Editor's Note: This article gave the incorrect initial impression the Fruit Stand was closed for the season, when it will be open through the first week of November depending on weather.
Folk artist Joni Mitchell got it right, ""Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got ‘til it's gone?"" Passing through Library Mall on Monday, the sudden unmistakable absence of a beloved fruit stand that had just Friday been boasting reduced prices on locally grown apples shook me to the core. Suddenly, all I could think about was the sweet and tart taste of a Honey Crisp apple.
I spent my next lecture frantically searching for orchards and farms in the area to get my fresh produce fix before the Wisconsin frost traces its sneaky fingers on the fields and trees.
Thankfully, the Madison area is not without a bounty of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, cranberry bogs and a variety of other fields and farms.
This time of year is often given the cold shoulder for its decreasing temperatures and inevitable onset of winter, but it should be celebrated for what it is —the autumn harvest.
Stocking up on affordable, locally grown produce now can mean a smaller grocery bill come January. Most winter squash and veggies will keep for up to three months when stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Other fruits and vegetables can often be stored in the freezer, or for the highly ambitious they can be canned.
Aside from a thicker checking account, a healthy diet will help prohibit the thicker waist, so often associated with winter. Fresh produce consumption drops with the temperatures, but planning ahead of time can keep your diet full of the vitamins and nutrients found in these fruits and veggies. There is no need to feast on pizza and chocolate cake every day. Roasted acorn squash, butternut squash soup and roasted apples can be just as comforting—honestly.
On top of health benefits, a trip to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch is a nostalgic way to spend time with your friends.
Several Dane County orchards offer the option to ""Pick Your Own"" apples straight from their orchard as well as pre-picked apples in a small store. Other treasures such as honey, jam and cider can usually be found in these on-site shops, too. Just a heads up—last weekend's frost has affected some of the orchards, so they may be offering the yet-to-be-picked produce at a discount. Slightly less-than-perfect apples work just fine in pies and applesauce.
Some farms also offer activities like hayrides or corn mazes. Celebrate Halloween, take a trip through a pumpkin patch and then pick out some pumpkins to carve with your roommates.
By now you, too, might be imagining the taste of a perfect Golden Delicious, Jonagold or Macintosh, so here are a few orchards you can visit to get some apples right off the tree.
Country Pines Orchard
322 Belmont Rd.
Madison WI 53714
608/244-8541
Door Creek Orchard
www.doorcreekorchard.com
3252 Vilas Road
Cottage Grove WI 53527
608/838-4762
Eplegaarden
www.eplegaarden.com
2227 Fitchburg Road
Fitchburg WI 53575
608/845-5966
Find more orchards on the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association website, www.waga.org. Other produce can be found every Saturday through November 7 at the Dane County Farmers' Market.
