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

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!

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.

 

 

 

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. 

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 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!

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…

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….

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!

  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!

 

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.

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!

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, 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.

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.

 

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