I enjoy Grassway Organics so much that I was willing to drive out there two nights in a row for Pizza on the Farm! When I showed up on Friday, Farmers Chaz and Megan graciously greeted me as always. When I showed up again on Saturday, they wondered if I had stayed overnight in the area and were a little surprised to learn that I drove the hour and forty-five minute trek out to East Troy from Chicago on Friday, went another hour and forty-five minutes back home, and repeated the entire trip on Saturday after a full day of work. As I said, I think they were a little surprised, but since they have gotten to know me over the past couple years and they know my passion for Pizza Farms, I don’t think they were too surprised.
Due to some inattentive text messaging, I made a mistake planning my Pizza Farm nights! A dear friend of mine living on the west coast let me know that she would be visiting her family in Wisconsin at the end of August and we set up a date to meet at the closest Pizza Farm, Grassway Organics. The message very clearly set the gathering for August 20, but in my head, I changed it to a Saturday and began planning and inviting Chicago friends out to East Troy on Saturday, August 21. At about 2pm on Friday, my friend sent me a quick message about our plans and only then did I realize my mistake. As fast as possible, I wrapped up what I could at work, funneled all of my energy into biking home, packed up my car, and joined the Friday exodus out of the big city.
Covid has kept me from traveling back to the Pacific Northwest to see friends, so it was extra special to have time with friends I have known for almost 20 years. It was exciting to introduce them to a Pizza Farm and I had a great time running around with the kids. As one of my friends told me, I still have a lot of kid left in me and definitely enough to enjoy the hay barrel races, acrobatics, and funny faces.
Since I was over an hour late, pizza was already ordered and partially consumed by the time I showed up. What a treat to start eating immediately! Bridget and her family shared their veggie and meat pizza with me. We had the regular crust as well as the Gluten Free crust. The garlic cream sauce was a real crowd pleaser!
After all of the eating, drinking, running around, telling stories, and catching up, I couldn’t resist ordering one more pizza for the drive home. I ate a slice in the car and then for breakfast and lunch the next day, before getting back on the road Saturday afternoon with some Chicago friends en route to more pizza!
On Friday night, the moon was incredible in the clear summer sky. On Saturday it was rainier, but still sunny enough to produce a rainbow! Grassway Organics is one of the most picturesque Pizza Farms I have been to. With the rolling hills of The Driftless region, the big, open summer sky, and the rays of the late setting sun, I gave up on spending too much time trying to capture the beauty on film and focused on simply enjoying the view.
Saturday’s rain didn’t last long and didn’t interfere with any of the good times we had. My guests, 3 first-time Pizza Farm goers, were wise enough to bring umbrellas and I depended on my rain coat and rain boots. The large drops of summer rain gave a small bit of relief from the extreme heat and humidity we had been suffering through for several days.
I was surprised to see that Friday and Saturday had slightly different menus. For a moment I considered that I would have to come back two nights in a row every week to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. I managed to talk myself out of this terrible idea by appreciating what it means to eat in season. Sometimes you miss out on things, but that is part of the reality of Midwest growing seasons and part of the beauty of places like Pizza Farms. It makes the seasonal pizzas that I do eat even better to know that those exact combinations may not be repeated week to week or even day to day.
On Saturday we spent a little time doing some Grassway Organics shopping! Although the main part of the store is dedicated to local and sustainable meat, cheese, and bulk goods, we spent our money on Pizza Farm gear including some sharp new t-shirts, hoodies, and a totally sweet frisbee!
I am not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, but it is impossible to ignore the sun setting earlier and earlier each evening. Fortunately, Grassway Organics serves pizza through the end of October, so there is a good chance that I will be able to go back again this season and enjoy the farm as it transitions into fall.
