Any business founded on love of the work will show itself as something more than a product. But when you combine that with love of the land and love for others, then there is something truly special that sets a business apart.
You get a hint of that when you enter the farmstand of Laplsey Orchard in Pomfret that displays the beauty of their veggies, regional antiques to let you know you’re in the coziness of the Quiet Corner, and small bouquets of flowers lovingly hanging from the rafters.
Perhaps that's why they draw folks in year after year through their pick your own and CSA.
And goodness the smiles. Everyone seems to be smiling. Patti and John Wolchesky are behind those smiles and have been running Lapsley Orchard for over 30 years and it doesn’t seem that they have grown tired of it. Both of them put on an ease of moving from task to task despite the busy-ness of a Saturday afternoon. There are few that you see at the farm that aren’t smiling- whether it’s the customers, or the staff hired to help with the all the work that is required to keep a business running in peak months.
Patti and John are the heart and the hands that make Lapsley Orchard. Though John started working at an orchard at the ripe old age of 12, he was given the opportunity to see the beauty of what the earth can produce when giving it a little care and thought.
Fast forward 15 years later, and John loved it so much he had taken over the operation of Lapsley Orchard; he continued to expand the land to over 60 productive acres and grew diverse vegetable crops, peaches, berries, and of course, still apples. Patti joined him a little later on, just coming to work for the summer, and staying on to marry the man and the land that he cared.
Though the land is not theirs (it’s leased from the Lapsley family), this has not stopped them from making it their own. John knows his fields and shares details about history, the rows of crops, and how much is growing in them. Their children have grown up here, snacking on peppers straight from the field. Patti has created friendships with folks that have been picking apples for years, or have been with their CSA since it started.
So if you want to know what it’s like to love the land, visit Lapsley Orchard. If you want to know what it’s like to love the community, visit Lapsley Orchard. If you want to know what it’s like to love what you do, visit John and Patti at Lapsley Orchard. They have something special to share with you.