October 13 Grassway Organics

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful fall day to explore a Wisconsin Pizza Farm.  It was sunny and the temperature was cool, bordering on cold.  I found out later that for my friends in Minnesota it was snowing, so the fact that we could get by with just an extra layer and a fire pit helped it to feel like fall and not as much like winter.  I love a fall pizza farm and I am always so appreciative and grateful of the farms that stay open later into the season.

Grassway Organics is one of the late fall hold outs.  I had been keeping an eye on them via Instagram and Facebook and it just hadn’t worked out to make the drive over the summer, so I was happy that a trip came together for mid October.  My brother and sister-in-law, two of my regular Pizza Farm companions, were able to drive out early and explore the area on the sunny fall Saturday.  While they were out and about they ran into farmers, workers, and other local explorers and pizza farm attendees that were willing to share some conversation and create a very welcoming atmosphere to the community of the East Troy, Wisconsin area.

I arrived a little later with a new Pizza Farm friend, a friend of a friend who was willing to drive an hour and a half with a stranger to get out of the city and experience a Pizza on the Farm night as her first trip to Wisconsin. I tried not to talk about Pizza Farms the entire car ride, but it was hard.  It seems like every topic of discussion can somehow lead me to there.  Mary mentioned she was from the DC area and I immediately began encouraging her or her family to check out Pizza Brama at Rocklands Farm, a DC area pizza farm that posts some amazing pictures of their Friday Pizza Nights.  It is so exciting for me to try and match up people across the country that have no idea a Pizza Farm is possibly within their reach.

We parked near a field of what turned out to be turkeys, unloaded my pizza farm backpack and gear, took several deep breaths of the fresh, crisp air, surveyed the scene of rolling farmland and grazing cows, and followed the sound of the live music coming from the barn on top of a small hill.  The scene before us as we got to the top included several picnic tables, a covered area with a mini bar set up, and a trailer converted into a pizza kitchen and oven.  I could envision my portable table and chairs coming in handy on a busier, warmer evening., but for a chilly mid October pizza night, we were able to find part of a picnic table with enough room for all of us and all of my pizza accessories.

I felt a certain amount of giddiness as I looked over the menu.  The meats and cheeses on the pizza come from Grassway Organics and the vegetables from a local CSA.  Using my pizza ordering formula, we placed a request for the Grazer, a seasonal vegetable pizza, the Carnivore with sausage and two types of bacon, and the Super Chicken made with Grassway Organics chicken and local vegetables.  We also added a couple local beers, some deliciously unpasteurized warm apple cider, and a t-shirt that I couldn’t resist.  I took advantage of my talkative energy and asked the workers all kinds of questions about the farm and the pizza oven and pizza night until they couldn’t take it anymore and directed me to Megan, one of the farmers that was working in the kitchen.

Grassway Organics had been doing pizza night for two years previously at a different location.  This season was their first year at the current location.  I never saw the old farm, but I can confirm that their current space is beautiful and as I stood on the hill with the barn I could look in three directions and see cows, chickens, and turkeys among the rolling hills.  Later in the evening I also talked with Chaz, the other half of the Grassway Organics family farm team.  He mentioned that in the new space it had taken some time to get through all the red tape and so they didn’t open pizza night until July this year.  A common theme in most of my conversations at Grassway Organics was what a great community there is in the area.  This is always an exciting topic for me, because it is one of my favorite things about a pizza farm and one of the ways I see them as being so important and special.  This topic came up while I briefly looked into the Farm Store, a mini member-run natural foods grocery with a large selection of bulk items and meats from the farm.  My conversation about community with Danielle, the person working in the store, was cut short as my brother signaled down the hill that our pizza was ready and if I wanted to take pictures I better hurry up before it gets cold!

The pizza was fantastic.  It was photogenic and tasted great!  My first slice was the vegetable heavy Grazer.  I loved how the toppings were still crisp and fresh and not overcooked.  The peppers in particular tasted amazing to me.  The Super Chicken and the Carnivore were both delicious as well, full of fresh tasting meat and cheese.  The crust was well done and Mary appreciated the slight sweetness of it.  Each pizza had one or two surprise bites that were dominated by some fresh garlic.  I loved it and it was a highlight for me, but depending on your garlic preference it could come as a bit of a shock.  As the sun set, we ate pizza around the fire pit until we were full.

Chaz and Megan of Grassway Organics are farmers with a beautiful Pizza Farm vision.  The current pizza kitchen and oven trailer, which turns out was one of those magical Craigslist finds, will be moved slightly and there will be room for additional pizza making ovens, so the volume of pizza that they will be able to make in 2019 will be greatly increased.  Chaz had been off site a few times in the evening, as he delivered pizza to The Hive Taproom, East Troy’s newest meadery.  The Hive has beehives on the Grassway Organics farm land, so the partnership between the two extends pretty deep and emphasizes the strong community connections of the area.

As night came and the temperature continued to drop, we packed up from pizza night and decided to swing by The Hive, a quick 3 minute drive.  As we left, Chaz said he might see us there.  And after we bought two flights of mead and played two games of Skip-bo, we looked around to see that indeed Chaz was there!

Grassway Organics Pizza on the Farm was a great experience.  Everyone we encountered was so friendly and willing to share in conversation.  I look forward to getting back to the East Troy area in 2019 to see how the local community has grown and what new and exciting things are happening, because I have a feeling there will be more to come!

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