping in for a quick update. Tomorrow morning we’ll be opening at 9am with the first batch of apple cider donuts of the season.

If you can’t wait until 9 – stop by the Sun Prairie Farmer’s Market at 7am and pick up a bag from me!

A Special Treat – Blueberry Stuffed Raspberries

2011-08-16T19:11:00.001-05:00

One of our regular customers sent me these pictures today. Her family came out Saturday, Sunday, and today to pick some raspberries and blueberries (yes, they reallly like them).

Her beautiful daughter, Olivia, made Blueberry Stuffed Raspberries and shared them with her neighbors. What a great (and cute) idea!

Source: saucysprinkles.com via Kim on Pinterest

Here’s one of the very first pins I did on pinterest. It’s raspberries stuffed with dark and white chocolate chips. Not quite as healthy as the blueberry stuffed raspberries but definitely another option.

Sauerkraut Day – A Success!

2011-08-15T11:19:00.001-05:00

The first annual Kraut Day at Lapacek’s Orchard took place on July 31st. Other than it being ridiculously hot and humid the day was a success!We had a great group of people come out and learn how to make kraut – or just come and make it with us since it’s always more fun to do with lots of people. We even had someone drive all the way from Port Washington to join in the fun (thanks Stef!) The other night I helped make kraut and I secretly enjoyed the bat hammering portion of the process. Even the youngest kraut makers were able to help out – someone had to feed the goats the excess from the cabbage.

We definitely plan on doing this again next summer so start thinking about it towards the end of July and be sure to check out our website to see when we schedule it!

2011 Orchard Map

2011-08-13T07:51:00.001-05:00

We have changed a few things around the orchard this year – a longer Orchard Walk, moved the sunflower’s, added more pumpkins and even a new music wall. We can’t wait for you to visit this year and let us know what you think of our additions!

“There’s a Hole in My Driveway, Dear Lila, Dear Lila…

2011-08-12T11:24:00.001-05:00

There’s a Hole in my Driveway, Dear Lila, a hole.

Then Fix it! Dear Henry, Dear Henry. Then Fix it, Dear Henry. Fix It.”

Yup – you guessed it, not only do have young children but I also have a hole in my driveway.

Last week Frank showed up to work around the orchard and came in to ask me why our driveway was full of water. “Water, what water?” Sure enough – a good portion of our asphalt was soaked and a decent puddle was forming in the lawn.

Crap.

A water line broke. Unfortunately, we are not new to having this happen. We had one break a few months before we build our new house and it created some good times of course.

Luckily, our friends of Doherty Trucking and Excavating came over right away that afternoon and we realized that the line was definitely busted under the driveway – our two year old asphaltic driveway of course. So, the mini excavator came over and started to dig – right in the middle of our two year old asphaltic driveway. Our initial hole was slightly off (we had dug trenches in when we built the house for putting our heating system into the house and the sheds. Since our soil is mainly clay, the water was taking the path of least resistance – aka, through the old trenches, creating a slightly misleading trail.) and in the end it looks a bit like an apple tree…if you use your imagination… Sure enough, eight feet down, our pipe had a decent crack right in the bottom of it. Jared removed the broken piece and spliced in a new one. After two tries, the splice took and we had water once again – and a hole in the middle of our 2 year old asphalt driveway. On the bright side – this could have happened DURING apple season, instead of just before it. Here’s the hole as it’s getting filled in.

So, when you pull up and you notice a big patch of gravel – you’ll know the story of the hole in our driveway.

Friday Pin – Garden Fascinator

2011-08-12T10:57:00.001-05:00

I just love how this simple project can add a little drama to whatever garden it sits in…we are always trying to create more fun things like this to decorate the gardens around the orchard.

Source: gardeners.com via Kim on Pinterest

Diane’s latest garden creations are actually some dried gourds that have been painted and glittered by my girls – such fun!

Crunchy Noodle Salad – aka ‘Meg Ryan Salad’ – Market Fresh Recipe

2011-08-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

I know I’ve slacked on my Market Fresh Recipe posts lately but I’ll do my best to get back on track now. We had a successful ‘Kraut Day’ last weekend (I’ll blog more about that soon) but we still have TONS of cabbage left. Sure, we’ll be making ourselves some buckets of kraut yet but what else can we do with it?

One thing I suggest is to make a Crunchy Noodle Salad, or as my dad calls it ‘Meg Ryan Salad’. My dad tends to make names up for things that stick. We had this at my Aunt Carol’s in California when I was younger and he called it the ‘Meg Ryan Salad’ because it seemed like something she would eat. Our family has been calling it that ever since. One of the other odd names we have is a ‘Mike Cane Cut’ for your sandwich. A boy my dad went to school with came to school everyday with his sandwich cut both ways diagonally – my girls are already requesting a ‘Mike Cane Cut’ on their sandwiches.

Anyway – back to the salad…

Crunchy Noodle Salad or ‘Meg Ryan Salad’

Salad

1/2 head of chopped cabbage

2 pkgs Ramon Beef Noodle Soup – Broken

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup slivered almonds

1 bunch green onions – chopped

chopped carrots for color

Dressing

1 cup oil

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 pkgs of beef soup seasoning from the soup

Instructions

Salad – mix everything together but the Ramon Noodles.

Dressing – Mix it all together and let it marinate for a few hours before serving.

Right before you serve the salad add the noodles into the salad mixture and cover with the dressing (if you wait until right before you eat it helps keep the crunch and avoid soggy noodles).

Enjoy!

Friday Pin - Pie Crust

2011-08-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

I have started to spend a bit of time browsing Pinterest.

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, request an invite.

Some fun things I’ve found/seen on there are perfect for the orchard – either things to do with apples, gardens, pies, etc. I’m going to try to find a new fun orchard related thing to share with you each Friday. Wish me luck!

It’s almost time to start thinking about apple pie! Here are a few fun crust ideas:

Source: bedifferentactnormal.com via Kim on Pinterest

If you fall in love with Pinterest too be sure to follow me: http://pinterest.com/klapacek/

The First “Craft-Apple-Ar” at Lapacek’s Orchard

2011-08-04T10:42:00.001-05:00

I’m happy to announce that we’ll be hosting the first every Craft-Apple-Ar at the orchard at the end of this month (Sunday, August 28th). The show is sponsored by my friend Naomi of The Glitter Workshop and will be fun for everyone! The show is open for vendors so if you are interested please email Naomi at {naomi (at) glitterworkshop (dot) com} to find out more.

The Orchard is Growing and Blooming!

2011-07-29T14:34:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share with you some pictured I snapped while walking around our place with Persimoni between the rain on Wednesday…The apples are really starting to get big now. Things are looking right on track for an August 15th opening. A random sunflower blooming on the south side of one of our sheds. Our newest rhubarb garden – should have rhubarb for sale at the 2012 Apple Blossom Days. The pick your own garden of peppers and tomato’s seems to be doing nicely. This years sunflower field isn’t quite as tall but it will still be fun! LOTS of delicious looking pears growing. AND tons of those delicious peaches I had for the first time last year… And now, some pictures of the cone flowers growing by the red shed. Flower Kale… and I’m not sure what this is but it’s growing near the bell by my deck and I’m excited to see what it turns into…

I’ll keep you posted as more things start to bloom and ripen!

Music Wall Update

2011-07-22T19:13:00.000-05:00

The Music Wall is slowly coming together. We have pots and pans.

An old oven grate.

Tin cans made into wind chimes. Old washers and nuts and bolts make great clangers.

The bells that used to ring when you came into the old store.

Some things headed for the garbage that you can clang against each other.

Cedi pounded in a couple of nails and Capri learned about tie wraps. She asked if she could have some. A little while later, I found she had tied them all to Cedi's nails.

We added wooden spoons and rulers, a recycled vintage ice cream scoop, and the drumstick Aunt Karma found in the parking lot to use as bangers. I told Cedi and Capri they should make lots of beautiful music whenever they see birds in the blueberries......

Demolition Day Two

2011-07-21T16:30:00.001-05:00

Now that we had the above ground building portion removed from the underground building – walls we weren’t expecting to collapse –did. You can see in the above photo how the northern wall had fallen down (this was before the demo started). So, we decided to just remove it all and grade it out.

This time around we had BJ from Doherty’s Trucking and Excavating come over to take the underground portion out. He showed up with a big excavator and went to work. Grandpa, the girls and I enjoyed watching it and even managed to shoot a short video of the fun!

And when he was all done – we have a nicely graded field…it’s weird that the old building is gone, but much, much safer! Now we just have to figure out what we’re going to put here – picnic area, more apple trees, pumpkins? Only time will tell…

A New Sign for the Orchard

2011-07-20T20:31:00.001-05:00

I know I’ve bragged about how amazing my husband Jared is before. But he really is amazing. He looks at a problem and figures out how to make it better or more efficient.

Each year we plan on adding improvements to the orchard. One thing we wanted to make better for this apple season was the sign by the road. After analyzing how Jared wanted to make it he finally got to work. I’m sure you can see by the pictures that he created a spectacular sign! I think it’s exactly what we needed for by the road and I’m really happy with what he came up with!

Kraut Day – July 31st, 2011

2011-07-17T12:13:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered how Sauerkraut is made? Well – you’re opportunity to find out and even make your very own is here!

What: Kraut Day

When: Sunday, July 31st at 1:00pm

Where: Lapacek’s Orchard, N1959 Kroncke Road, Poynette, WI

What’s Happening?

Help make the kraut (sauerkraut).
Take home a bucket of kraut (about 6 quarts) to ferment at home.
Fermentation takes 6 to 8 weeks.
You'll leave with instructions to can or freeze your kraut after
fermentation is complete. Or just put it in the frig and eat it over
the next few months.
Cost is $12 per bucket of kraut.
Bring the whole family. Make one bucket or several.
Please RSVP to lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com with your name and how many of buckets of kraut you want to take home.

While you're here, you can see what's new for 2011.
Check out the new kitties. (There are LOTS of them!)
Make some music on the new Music Wall.
See the new chickens. Those babies from Apple Blossom Days are growing up!
The store will be open. Sorry, no apples yet, but we'll have honey
and maple syrup, jams and jellies, jewelry and quilts.