One of my very favorite early apples is the Sansa.  It’s one of the newer varieties we’ve added to our orchard in these recent years.  As soon as I tasted my first one I knew others would like them as well. 
They are sweet, hard and crunchy. 
It was time to try them in sauce – normally, I’ve found that sweeter apples don’t make very good sauce.
Well – I peeled, cored and sliced the apples and put them in my mini crock pot to cook.  They cooked quickly down on low heat to a nice chunky sauce with some smooth mixed in.  When I tasted it I was surprised!  It was sweet with no hint of tart but I felt very tasty!  I usually find that sweeter apples lose flavor but the sansa’s were quite flavorful even though that flavor was purely sweet apple.  I really enjoyed it and with a little cinnamon would make a nice dessert treat!

We know many have been frustrated trying to ‘shop’ at our orchard and lack a shopping cart or basket to keep in as you shop.  We are always okay with you making a ‘pile’ while you shop but we thought it might be helpful if provided you a set spot for these ‘piles’.  So we made a fun shelving unit for you all!  It’s located across from the register at the back of the store.  Feel free to ‘Add to Cart’ as you shop.  If you realize you want to go and pick raspberries or go for a walk, but already started shopping – just make a pile in one of these cubbies.  I hope this helps make your visit to the orchard a bit easier.

One of the new and exciting things at the orchard this year is our ‘Photo Booth’.  I found an old door frame, painted it up and Jared added the sign for me!  Next to the photo booth door you’ll find a box with a bunch of fun ‘props’ that kids, and adults, can help themselves to making the pictures even more fun and memorable!They’re fun even when you’re not in the booth!Here are Cedi and Capri being silly!

And we even got Grandpa to take a minute and join in the fun!

If you take pictures with your phone and instagram or tweet please use the hashtag #lapaceksorchard and if you post on facebook we’d love if you tag us or share on our page so we can see all the fun being had!

I know that I’ve already sauced and analyzed many of these varieties the first year I did it but I seemed to have lost my notes on them!  Oh well – more sauce for me!

The other morning I peeled, cored and sliced some of our William Pride apples.  These are probably our sweetest apples at this time of the year.  They have a beautiful red skin. 

When they cooked down they maintained their shape and made a chunky sauce.  It seemed a bit chunky and watery to me.  Now, I don’t mind chunky sauce but I don’t like it when it’s watery so the texture was a bit off to my liking.

I felt the sauce lacked flavor.  There was a hint of tart, apple flavor but mostly it was just blah.  This seems to be pretty consistent with most ‘sweet’ apples when you cook them into sauce (for my taste buds anyway). 

Not my favorite but I can see how it would be a nice chunky addition to a mix of a few other varieties. 

The egg on the right is a standard, large egg.  The egg on the left…well…it’s BIG! 

It turned out to be a double yolk-er.  My bet was on triple (has anyone ever seen a triple?  I haven’t but this was definitely big enough to be one…), Cedi guessed double, Capri went with single and Pip’s guess was yellow.  Cedi and Pip were winners. 

I snagged a few of the very last Chenango Strawberry apples of the season so I could sauce them for my Saucesational Experiment.  I cooked them on low in my slow cooker and soon my house was full of delicious cooked apple aromas. 

As you can see it definitely browned quickly.  The sauce was smooth with some chunks.  I let it cool before I tasted it.  I LOVED it!  It was sweet with hints of tart.  I quickly rushed out for the rest of the family to try it – I rarely do this.  Cedi loved it, everyone else thought it was decent.  Lots of flavor for a single apple variety in a sauce.  I’m definitely looking forward to saucing some more Chenango Strawberries next season! 

It’s that time of the year again – apple cider time!  We were actually able to do the first press about a week earlier than we normally do.  I believe this has much to do with the fact that we have a lot more earlier apple varieties in the orchard so we’re able to give you a good mix of flavor in the cider. 

 

We had Friends in Photography shoot the entire cider making process which you can see if you want by clicking HERE. 

 

Unlike last season we’ll have LOTS of cider this year!  We will be selling them in gallon, 1/2 gallon, quart and pint containers in the store and it is freshly pressed weekly, on Thursday nights, typically.

 

We are also happy to offer our pressing services to those who have apples they want made into cider.  You need to bring us at least 5 bushels of apples.  We press others’ apples AFTER we finish our cider press so it happens later on Thursday nights.  You can either bring your apples that night or drop them off earlier in the day on Thursday and pick up on Friday.

 

Many cherish our unpasteurized apple cider because they like to make hard cider or wine.  We’d be happy to fill right into your carboys (5 gallon minimum).  Drop them off before we press and pick them up on Friday.

 

Please call 608-635-4780 or email me at lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com to discuss our pricing for these extra services. 

I can’t believe that we’re just days away from the 3rd annual Craft-Apple-Ar!  It’s going to be fantastic!  We have such a great line up of vendors – I hope you’re enjoying these previews as much as I am!  Today we’re going to meet Amanda Lee Horning of  Pretty Turtle Boutique

Facebook www.facebook.com/prettyturtleboutique

 

What kind of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

High Quality, Handmade Hair Accessories, Fabric Tutus and Embroidered Items

Where does your inspiration come from?

Most of my inspiration comes from my 9 year old daughter and partner in crime. My business started when I stopped buying bows for her because I decided I could do it myself. She helps pick ribbons, colors and "approves" designs ;)

What is your favorite apple? 

My favorite Apple is iPad. Just kidding I LOVE Honeycrisp.

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm

Apples bake into such tasty desserts…but sometimes you might just not feel like pulling all the ingredients out of the cupboard or heading to the neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar.

Did you know that we have quite a few pre-made baking mixes available at the orchard to save you a little time?

You can mixes for crisp, cakes, and muffins!  The other morning, Cedi and I decided to surprise the family by making an Apple Crisp.  I grabbed one of our mixes and before we knew it – we had a delicious, aromatic apple crisp baking in the oven.

 

Cedi did the peeling, coring, slicing, of the apples for me.  All we needed was a quarter peck of apples – we decided to add just a few scarlet apples to the mix just for the fun pink color!  And yes – I love my suction peeler/corer/slicer machine.  It saves me so much time whenever I’m baking or making sauce!  We have both the suction and clamp machines available in our shop.

Once we had the apples peeled, sliced and cored, we just had to add the mix to some butter, sprinkle it over the apples and put it in the oven!

And just over 30 minutes later we had a delicious little dessert to go along with our lunch!

So, next time your in the shop see what Baking Mixes we have out.  They’re great for a special treat when you’re feeling a little lazy and almost make great gifts!  (A new teacher perhaps…)

I’m really happy to say that we will once again be providing to a bunch of schools in our area.  Due to our poor crop last season we were unable to do this for the 2012 fall semester – but our apples are better and we’re back on board!

We will be providing apples to the following schools and districts:

Poynette, Deforest, Lodi, Waunakee, Rio, Portage, St. Mary’s in Portage, Sauk Prairie School District, Middleton Cross Plains School District, and Watertown School District.

If your school or school district is on that list – YEAH!  I’m so happy that your children will be getting delicious, tasty apples from us!  They will be receiving a variety of apples throughout the semester – anything from Paulareds, MacIntosh, Cortalnd, Empire, Spartan, Jonagolds, Jonamacs, Idareds, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious.  The schools we work with, allow us to use our discretion on what variety is best for the schools in a particular delivery time, which ensures that your children will be receiving the best of what we have.

If your school is not on that list – talk to your administrators and food service directors.  Have them contact me – lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com – to find out how it works.  We’d love to see if we can make something work so the kids are exposed to the best local product possible. 

Columbia County is doing great things to get the ‘Farm to School’ Movement going…be sure to join their group on Facebook and see how you can help!

In 2011, Lapacek’s Orchard was featured in the Wisconsin Farmer and Agri-View for our participation in the Farm to School Program.  

How do schools benefit from Farm to School?

In 2009, we conducted a survey of the schools serving our apples and here were a few important things to note:

Kids are enjoying the apples and they have noticed an INCREASE in the quantity of apples the students are consuming

Noticed less full apples or apples with just one bite in the trash after lunchtime.

What variety did the students like best – ALL of them.

 

Other Partnerships

I’m also really excited to say that we will be providing Monty’s Blue Plate Diner with fresh apples each week for Chef Matt to include on the menu daily.  I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of them and we look forward to continue building our relationship with this restaurant that focuses so much on ‘Buying Local’. 

It’s Wednesday!  Happy Hump Day!  Let’s take a closer look at another artist that will be at the orchard this Sunday - Aimee Ramsey of Woolly Purses.

What kind of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

I create clothing, purses, hats, scarves and other items from recycled wool.

Where does your inspiration come from?

As an artist I love to sew and create things (without patterns) that people love to wear!

What is your favorite apple?

My favorite apple is Honey Crisp and Johnathan ( for making applesauce )

Please share any 'apple orchard' memories you have:

I have great memories as a child of going to the apple orchard and picking apples in the fall and having cider and donuts afterwards.

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm

You’ll be able to find some great Vintage goodies at the orchard on Sunday too!  Let’s meet a new Vintage dealer that will be attending…Jennifer DeBolt, Becca Shimpf, Casey Olson and Janelle Engel of Secondhand News Vintage!

 

Website: www.secondhandnewsvintage.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/secondhandnewsvintage

Twitter- @secondhandnews1

Instagram- @seondhandnewsvintage

What kinds of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

Secondhand News Vintage is very new to the vintage game, so new that this is our first event! We are very excited to show everyone our vintage treasures! We specialize in finding pieces from the 1950’s through the early 1980’s.  We will have lots of clothing, and accessories, with a smattering of shoes, hats and bags. Having four different people scouting out the vintage finds mean that we are able to offer a wide variety of items. There will also be a small selection of handmade earrings and decorative paper garlands.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Being named Secondhand News, the obvious answer is Stevie Nicks!  Vintage clothing and accessories bring us all back to a time before ‘fast fashion,’ when people cared about the quality of their clothing and took good care of it. Finding a dress that obviously meant something to someone and knowing that someone else will also find joy in it is a great feeling, and knowing we can ‘rescue’ these vintage pieces is wonderful.

What is your favorite apple?

The unanimous decision was the Chenango Strawberry, but we are also a sucker for a good Ginger Gold.

 

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm

I just realized that I shared pictures from the Arlington Parade with our Facebook followers but not with our blog followers!  Cedi and Capri had to get there picture with the Princess of course!

Frank and Diane – the ones who started it all!

A side view of our wonderful float!

Note to self for 2014:  buy 3 bags of candy instead of just 2…we ended the parade with just bubbles…

The girls were having a great time waving to their friends in the crowd!

The crew!

On this wonderful Monday morning we’re going to take a few minutes and meet Jenny Bormett of The Painted Daisy.  This is not her first time at the orchard and we’re always excited to have her!

Be sure to check her out online before the show!

• Website:  www.thepainteddaisy.etsy.com
• Blog: www.thepainteddaisy72.blogspot.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thepainteddaisy72
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/painteddaisy72
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jennybormett/boards/
• Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28974028@N07/

What kind of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

Summer Skirts & Dresses with select clearance items!

zippy clutches

trivets - fun fruit & veggie inspired themes

Artsy vintage upcycled pillows - on clearance

PS – You can see a great photo shoot where I’m wearing one of Jenny’s AMAZING sweaters – HERE. 

Fall preview of new sweaters & sweater accessories

Where does your inspiration come from?

I love color and texture.  I also LOVE vintage textiles and an am always picking them up at sales and hoarding them for future creations.

What is your favorite apple? 

Favorite apple - I'm old school and love Cortland

Please share any 'apple orchard' memories you have: 

Watching my son run through Viney's Orchard (near Edgerton WI) run through the orchard picking up dropped apples and taking bites out of the nasty things when he was 2.  He also loved standing at the fence feeding the steers apples until I had to drag him away.  Viney's is now closed, the owners have retired, but I always think of that when its apple season!

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm

ONE WEEK!  ONE WEEK until the third ‘Craft-Apple-Ar’ at the orchard!  Who else is excited!??

Let’s meet a fabulous vendor – I met her at the last craftacular I was at and she’s fabulous and her work is fabulous!  So happy to have her joining us!

Name: Ashley Gries

Company Name: Casa&Co

Website: www. Casaandco.etsy.com

Fb: www.facebook.com/casaandco

Pinterest : Ashley Gries

Twitter:  CasaYCosecha

What kind of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

Hand-stamped Linen Quote Pillows, dish towels, and other small gift items

Where does your inspiration come from?

Mostly nature - I love finding textures and patterns in nature and translating those into beautiful objects. I'm also very influenced by vintage and antique items - especially items that were made from scraps- it amazes me the creativity and ingenuity that people had when they weren't able to just go out and buy something, and had to make it instead.

What is your favorite apple? 

Definitely Duchess- if only for the name!!

Please share any 'apple orchard' memories you have:

My mom used to take us (my sisters and I) out apple picking when I was younger. We had so much fun, till we got home and she'd plant each one of us on a chair in front of an apple corer/slicer for hours...

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm

In 2010 and 2011 we planted many of our ‘new’ varieties of apples.  Some of the odder ones that we weren’t quite sure of we just planted 5 of each tree.  This season we’re starting to get enough apples off these trees to give you all a ‘try’ and get some feedback – do you like them?  Should we plant more?

Red Gravenstein is one of those varieties.  Diane likes these apples for fresh eating.  If they’re still around when you stop in the store be sure to ask for a sample.

Since we had a few apples I decided I should sauce them and see what I thought

So, yesterday I tossed them into the crock pot to see what happened.

The flavor was decent – appley, a bit sharp, and definitely some tartness to it.  I was not a fan of the texture.  It seemed a bit slimy to me.  Looking at the description we’ve read about Red Gravenstein’s is that they should hold their shape when cooked.  I’m thinking maybe I left them in the crock pot too long…I may have to try these again next year and see what happens. 

I’m sure you all know that we’re pretty busy during the season.  To keep myself full and satisfied until I have time for lunch I make a special oatmeal.  I’m not a fan of oatmeal…but I’ve discovered that if you use 1/2 water and 1/2 applesauce (yes, I use instant) when you cook it, it’s almost like a faux apple crisp for breakfast.  Once it’s done cooking I like to add some granola to the top to fix the texture of the oatmeal into something a bit more crunchy.  It’s really not too bad and since our apple sauce has no added sugar or preservatives it’s actually pretty darn good for you too.

Anyway – my point of the oatmeal story was that I used my Red Gravenstein sauce in the oatmeal and it tasted pretty good mixed in.  Much of that weird texture was lost once it was mixed. 

The big event is just eight days away!  I can’t believe it’s going to be here so soon!  The apple orchard will not only be filled with farm fun, delicious apples, donuts, and caramel apples – but amazing vendors too!  It’s going to be a lot of fun.  Let’s meet another unique vendor you can expect to see at the Craft-Apple-ar – rain or shine!

Name: Laura Conners

Company Name: Usborne Books & More, Madison, WI

Website: www.UsborneBooksMadison.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UsborneBooksMadison

What kind of items will you be showcasing at the orchard?

Educational books, fiction books, and activities for kids from birth through middle school!

Where does your inspiration come from?

    I am inspired by my love of reading and desire to raise my son in a house that reads.

What is your favorite apple? 

My favorite apple is a variety from my hometown area called the La Crescent Apple. I also really like Vista Bella. My favorite saucing apple is a MacIntosh. I was raised on homemade apple sauce made from MacIntosh and that's what I prefer. People who only know grocery store apple varieties are truly missing out!

Please share any 'apple orchard' memories you have:

I grew up in Minnesota apple country just across from La Crosse, WI. However, there aren't Pick-Your-Own orchards where I'm from, so "apple orchard" memories are few. What I will say is that I love it when the apple trees and pear tree in my yard in Madison are blooming! My pear tree is loaded this year. I'm hoping that I'll actually harvest some that are edible! (Our first year in Madison, the tree produced one absolutely perfect pear. It's been hit or miss since then.)

Event Details

3rd Annual Craft-apple-ar

at Lapacek’s Orchard

Sunday, August 25th from 10am to 4pm