I know, I know, I know…The A to Z Produce Pizza Farm has been written about a lot lately. But I had plans to go there to see what all the fuss was about and I am glad that I did. So in the spirit of sharing experiences, I decided to go ahead and write about it from my point of view.
Last night we headed to in Stockholm, WI for some pizza made at the home of A to Z Produce. We had heard about this originally from
S4xton, who went to the farm a few months ago and then returned again recently. This is a working farm that opens to the public for brick oven pizza production on Tuesdays. Since it is located an hour and a half outside of Minneapolis we needed to plan ahead. We picked a random Tuesday a month or so out and set a date. We were a little disappointed by the rain that fell on the morning of our outing, but then decided to continue with our plans anyway. Our thought was that perhaps the rain would keep away a lot of the crowd. In hindsight, this did not happen and I’m glad for it. The crowd is simply fantastic; but I will get to that later.
We left Minneapolis around 3:30pm loaded down with picnic baskets of wine, blankets, plates, cups, napkins, forks, etc. (you have to bring everything in and you take it out with you as well). A quick drive on 94 into Wisconsin and then several miles winding through Wisconsin farmland and we were there. We arrived a little after 5:00pm and, thankfully, beat most of the crowd. Staring up at the menu board and knowing that most of the ingredients were raised or produced on the very farm upon which we were standing was a great feeling. We chose two pizzas – one with sausage (happy pigs!), Kalamata and green olives, tomatoes, red onion and fresh mozzarella and the other with Kalamata olives, tomato, garlic, basil and Bulgarian feta. They told us it would be 15-20 minutes, but to come back 5 minutes early.
We took the time to wander the farm and to set up our picnic area. Actually, I wandered the farm while I let my friends set up the picnic. Around the farm are several buildings, including a small barn that is empty but for a picnic table in the middle. I could just imagine having a soiree there on a cool fall evening with a big group of friends…that sounds pretty good, actually. There was also abandoned farm equipment and wagon and a shelter with cows and chickens.
I also took some time to watch the pizza magic happen. The basic production was for the order to be taken outside and run into the kitchen where the pizza would be prepped. It was brought out to one of two brick ovens, where it was fired for a few minutes, turned and fired again. When it was ready, one of the workers would go out and yell the person’s name, who would then rush over to pay and retrieve their pizza. They have this down to a science, including the part where they ask the person if they want to take a picture of their pizza before they slice it. Very nice touch!
Returning back to the main lawn, I found our picnic area set and my friends working through a bottle of rosé. I plopped down, poured some wine and continued snapping some photos of my friends,
other tables and the
cats that were wandering around the area. It was all so perfect and, oh, so relaxing. We watched as more and more cars arrived and people unloaded their picnic supplies to set up. There were definitely newcomers like us to arrive with a couple of chairs and a blanket. Then there were those who could make a living of pizza farm picnicking. These were the groups with tables, tablecloths, small picnic tables for their kids…the works. My favorite was a
group of ten ladies with a table, chairs, chandelabras, and large floral arrangements. When I went over to ask if I could take their picture, they agreed and told me that they were celebrating a couple birthdays (one was the cute lady in the front with the white hat). I hope when I’m older that my girlfriends and I can come back and celebrate life like these ladies were.
After a few minutes, Carly and I decided to go up to the ovens to wait for our pizzas (we are both very punctual and really didn’t want to make them shout our name above the noise). We arrived with a few minutes to spare and were rewarded with the opportunity to see our pizzas come fresh out of the oven and into our pizza boxes. Wow.
Back at the picnic blanket, we dug into our treasures. Overall this pizza was good…how could it not be when the ingredients are the freshest around and it was made not even 2 minutes ago? A surprise to us was the wheat crust, which was tasty but not consistently cooked (a little overdone on the edges and a little soft in the middle from the tomatoes). The toppings, however, were fantastic. Salty olives, crumbly feta, and sausage that was sweet and flavorful…delicious! It didn’t take long for us devour almost all of the two pizzas and then sit back, full and satisfied. (As a note, Kyle and I discussed that next time we would bring some small appetizers like cheese or olives to eat while we wait and split just one pizza…next time).
We packed up and left, noting how many cars there were lining both sides of the road outside the farm. We took a different route home and cut directly over to the river and drove along it on the Wisconsin side. It did take us a little longer to get home, due to a stop in Maiden Rock for a beer and a stop in Hastings for DQ, but that route is definitely the better way to go.
The Pizza Farm experience is definitely worth the trip and our goal is to make it an annual affair. Fresh food, good wine and great friends…that is something to celebrate.
A to Z Produce (Pizza Farm)
N2956 Anker Lane
Stockholm, WI
