Tuesday was the first market for me this season. I headed down to DeForest. First thing in the morning I make a ‘wish’ list of apples that I want sorted to bring. For the DeForest market I sort 3 bushels of William’s Pride, 3 bushels of ZESTAR! and 4 bushels of Paula Red. I also brought along caramel apples, cookbooks and a varieties of canned goods. I like having a variety of things at my booth…I feel that it draws people attention more and they’ll come and browse. I also hung up the fall banner that corrcreeatios from etsy made for me. She used all orchard and fall themed fabric. I think it adds a nice touch to my booth. When I’m not at the market I use it to decorate around the store.

Tuesday was a successful first market. I met a lot of new people and saw quite a few familiar faces from last season.

I also headed to Waunakee today for the market. Typically, Frank, my father-in-law will be attending that market but due to some other obligations I took over. Man, he chose a good one to miss…it rained for two of the three hours. I had on a tank top and shorts and of course didn’t think to bring a hoodie or jacket. I won’t make that mistake again!

I head over to Sun Prairie for the first time this Saturday morning from 7 until 12. This is usually a good market…lots of great vendors and a great deal of community support…the keys to a good market.

Well, we had a busy but fun day. We took the girls to Treinen's corn maze and had a super good time. I may have taken finding all the pieces to the maze a little too seriously for a 8 mo and 23 mo old, but hey, we completed it in record time! They definately have a great, family friendly setting at there place. Lots of things for everyone to do.

When we got home it was costume time! Cedi was a beautiful little princess and Capri was an adorable little apple. We snuck into a neighborhood in town and took Cedi trick or treating. She did really well. She even said Trick or Treat and Thank you a few times with out prompting. We also made our stops at Necie's, Aunt Peggy's and Buddy's and Grandma and Grandpas (we stopped at Ron & Nancy's but they weren't there). Cedi was passed out in the van by the time we got home...she had a long day!

Jared and I made more caramel apples and now I'm going to go to bed so I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed for my last market in Sun Prairie!

On for tomorrow night: Scott & Leah's wedding! (www.leahandscott.com)

Hello, everyone! I know it's been awhile since I posted. I think things are starting to slow down at the store and I've been savoring a little bit of laziness. Things at the apples store are going very well. We still have LOTS of apples, cider, and caramel apples, so don't hesitate to stop by to get some more.

This is the last week for the farmer's markets. I was at DeForest on Tuesday night and wow, it was cold! I enjoyed being there and I think it went very well considering it was the first year that DeForest has had a market. It always help when the community is so enthusiastic and supportive of the markets. Frank went to Waunakee for the last time last night and it sounds like it went well (I haven't been to the store yet for a full report). I have the very last market at Sun Prairie this Saturday. The weather forecast looks a bit nicer than it did for me on Tuesday night. If you miss us at any of these markets don't forget that our store will be open until at least the day before Thanksgiving!

I have been crafting like crazy in anticipation of our upcoming holiday hoedown at the orchard. I have a few new listings on my etsy site: www.kimscraftyapple.etsy.com. Also, Diane has created a new page on our website with more details of the craft sale: http://merr.com/users/lapacek/crafts.htm. We hope to see you there!

Kids are calling...write more soon!

Well, I have one more market to go to in Deforest and two in Sun Prairie. If anyone is thinking about buying bushels to make sauce or freeze apples please call us SOON and I will deliver them to the markets for you. Also, don't forget that cider freezes wonderfully!



I know everyone will be sad when the markets are done for the year but don't hesitate to take a ride up to our store. We will be open until at least Thanksgiving. Depending on how many apples we have left at that point we may remain open a bit longer...we'll have to see and we'll be sure to keep you posted.



I'm happy to say that we have additional schools that we are providing apples to this fall for the kids' lunches. Not only do we still provide them to Waunakee, Poynette and Rio schools, but Fall River and Middleton schools have also added us onto there lunch menu. Reports have been great that the students continue to enjoy there fresh, locally grown apples! We will continue to provide these schools with apples until the end of the semester.



The guys are still picking apples for us. They've been working on Red Delicious, Cameo (yum!), Jonagold, Empire, Idared, Jonathons, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. We're thinking that picking will be done at the end of the week but our cooler is stocked up with lots of apples for your enjoyment. We still have 16 varieties of apples for you to choose from.



The pick your own pumpkin patch has been quite a hit! Lots of families are stopping to go for a nice walk on our farm to get to the patch.



On Saturday, my sitter, Kelsey, took my girls to a farm festival and below is an adorable picture of Cedi right after she bobbed for apples!

A few days ago, Frank's car thief skills were put to test...this time he failed. He was unable to unlocked someone's car after they had locked there keys inside. Luckily, the nice lady lived just in town and Diane took her home to grab her spare keys. The situation was resolved quickly and she kindly gave us some Beet Jelly for our troubles...yum!

Yesterday we were busy sorting for our caramel apple orders and the final produce auction (that was this morning) when I noticed smoke and that the sorting grids were not moving. I quickly turned off the machine, we moved the leaves away (no real fire started...just a few small flames) and avoided complete disaster. Unfortunately, our sorting machine no longer worked and we still had 10ish bushels to sort for the market and stock our store. Frank was on his way home from picking and he took the motor out and brought it to Columbia Electric to be fixed. The people were very kind up there and managed to fix it by early this afternoon for us. Luckily, we have a 'back-up' sorter that we could run our apples through...we just have to do a bit more hand sorting. We survived this dilemma and we have an order in for a back up motor in case this is to ever happen again (which we should've already had...)!

Jared and I are making caramel apples...again. I think this is just what our lives are going to be like for the next week or so...they've been a real hit. The last of the limited edition mixed nuts are at the store. If you want one make sure to stop in soon.

I'm heading to the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market tomorrow morning. Jared will get to spend a bit of time with our girls in the morning. I'm sure he's looking forward to that...he hasn't gotten to spend much time with them lately.

The weather forecast looks wonderful and we're looking forward to another beautiful, fall weekend. Hope to see you at the orchard!

It has been a beautiful weekend at the orchard! I attended the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market yesterday morning and really enjoyed the weather--almost summer-like, with a touch of fall. The forecast for today looks like it's going to be even nicer! Perfect day for a visit, perhaps...

We had LOTS and LOTS of visitors yesterday. Everyone called me on Friday to see if they could come. First to show up were my mom, dad, Aunt Betty, cousin Trish and her daughter, Lily. The women dropped my dad off at the orchard to pick apples while they made an annual trip to the Madison Farmer's Market. My mom bought me some yummy cheese that you fry up and it's delicious...thanks mom! Then my brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Sarah, joined us just after noon. They spent some time weighing pumpkins for people and hauling pumpkins back from the patch on the gator. After things started to slow down they headed over to our orchard to get some picking experience of there own. My friend Kaitra (Capri's godmother) showed up at the house just before 6. She has been really busy this fall and it's her first trip to the orchard this season. Kaitra is always a big help with the girls (they absolutely love it when she comes!)and around the store (she has some experience in retail...aka Port Apothecary). It always calms down some of the craziness of this time of year when we have friends and family coming to lend a hand.

Jared and I have been up for awhile getting some more caramel apples made for today. They went over quite well yesterday. And don't worry, we made some more limited editions for everyone to enjoy!

Hope to see you today or soon!

Above are some adorable pictures a mother sent me of her little boy feeding the cows! As you can see he wasn't afraid of them at all! How cute! When you come into the store please make sure to ask to feed them if we don't bring it up. Sometimes we just forget how fun it can be!

We have had a busy last 12 hours. Last night we made cider with the help of our friend Jay and his daughter, Taylor. Then we woke up early to finish up some caramel apples for Treinen's (www.treinenfarm.com) and for our store. We had to make some more limited editions...they are going over quite well! Frank will be heading up to the produce auction this morning. Jared has off of work today so he will be picking apples. Diane and I will be running the store and sorting apples for Smith (a fruit stand on hwy 22/33...i think...) and the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market tomorrow. The girls are going to Nisie's for possibly there last friday. They just love it there and they get to play with other kids instead of sort apples!

Make sure to stop by and say hi!

I always jokingly brag that I am the best salesperson in the family. I may have prooved that true the other day when I litterally sold the sweatshirt that I was wearing. A fairly regular customer came in and was checking out all the hand-dye hooded sweatshirts we have for sale. She kept commenting on how much she liked the one I was wearing, then would look at the others, comment again. Finally, I told her that the one that I was wearing was for sale...I had just gotten cold the other day, had no sweatshirt, and had taken it down and put it on. Like that, a sale was made! When you come into our store make sure to look up when entering the back room. We have quite a selection of hand-dyed hooded sweatshirts hanging near the cieling.

I grudgingly got out of my warm bed early this morning to get suited up for the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market. I put on many layers...including my long underwear and had Jared heat me up some hot cider for the thermos. It was quite chilly when I left. Once I got to the market and started to set up I warmed up quickly. I was able to strip off a few layers to cool off a bit. I have a hard time keeping track of the time at the market in the morning, but it wasn't too long before it really became nice and I was just down to a long sleeve tee under a regular t-shirt. It really changed into a beautiful day quickly. I picked up some delicious shrimp for my in-laws from the seafood guy, Wally, and I picked up some scallops for myself. I am going to try one more time to cook them properly. I absolutely LOVE scallops when I get them at restaurants but have been unable to replicate them in my own kitchen....we'll see what happens...

Another beautiful day at the orchard. I wasn't there this morning (I was at the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market) but I heard that lots of people decided today was the day to visit the orchard. Surprisingly, the frost did not damage our raspberry crop too badly. There were still pickers out that found some beautiful, tasty berries. Our pumpkin patch also recieved some visitors. We really need to get some better signs up showing how to get there (side note for myself) so don't be afraid to ask us if you want to pick-your-0wn pumpkin. Squash have also been flowing out of the store smoothly. If you are worried that there is too much squash in what you pick out I must tell you, it freezes wonderfully! We will freeze enough (hopefully) that my girls will be able to eat it until we have squash again next year.

Limited Edition 'Mixed Nut' caramel apples have thus far been a hit. We are currently making the second batch of them. I hope you decide to try one out when you stop because they won't be around long!

Take care!

I woke up this morning to the smell of caramel heating. Jared had gotten up earlier to start the caramel apples we needed for the weekend. I went and got Capri, changed her diaper, got her dressed and passed her off to Grandma. Then I headed downstairs to complete my labeling job for the the caramel apples. Around 7:30, Angie Treinen pulled up to the door of our commercial kitchen and I loaded her up with the caramel apples we made last night for her busy weekend. We continued to make our own caramel apples. We finished up just a few minutes ago. After sleeping with the taste of our 'special edition' mixed nut caramel apple on my mind, I decided we needed to do some more of them. I really think people are going to like them.

After a quick shower I plan on heading over to the apple store to help customers and sort apples for the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market tomorrow. My mom has agreed to stay through tomorrow to watch the girls so I don't have to worry about them...I know they are in good hands. Frank should be loading up for the Badgerland produce auction right about now. I'm sure Jared is getting changed into his picking gear. My guess is Diane is trying to get more gourds/squash/veggies picked for your pleasure. Everyone has their niche in our little farming business which makes it fairly easy to work together (there are moments, of course). Word on the street is that my dad may head down today to lend a hand as well...only time will tell. I do have to thank my parents for all the help they give us during the apple season. They have been in the middle of moving from Port Washington, WI to DePere, WI, through basically our entire season and they have still made time to help us out when we need it. I know our lives would be much more difficult during this time if it weren't for their help.

Last night I managed to make a few new earrings. Be sure to keep an eye on the jewelry section of the store. It is always changing as I make new things to add to the collection.

Hope to see you this weekend!

It was an amazing weekend at the orchard! We had the most beautiful weather and lots of fun people and families visiting us. On Saturday morning I attended the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market. It was my first week there with cider and I'm pretty sure people were happy about that. If you ever decide to head over there on a Saturday morning be sure to not only get some apples from me, but try out the scones from Market Street Bakery...they are AMAZING (there apple pies and cheese bread are wonderful too)!

I spent the afternoon at the orchard helping out customers. Kelsey watched the girls for us, thank goodness. We're just so busy it's hard to keep an eye on both of them. Frank helped an old friend of his and got him hooked on mac's. As a treat, he sent him home with a sample Honeycrisp. I would say about 20 to 30 minutes later the gentleman was back...we had him hooked. I believe his exact words were, "It is better than steak!".

I can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday, but we also had a mom and a daughter (I believe) that made me laugh...they had printed out our webpage and had done research before they came on the apples they wanted to try! I love a prepared person. It is so much like something that I would do! Thanks for stopping if you're reading this...it was fun!

Frank also picked the girls pumpkins on Saturday night. It was so adorable! He was so proud of them. He had to carry them both in and make sure to set them up for there pictures. So cute! Earlier, when the pumpkins were still green they had carved the girls' names into the pumpkins. As they grew that names turned scar-like. They're super neat. Be sure to look at them when you come into the store (window sill to your left as you walk in).

People went crazy with the raspberry picking this weekend! The berries were plentiful and everyone had a good time. Stop by tomorrow or later this week to pick your own fresh raspberries!

Cedi's awake, have to end my blogging for this morning. Have a good week everyone!

From Blog

From Blog

Unfortunately mother nature has determined that I will not be heading to the Sun Prairie's Farmer's Market this morning. I do apologize. It's just too rainy and it looks like it's going to continue to be that way for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. I would like to note that the apple store is OPEN! So, feel free to take a short day trip up the orchard to pick up your apples (Honeycrisp, gala, cortland, mcintosh, wealthy, spartan, fuji, paulared, NW Greening and wolf rivers), cider, and caramel apples. We would love to see you there.

Hello Everyone! We saw a lot of familiar faces yesterday and it was very refreshing! We definately had a decent crowd of apple lovers at the store and the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market.

Well, the apples are finally starting to ripen. The boys picked some McIntosh, Cortland, Jonamac, Gala, and Wolf River yesterday. It is so nice to see our shelves filling up with APPLES! Because of this mixture of apples we are also know offering our Baker's Mix filled with Paulareds, McIntosh, and Cortland to give your baking a wonderful mixture of flavor and texture. Diane always bakes like this and trust me, her family is not disappointed.

My sister-in-law, Karma, just sent me this email that I found interstering and you may too:

Hi Kim. I was just reading my new Runner's World and it had an article on "fresh thinking" when it comes to eating. They talked about a "locavore" who tries to buy local and had some interesting facts... one study found that people are 10 times more likely to have a conversation at a farmers' market as they do at supermarkets. Another study found that local-based food systems used 17 times less fuel than conventional food systems. Thought you might like to hear those :) Karma

We're also starting to gear up for our upcoming garage sale next weekend. The garage has been cleaned and empty. Jared and I have started to deliver boxes of things to be sold. It is going to be a multi-family garage sale and for anyone who is a dedicated garage-saler, you know those are the best ones to hit.

Well, I have to go and make some caramel apples!

Well, it was my first time out apple picking today and what a wonderful day for it! It was the perfect day. My allergies are usually too bad so I haven't picked in about 2 years (I had been pregnant and unable to take much medication-wise to control the allergies). I felt like I had them under control today so I decided to try it. I'll know by about 2am if it was a smart decision or not. I put the girls in for there afternoon nap and then picked north of the house until they woke up. Then, when Jared got home, he watched Capri (Cedi was napping still) and I picked some beautiful Gala's (my favorite).

Once I finished picking I headed back over to the store to finish sorting for the Sun Prairie market. I'm excited that I will have more than just Paulareds to bring (not that there is anything wrong with Paula's but it's so much more fun to have some variety!) I'm currently waiting for the caramel to heat up so I can help make some more caramel apples for this weekend.

Next time you're at the store be sure to check out the cute new gift items I just got it...some adorable farm animal chalkboards and some more super cute planters!

Hope to see you this weekend!

Sorry that I haven't written in the last few days. I just haven't had the energy. It's been a busy few days. My parents came up to help clean the paulareds off the trees on Friday and Saturday. (Thanks guys!) I had to take Capri to the doctor on Friday for her 6 month check up and shots (yuck!) She's 16 lbs 5 oz. and 26.5 inches long. She was not a huge fan of the shots and liked to cuddle with mommy the rest of the day. Her second tooth is also on its way so she hasn't had the best weekend although she has been a good baby considering everything she's going through.

I had the Sun Prairie Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Once again it was a success. I just love seeing all the people and helping them discover a new apple.

My dad and Jared picked all day yesterday while my mom watched the girls. I think they needed a little break for the mayhem of the apple store. They'll be there this afternoon though. Cedi will be leaving for a little bit to participate in a duck race at her Uncle Buddy's pasture. Should be fun.

Hope you are all having a good labor day weekend and hope to see you at the orchard!

Well, I just returned home from a successful farmer's market in Sun Prairie. I sold all of my apples and about half of my caramel apples by 11:40. I could have had one more bushel with me, but that's not too bad. It was great seeing some familiar faces again. As always, I can never attend a market without forgetting something...this time it was my box of jewelry. Hopefully next week I won't forget it.

Since I finished a bit early I was able to try out some of Sassy Cow's delicious peach ice cream. I'm pretty sure they are a dairy farm located in Columbus, WI. Lots of vegetables were available as well and of course the bakery was there. My father-in-law is a huge fan of the shrimp that the seafood man brings. If you live in the area you should definitely check the market out sometime. They've really done a nice job. It's on Saturdays from 7 - 12 behind the Municipal Building (across the road from Cannery Square) if you're interested.

Well, off to the store!

Well, it was a humid day out today. I went to help out the store this morning with the girls for a little while. My allergies are in high gear and it took awhile this morning for them to calm down. Once they did, we headed on over. Frank went to the auction today...I never asked him how we did for the apples, but he came back with quite a few cantaloupe if anyone is interested. I came home and the girls took really long naps...it was amazing. I picked a few blueberries and worked on the computer.

Later we went back over to the store and loaded the van for tomorrow's market in Sun Prairie. It will be my first week there. I'm really hoping the weather is nice. I know they are predicting a bit of rain. Frank and Diane had already sorted all the apples (THANKS) so all I had to do was put together some crafty items and my box full of things to make signs and what-not.

Maybe I'll see some of you tomorrow! Have a good evening!