Below is the letter I wrote to our local paper to let people know what was actually happening at our orchard this.  I thought I’d share it with you all as well…

Do you have any apples?

This seems to be the question on everyone’s mind when I run into them at school, the grocery store, or any place that’s not our apple orchard.

To hopefully clear a few questions up I wanted to write this letter to the editor since we won’t be out in public much for the next few months.

The answer: Yes, we do have apples. We estimate we have a 70 to 80% loss on our crop. Because of this significant loss, we decided that we could support only our retail operation at N1959 Kroncke Road, Poynette, WI. This means that we will not be selling at any of our regular farmer’s markets, no wholesale bushels, and the one that hits closest to home to me, no schools.

The good news is that our retail operation feels pretty normal. We grow more than 55 different varieties so there are apples for every taste. We’re still making our famous caramel apples and apple cider donuts on weekends. There are plenty of jams and jellies, applesauce and apple pie in a jar…all made by us right here at the orchard. We still have animals, sunflowers, a tractor tire playground, pick your own raspberries and all the other things you’ve loved about Lapacek’s Orchard in the past. We know you’ll find it’s well worth the trip out to see us.

Apples seem to be ripening much earlier than normal this year. We’re running 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule on most varieties. If there is a variety of apple that typically doesn’t ripen until the end of September, it may already be ripe, picked and on our shelves.

When our crop goes back to normal next year (and yes, it will – only thinking positively around here) we definitely plan to continue at Farmer’s Markets and with the school program. Keep an eye on our website, www.lapaceksorchard.com, and our facebook page, www.facebook.com/lapaceksorchard.com to see what’s happening at the orchard, when apples are ripening, cider pressing schedules and other special events. Thanks so much for your continued support through this interesting apple season.

~Kim Lapacek