We're just one week out from the Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holiday's!  I'm going to put up a quick list of the vendors that we currently have lined up.  Keep an eye on instagram (@lapaceksorchard) and the facebook event to see some more detailed "sneak peeks" on items you can expect to find at the big craft sale event!

NEW this year!  On Saturday, November 23rd, Heidi G will be at the orchard to wood burn/personalize the handmade ornaments and items she's created for folks from 10am to 1pm.  How exciting is this!?



When?  Friday, November 22nd from 9am to 6pm and Saturday, November 23rd from 9am to 5pm
Where?  Lapacek's Orchard, N1959 Kroncke Road, Poynette, WI 53955

Hand Crafted Hoedown Artisans

According to Lucia:  Gorgeous beaded bracelets & Polaroid Greeting Cards

Amy Anderson: sewn items, including zipper pouches, baby bibs, ornaments, covered notebooks, pencil cases, drink coasters, embroidered dish towels, potholders, tissue packs, eyeglass cases, and pin cushions.

Another Man's Treasure:  Custom Upcycling and Woodworking

Betty D: Stained Glass Items

B Crafty: Crocheted Star Wars Figures

Big E's Creations: handcrafted wooden items

Canales Pouring: Acrylic paint pouring on canvas


Capri and Pip Lapacek:  Handcrafted Ornaments

Cheryl S:  Decorative Painted Bottles

Cindi Haynie: Upcycled Wool Sweater Mittens

Copper Mule Designs: Quality crafted furniture, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, lanterns and wall art

Dayna: bags and quilted postcards

Dean Piehl: woodworking items.

Dianne Hoard: crocheted scrubbies and microwave bowl cozies

Donna Fischer: whimsical crayon bags, seek and find pouches, tooth fairy pillows and a few other children's items.

My father-in-law ran out of kraut so they decided to grow cabbage this year.  Which means – we’re bringing back out KRAUT DAY!

Have you ever wondered how Sauerkraut is made?  Well – you’re opportunity to find out and even make your very own is here!

What:  Kraut Day
When:  Saturday, August 24th from 1pm to 4pm
Where:  Lapacek’s Orchard, N1959 Kroncke Road, Poynette, WI

What’s Happening?

• Help make the kraut (sauerkraut).
• Take home a bucket of kraut (about 6 quarts) to ferment at home.
  Fermentation takes 6 to 8 weeks.
• You'll leave with instructions to can or freeze your kraut after
  fermentation is complete. Or just put it in the frig and eat it over
  the next few months.
• Cost is $15 per bucket of kraut.
• Bring the whole family. Make one bucket or several. Stop by anytime between 1 to 4 on Saturday, August 24th to make your bucket or buckets. 

This year Kraut day will be run by our brother-in-law Matt!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from our entire family!

Just like that, the 2018 apple season has come to an end.  Thank you to all who have come out and supported our farm and family.  It’s because of all of you we can continue to keep living this dream of ours.  We couldn’t be more thankful for that.

If you have any memories from the 2018 apple season or favorite things we did (*clears throat* “Cider After Dark”)  feel free to leave a comment!  We’d love to hear from you! I know we all enjoyed the season and have plans already to make next season even more magical!

Keep an eye on this blog, facebook, the newsletter, instagram, etc if we have any fun things happening “off season”.  I’m not sure if we will or not yet but you just never know what I’ll dream up next!

It’s that time of the year again!  The 11th annual Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s is just a few weeks away!

What is the Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s? 
  An opportunity to buy unique, locally hand-crafted items for friends and family while listening to holiday music!
What can I expect to find at the Hoedown?
  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!

The Hand Crafted Hoedown for the Holiday’s is a fabulous two-day event that is great for getting a start on your holiday shopping! 

Be sure to select “GOING” or at least “Interested” on the Facebook Event – and share with your friends and family!  It’s going to be one you’re not going to want to miss!

Items you can expect to find at the Hoedown!  (and MORE!)

Donna Fischer with her clutch balls, crayon bags, crocheted teethers for baby's, seek and find pouches and fabric books.

Hillsboro Alpaca Ranch with alpaca socks (mid-calf height and ankle socks), alpaca shoe insert, yarn, and glittens ( hybrid between a mitten and a glove!).

Pointelle Design with fingerless mittens, knit hats and knit headbands, jersey scarves, button earrings, acorn and hat ornaments.  Fabric headbands and maybe some pouches!

The Hammer Factory with yard Yahtzee,  barnwood art, and WIno wine glasses again!

Elaine’s Simple Soap with soap, catnip toys and essential oils cases!

Dean Piehl’s Woodworking Items!

Amy Ritzke with dolls, books, hats & cowls (maybe), bracelets … and maybe some other surprises!

Katie Bortz with belt bracelets!

Quilts by Janet with quilted items, placemats, wallets, coin purses, and other fun things!

Dianne Hoard with bowl cozies, dish towels, scrubbies, some crocheted angels and snow flakes!

Betty Dieckhoff with stained glass pieces!

Cindie Haynie with upcycled wool sweater mittens!

Cora Haynie with bath bombs!

Cheryl Saunders with painted bottles and other fun things!

Heidi G with wood worked ornaments and other fun items!

Becky Donahoe with baskets and wood snowmen!

Another Man's Treasures - Custom Upcycling and Woodworking

Tracy Anderson with hand blown glass ornaments, jewelry, and vases upcycled from wine bottles.

Amy Anderson with a fun assortment of eyeglass cases, zip pouches, card wallet, covered notebooks etc.

The Painted Daisy with fingerless mittens and scarves upcycled from sweaters!

Milly Dilly with bottle openers, birthday boards, family tree boards, signs, photo holders and new wooden plank signs , coasters, ornaments and coffee mugs with funny sayings.

Kim Lapacek with jewelry, hand sewn items and ornaments!

Capri & Pip Lapacek with ornaments, wooden peg flower fairies, painted crate pumpkins and more!

According to Lucia – 13 year old Lucia Lindner brings you –amazing handmade bracelets and more!!!!  To see more of her fabulous creations check her out on instagram – AccordingtoLucia!

Hwy 22 Naturals will be RESTOCKED for the Hoedown!

Jan Dorner has collectibles, oven door towels, and cute pillows.

Kathi has snowman ornaments and a few other cuties.

Christmas wreaths from Miller’s Tree Farm!

Handcrafted holiday goodness from Judy S!

And MORE!!!!  I’ll update whenever I find out more info and get more pictures!  Stay Tuned and mark your calendars!!!!

Diane and I have been having a great time trying different cocktails that use the same main ingredient – Lapacek’s unpasteurized, un-preserved apple cider. 

It all started with a slow Friday and we decided to mix some Fireball with cider live on Instagram.  We received some amazing feedback from customers and online folks so we kept mixing weekly! It now even has a name – Cider After Dark. You can watch the first video above!  If you enjoy it please subscribe to the channel and tell your friends!  And don’t worry – we have plans to keep on trying more cocktails as the season continues and perhaps we’ll even freeze some cider so we can keep it going throughout the year.

The 2018 apple season started out with not the best weather – it rained and rained and rained some more.  One afternoon on a whim, my mother-in-law, Diane and I decided to mix a fun apple cider drink.  We started with Fireball Whiskey and our unpasteurized unpreserved apple cider and we turned on the live feed on instagram.  This is what happened …

Our customers came in and told us just how much they enjoyed the “episode”.  We came up with our ideal cider to fireball ration.  1 cup of cider to two shots of Fireball.  Yumm!  It didn’t take much for me to twist Diane’s arm into doing more testing of drinks.  If you want to see all of our videos be sure to subscribe to “Cider After Dark.”  We’ll continue to keep mixing as long as you keep watching!

This special orchard shirt came to be simply as a way to help educate folks that apples bruise very easily.  The best way to not have a bruised apples is to not squeeze it, not drop it and treat it with gently care.  This is why all of our apples are picked by hand and handled as carefully as possible.

I sold these tshirts at the shop for a few years … there are still a few there.  I believe we have a bunch of adult larges (it may be medium) and then kids’ sizes.  I just had to snap a picture of this lovely customer that came to visit the shop sporting her very own Lapacek’s Orchard “please don’t squeeze my apples” tshirt!

Sometimes when it’s a bit slow in the store we just have to try out a new fun beverage!  Check out Diane and me mixing our own unpasteurized, unpreserved apple cider with Fireball!

WE concluded that approximately 8oz of cider mixed with a shot and a half of fireball whiskey is the perfect combination!

Are you planning on processing some apples?  Perhaps making some applesauce to can or freeze?  Prepping pies to last you until next season?  Or does your family just eat A LOT of apples? We offer special bushel pricing at Lapacek’s Orchard.  If you call ahead to order your bushel you can save $3/bushel! 

Call ahead to order your bushel and save 608-635-4780

What is a bushel?  Well – it’s a volume measurement.  We fill the bushel box as much as we possibly can without damaging the apples and that’s what you get.  It ways approximately 40 lbs.  One bushel of apples makes approximately 18 quarts of applesauce or 10 quarts of apple butter or 6 cups of dried apples, or 16 apple pies.

We also sell apples by the peck (approximately 10lbs), 1/2 peck (approximately 5lbs) and 1/4 pecks (approximately 2.5lbs).

Most of those who are affected by the construction of Hwy 22 have already figured out how to get around it.  I just wanted to post a few maps to show you that getting to our orchard is still pretty simple and really doesn’t take much more time than when you could go on Hwy 22.  I thought it appropriate to start this blog post out with a photo of my girls with the “It’s Always Construction Season” Bucky from the Bucky on Parade in Madison, WI. 

I picked some general spots in locations many of our customers come from.  If you’re coming from places south, east or west of us there should be no problems with your standard route.  Those coming from areas to the north of us may have to take an alternate route.For those coming from Poynette, I just started right at the Poynette Elementary School.  This is the route we take when we drive our girls to and from softball, volleyball and cross country right now.  I would say this takes about 1 minute longer than it took us on the back roads.  I’m not sure why Google Maps won’t let you stay on Hwy 60 the whole time but you can.  Hwy 22 isn’t closed until just north of the Hwy 60/Hwy 22 intersection.  I tried to adjust the map with some drawing in paint.  It’s not perfect but should give you the idea.  Just take Hwy 51 South until you can go East on Hwy 60.  Then take a left (North) on Kroncke and you’ll be at the orchard in no time!

From the Piggly Wiggly in Pardeeville, take Hwy 22 south, then Hwy 16 east, south on Hwy C, a right (west) on Hall road and a left on Kroncke.

From Tamarack Pizza in Portage, take Hwy 51 south, then east on Hwy 16, south on Hwy C, a right (west) on Hall road and a left on Kroncke.  I think going south on Hwy 51, east on Hwy 60 and a left (north) on Kroncke Road would also work for those coming from Portage.

I hope these maps help you a bit on figuring out how you’ll make it to the orchard this fall.  I think for those of us who drive on Hwy 22 often enough know that while the construction is a bit a of pain it’s definitely going to be wroth it.  It was a road that really needed to be fixed.

Hello everyone! Apple season is in full swing and I want to make sure you don’t miss any of the apple varieties or any of the fun things happening!

If you’re not already be sure to Like and Follow Lapacek’s Orchard on facebook and to follow Lapacek’s Orchard on Instagram! 

Hi everyone!  Just popping in to remind you that the 2018 apple season will start in less than one month!  We are planning on opening on August 15th from 9-5.  I’ll keep you updated on what varieties of apples we’ll have but my best guess is Paulared, Zestar!, Scarlet and Chenango Strawberry.  But – time (and the apples – they have to be ready!) will tell!

We’ll also have caramel apples for sure on opening day so if you’ve been craving them you don’t have to wait too much longer!

Keep an eye on the Lapacek’s Orchard instagram feed to see all the fun new things we’re getting ready for you this season!

Happy May everyone!  A few blossoms are just starting to pop open … literally just a few.  Which means by NEXT weekend we should have an orchard full!  So – in honor of the blooms and the start of my oldest daughter’s brand new Softball 12U team – SMASH – we’re having a few fun days planned at the orchard.

Garage Sale

We’ll be hosting a multi-family garage sale on Thursday, May 17th from 7am to 6pm and Friday, May 18th from 7am to 1pm.  All of the proceeds from this sale will go directly to the SMASH Softball fund to be used for paying umpires, tournament fees and equipment.

A few of the highlighted items at the sale … (I’ll continue to add as I get more info from families)

• 10” Wheel Kid Bike
• 14” Wheel Kid Bike
• t kid ball gloves including 1 lefty
• 2 kid baseball bats
• walk in play house
• play work bench
• play kitchen
• Children’s Fisher Price Desk
• Kids bikes
• Stroller
• Stampin’ Up Supplies
• Side by Side Freezer
• Girls Clothes
• desktop toaster oven
• kids clothes
• and More!!!!

I’ll also add some pictures when they come in.

Donut Sale

Yes!  We’re going to make some apple cider donuts in May!  They will be $5 for a bag of 6 donuts.  The profit from these sales will go to SMASH Softball.  If you’d like to order some donuts please email me: lapaceksorchard@gmail.com with the number of bags you’d like and if you think you’ll be there to pick them up on either Thursday or Friday. 

Photography

Remember – we have a new photography policy at the orchard.  Please go to this POST to find out more about photo shoots at the orchard.

One of the mother’s of SMASH is an amazing photographer at White Willow Studios and will be running mini sessions on Friday, May 18th with half of the proceeds going to the SMASH softball team!  Contact Leslie to find out how you can get in on these fun, quick sessions!

I think I have one more fun thing up my sleeve for the big weekend but I’ll keep you posted!  Hope to see you at the orchard!

Thank you to all for making 2017 a great year!

Last Friday we snuck out to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins for our family.  We have three pumpkin patches for you to go through to find the perfect.

The pictures I’m sharing with you here are just from one of the patches.

There are seriously some gorgeous pumpkins out there.It didn’t take us long to find our perfect pumpkin for carving!

Here’s Cedi’s pumpkin!

It took her some effort to carry it back.

Capri and Pip worked together to find their pumpkins.

And it wasn’t long before Pip had hers …

and Capri had hers …

Pumpkin picking at our orchard is a pretty laid back experience.  You can either bring your own wagon or use one of ours.  You find your favorite pumpkins and bring them back to the lean next to the shop.  We have a “Pumpkin Weight Station” set up there.  You take a sheet that’s right by the scale and fill out how much each of your pumpkin and gourds weigh, put your pumpkins into your car and just bring the sheet into the shop to pay for your pumpkins.