Stoughton doesn’t have the apple orchard density of, say, Door County — this is Norwegian dairy country, not apple country after all. But within a 25 minute drive, you can buy a bag of Honeycrisp from the family that grew them, pick your own off a hillside in Fitchburg, or spend a morning in a 48-variety orchard south of town in Brooklyn. Here’s where we’d send you for apple orchards near Stoughton.
Pleasant Springs Orchard — closest to Stoughton
Start close to home. Green’s Pleasant Springs Orchard is at 2722 Williams Drive, in the town of Pleasant Springs just outside Stoughton. This apple orchard is a real family affair: Dick and Vivian Green started it after long careers teaching in Madison schools, and their youngest son, Justin, is now learning to run it.
This one is buy-only, with no u-pick. The farm stand rotates apple varieties through the season: Gala and Jonamac early, Honeycrisp and Cortland after that, Macoun and the tart little Alkmene later on. There’s fresh cider, along with cider donuts, which are reason enough to stop. The stand is open Friday through Monday, 11am to 4pm, and by appointment Tuesday through Thursday. During market season, the Greens also sell at the Saturday farmers market in the Stoughton City Hall lot downtown, just across from the Goose Crown Inn.
Eplegaarden, Fitchburg — the U-pick with Norwegian roots
For picking your own, drive about 25 minutes to Eplegaarden on Fitchburg Road, just south of Madison. Eplegård means “apple farm” in Norwegian, and the name fits the people who built it: Vern and Betty Forest planted thousands of trees here in the 1980s and ’90s and ran the farm with a Norwegian streak that still shows. It’s a good reminder that the heritage we write about in what makes Stoughton the most Norwegian town in the Midwest spread well past the city limits.
The orchard is open Monday through Thursday, 9 to 1, and Friday through Sunday, 9 to 5. Early apples like Zestar and Gala give way to Honeycrisp, Cortland and Empire by mid-September, and the late keepers (Northern Spy, Jonagold, Golden Russet) come in through October. If you’d rather not pick, the farm store has bags ready to go. There’s also a pumpkin patch beside the orchard, and on weekends they serve caramel apples and a new one for us: cider brats!
Alpine Ridge Orchard, Brooklyn — the variety mecca
About 20 minutes southwest of Stoughton, Alpine Ridge Orchard on Alpine Road is the newest of the three. A local family planted its first trees in 2014, and the orchard has grown to around 48 varieties since then. That range gives it a long season. Their picking list has includes Rubymac, Royal Empire, Wolf River, Jonaprince, Macoun, Fuji, Jonagold and Ambrosia, and pre-picked apples are sold in the barn if you only want a bag. Wolf River is worth looking for. It’s a Wisconsin apple, first grown near Fremont in the 1800s, and a single one can weigh more than a pound. One apple goes a long way in a pie. Hours change through the fall, so check their site or call (608) 455-5018 before you head out.
Which apples to look for
If you’re picking with a plan, a rough guide helps. Honeycrisp, Zestar and Ambrosia are the ones to eat out of hand. Cortland is the salad apple, because the slices stay white for a long time after you cut them. For pie, look for Northern Spy, Jonagold or Wolf River, all of which hold their shape in the oven. McIntosh cooks down quickly, which makes it a good applesauce apple. And if you want apples that will last into winter, Golden Russet and Northern Spy store well in a cold garage or a basement fridge.
Every orchard posts what’s ripe that week, and it changes fast in October. A quick look at the farm’s website or Facebook page the morning you go will save you from driving out for a variety that finished on Tuesday.
Making a day of it
All three orchards are close enough to pair with something else. Stop at Pleasant Springs on your way out of town, make Eplegaarden or Alpine Ridge the main event, and if there’s daylight left, take the fall color loop through Paoli, New Glarus and Mount Horeb. Peak color and peak apple season tend to land in the same few weeks of October. For a fall-color walk instead of a drive, Lake Kegonsa State Park is ten minutes from downtown.
If you’re heading west of Madison, Enchanted Valley Acres in Cross Plains has apple picking too. It’s one of the stops in our fall day trip roundup of small towns near Madison.
A few practical things: weekdays are much quieter at all three. Bring a bigger bag than you think you’ll need. Dress in layers, because a sunny orchard at 1pm and a parking lot at 4:30 are two different seasons in a Wisconsin October.
Then come back to the Goose Crown Inn of Stoughton with a trunk full of apples and somewhere comfortable to land. Our rooms are just off Main Street, and the cider donuts will keep until morning.
