I wanted to take just a few minutes to say thank you to all of our wonderful customers.  If it weren’t for all your support we wouldn’t be able to continue doing what we do. 

I love when you all share pictures of your time at our place be it snuggling our kittens, exploring the orchard, and playing on the playgrounds. 

Even with some significant winter damage to our apple crop – you all continued to support us and even found some new great apple varieties to look forward to for the 2015 season – like the Silken or Snow Sweet.

 

And now it is time for us to close the shop down for the season.  This winter I will spend time with my family and quilting.  Jared and Frank will be pruning the orchard and Diane will be quilting and canning.  We look forward to opening up to you all once again in 2015.  Hopefully with a healthy crop of apples and a few new surprises around the orchard. 

 

So with that – we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!  Thanks for all your support and we’ll see you next fall!

Before I run to the shop and do some final organizing before we open for the final day of the sale – here are some more peeks of what we have!

wonderful handmade soap!popcorn on the cob!  And later today Cedi will be popping corn and selling it!fingerless gloves, mittens and scarves!pillows and dolls!finger knit scarves!gorgeous handmade pottery!umbrella’s and pillows!framed vintage postcards!

bracelets and ornaments!

Here’s a quick peek at jut a few of the wonderful things you can find at tomorrow and Saturday’s big craft event!  For more pictures – check out the facebook album I put together!

Hope to see you at the orchard either Friday or Saturday!

I had many requests for the recipe for this delicious and decadent pie!  Laura was kind enough to share it!

Marlborough Apple Tart

from Laura Stechschulte

 

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/3 cups (6 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 5 tablespoons (2 1/4 ounces) sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Tart filling

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded (2 cups)

• 2 Fuji, Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and shredded (2 cups)

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 5 tablespoons apple cider

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST:

Adjust 1 oven rack to lowest position and second rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms. Using your hands, press two-thirds of dough into bottom of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press remaining dough into fluted sides of pan. Press and smooth dough with your hands to even thickness. Place pan on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and bake on lowest rack, until crust is deep golden brown and firm to touch, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Set aside until ready to fill.

FOR THE FILLING:

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring frequently, until pan is dry and apples have softened, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer apples to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Whisk sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in large bowl. Add eggs, cream, apple cider, lemon zest, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add cooled apples and stir to combine. Pour mixture into tart shell and bake until center is just set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours. Serve.

and Enjoy!

Just when you think we’re about to close up for the season – I’m going to bring you one more fabulous event!  Yup!  it’s that time of year again!  It’s time to start thinking about the Holiday’s and finding that ‘perfect’ gift for that special someone.  We have the perfect event coming up in just a few weeks!

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, Holiday Decoration, Baby Items, Hand-Dyed Clothing, Jewelry, Crocheted Hats, Winter Items, Candles and More!
Also, a Mini Quilt Shop and freshly baked goodies from Lapacek's Orchard!

WHEN:

Friday, November 21st from 9am-6pm
Saturday, November 22nd from 9am-5pm

WHERE:

Lapacek's Orchard
N1959 Kroncke Road
Poynette, WI 53955
(608) 635-4780

Participating Artist

(I will continue to expand this list as I hear from more folks)

Persimon Dreams – quilted and sewn items, pillows,  jewelry, ornaments, christmas trees, and more!
Diane Lapacek – quilted and sewn items, gourds, hand painted items
CJs Eco Chic – Soy Candles

Poplin - Cute Items for Kiddo's and Pampering products for women and girls!

The Painted Daisy – upcycled sweater scarves and arm warmers

The Glitter Workshop – assortment of glitter goodies!

Amy R – Coloring books, dolls, crowns, scarves and more

Karol Tomlinson – felted wool mittens

Janet K – Hand sewn bags, pillows, quilts and aprons

Upcycled Funk – Upcycled random amazing-ness

 

Cheryl S – Olive Forks with Attitude

The Paint Farm – Outdoor Wreaths

Jen G – Handmade soaps – only found at the Handmade Hoedown for the Holiday’s

Donna F - children's  clutch balls, children's  fabric  books, seek and find pouches,  crayon bags


Jenny Blasen Pottery – Pottery mugs, buttons, and wee dishes

Casa&Co - hand stamped pillows

Shirley – paper crafts: greeting cards, small gift boxes, gift bags, bows and party favors

Bryn – Girls Clothing and bows

Jane F – Scrabble Tile Jewelry and fun bookmarks

Boards by Mike - Handcrafted Cutting Boards

Jim Muttini - Wood Turnings
Lulu's Kupcakes - Handcrafted Lip Balms, Hand Butter, Lip Gloss, Baby Cakes, Baby Butter, and Lavendar Butter
SoL Criations - Yarns, rovings, soap, socks, mittens, blankets, hats, scarves
OnceMoore – Felted  & Hand Knit goodies

KTG Designs – Jewelry

Lori Cox – Primitive Creations

Kim Lodahl – scarves and hats!

Trish T – Woolen scarves, bags, and purses

HOOKED – 9 year old Lucia Lindner brings you - Frozen bracelets, snowflake and holiday charms, ugly sweaters, stockings, chicks and owls, gymnast girls and more

Stacy S – Framed vintage postcards

Jean – handcrafted clothing, ornaments, clothes, purses, and more!

Miss Ks Creations - Finger knitted Scarfs out of yarn and t-shirts

Wooden trains too!  And I’m sure much more!

 

This show is full of so much talent and variety – you’ll be able to cross TONS of folks off your list!

We had an AMAZING 4th Annual Apple-Palooza!  The weather was PERECT and lots of fun was had by all!Here is a picture of our fabulous judges.  Judge Al was replaced by Kaitra since he had to harvest his fields.  These 7 judges had their work cut out for them with 21 amazing pies to judge!

Our grand prize winner was Melissa Fischer!

 

Second place went to Carolyn Brown.

Third place to Laura Stechschulte (recipe coming soon!)

We had a tie for fourth between Jillian Barber (left) & Lisa Priske (right)

Prettiest Pie went to Jeni See

Most Creative Pie went to Lisa Johnson

Our first place pumpkin carver went to Ali Ingersoll!

Second place went to Jillian Barber!

Thank you to EVERYONE who came to Apple-Palooza and joined in the fun!  A BIG HUGE thank you goes out to Monty’s Blue Plate Diner and there amazing support of local foods!  They gave out TONS of amazing prizes including a free pie every month for a year to our grand prize pie maker! 

And also a big thank you to Naomi of the Glitter Workshop.  She’s the one who organized it so all the wonderful vendors were there for you to all check out while you waited for the pie to be cut up AND she made and donated the fabulous buttons for all pie participants and winners!

One last thing!  We raised $166.78 by selling slices of apple pie!  100% of this money will go to the PAD Parent Club for the Poynette School District!  Thanks again to everyone for all the help and support to make this a wonderful event!

I decided to decorate a few of our pie pumpkins with mustaches this year!  The greatest thing – decorate with them first, then make a pie out of them!

Frank was a good sport and even posed with a stache pumpkin!

Last week I was asked to be an apple pie judge for one of Ms. Miller’s High School Classes.  There were four pies for us to try. 

We will be using an almost identical rubric for the pie judging on October 25th for the Apple-Palooza Pie Contest.

Things the judges will be looking for when tasting your pies …

Overall Appearance

Crust - Texture, Taste and Appearance

Topping Selection

Filling – Texture, Taste and Appearance

Food Styling – Creative, Neat, and lots of details

A Cinnamon Apple Pie was the winner of the four pies.  The topping blending perfectly with the filling and it was just an incredible pie.  I have to say though – all four pies were impressive and very edible.  I truly enjoyed my morning of pie eating!

 

Now – let’s see who’s judging YOUR apple pies this season!

Alan Otto

– Capri’s godfather, a good friend of ours and a pie eater for the past 34 years!

He has been an apple pie judge at Apple Palooza since this all began four years ago!

 

Darcy Miller

Have you ever judged a pie and/or food contest before?

No I have not judged a food contest, however I do have to critic my students on food they make.

Why do you think you’d be a good apple pie judge?

I love apple pie and I also  don't think I would ever get sick of apple pie so trying lots of it in a short amount of time sounds like a good plan to me.  I love to bake and have a fairly good idea of what makes a good pie.

What is your favorite thing about eating pie?

I think of pie making and pie eat both as an art form.  But my favorite part is savoring the taste.

How many years have you been enjoying pie?

Since Hector was a pup :)

What qualities do you look for in a good pie?

I look for texture, taste, appearance and the feeling that lots of love was put into the pie during the process.

Do you believe you could be a ‘fair and unbiased’ pie judge?  Yes

 

Trisha Frankland

Have you ever judged a pie and/or food contest before?

YES! I judged an apple pie contest for the area's Christian women's group about 10 years ago. But for some reason they never invited me back.

Why do you think you’d be a good apple pie judge?

I come from a long line of pie bakers and pie eaters. My dad's family is famous for pie: our Priewe family reunions aren't just "bring a dish to pass" - it's "bring a dish AND A PIE or don't even show up." Have you ever had groundcherry pie? Or passed over the normal creamy pumpkin pie for a double-crust sliced pumpkin pie (which tastes kinda like apple)? Well, that's just the tip of the Priewe pie iceberg! You know how graffiti artists have a "tag" they use as a signature? Well, the bakers in my family have been "tagging" their pies for generations with custom vent designs that are as individual as fingerprints and recognizable as the nose on your face.

What is your favorite thing about eating pie?

Umm, the pie part? Sugar and fruit - it doesn't get any better. I'll pass by chocolate anytime but don't let me even near a yummy apple pie if you hope to come away unscathed.

How many years have you been enjoying pie?

They say a real lady never reveals her age! And since that's not a concern, I can admit I'm 41 years old. And let's just say I've eaten a lot of pie in my day - in my family, it's one of the first solid foods we give to babies. The hips don't lie.

What qualities do you look for in a good pie?

Tasty crust is imperative - too many otherwise great pies are ruined by bland, pasty crusts that are nothing but a carrier for the luscious fillings. How many times have you seen otherwise-empty plates with a leftover pie rind? Too many! Why waste that space when you could make it YUMMY too?!?

Do you believe you could be a ‘fair and unbiased’ pie judge?

Probably not - I'm easily purchased with flattery and gifts. But I'm also extremely opinionated and know my own mind - just ask me, and you'll see.

Anything else you’d like to share with the voters about your pie judging dreams?

I think pie baking is an endangered art form. I think pie eating is an under-rated hobby. And I think you should agree with everything I say.

AND…last but not least…

 

Neil Stechschulte

Have you ever judged a pie and/or food contest before?

He has never been a pie judge before but he’s taken a lot of photos of pie contests.

Why do you think you’d be a good apple pie judge?

He’s a fantastic judge of flavors and textures.

What is your favorite thing about eating pie?

Neil loves EVERYTHING about pie.

How many years have you been enjoying pie?

Neil has eaten pie for 41 glorious years.

What qualities do you look for in a good pie?

Neil always looks for a pretty pie, but in the end, when it comes down to it, if a pie tastes good going down, he’s going to be a happy judge.

Do you believe you could be a ‘fair and unbiased’ pie judge?

Neil is the epitome of fair and unbiased.  He would never judge a pie by its maker.

Anything else you’d like to share with the voters about your pie judging dreams?

Neil dreams about pie in all its forms – apple, pumpkin, cherry, chocolate, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, or chicken.  There are many times when he will yell “WOMAN, MAKE ME A PIE!”

 

NEW 2014 Judges:

Kari Olsen

Have you ever judged a pie and/or food contest before?

no

Why do you think you’d be a good apple pie judge?

I've had many slices of apple pie in my life, and I know what tastes good to me.

What is your favorite thing about eating pie? 

eating pie :)
How many years have you been enjoying pie?

all my life
What qualities do you look for in a good pie?

a good, tasty crust (not soggy!) the right amount of filling, and a good flavor

Do you believe you could be a ‘fair and unbiased’ pie judge? 

yes

Anything else you’d like to share with the voters about your pie judging dreams?

I've had my food judged before, but have never been in the judge's seat.  I love apples and I love pie, so this seems like the perfect job for me! 

Judy Frankel

  I am a big foodie and have a true weakness for apple pie.  I have judged food competitions before (most notably the Monona Chili Cook Off competition).

 

Elizabeth "Betti" Palmer

Have you ever judged a pie and/or food contest before?

No

Why do you think you’d be a good apple pie judge?

Because I'm a foodie, a locavore, and a pie afficionado! I am a Farmer's Market shopper and regular at Lapacek's Orchard. I am passionate about heirloom fruits and vegetables, and strive to cook with the very best local ingredients.

What is your favorite thing about eating pie?

It is a simple dessert that relies on the best qualities of the fruit; the apples are the "star" of the dish...

How many years have you been enjoying pie?

My whole life! My late mother was a fabulous from scratch pie baker. I learned from the best!

What qualities do you look for in a good pie?

Plenty of perfectly seasoned fruit, and a light, flaky crust, of course. And getting the apples perfectly cooked (not too much, not too little) is harder than people might think...

Do you believe you could be a ‘fair and unbiased’ pie judge?

Without question!

Anything else you’d like to share with the voters about your pie judging dreams?

I will recognize the skill and passion of the baking contestants. I expect that the competition will be stiff, but the best execution of this "art form" will rise to the top!

 

Our group of seven judges will decide winners for – Best Pie Overall and three runner ups, Most Creative Pie, and Prettiest Pie.  The entire event is meant to be fun so I hope you decide to ‘throw your pie’ in the ring and give it a go!

If you are 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 you don’t have a story, no worries). Plan on arriving at the orchard by 12:45pm with your pie (earlier than that is just fine too …we open at 9 and I can make arrangements with you if you need earlier than that). Pie viewing and photo’s will take place at 1:00pm and judging will start at 1:30pm.

Once judging is complete - I'm guessing around 2:30/3:00ish... we'll be cutting all the pies up into slices and selling them for $1 a slice.  100% of the money made from the apple pie slice sales will go to the PAD Parent Groupof the Poynette School District.

Food Fight Restaurant Group is once again sponsoring our Pie Contest – a free pie every month for a year from Monty’s Blue Plate Diner!!!