feBehold: There Are Magical Places In This Country Known As “Pizza Farms”

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(Coyoty)

Of all the dreams I’ve dreamed in all the nights of sleep I’ve had, never have I believed that a pizza farm could be a real thing. While this popular new form of agritourism might not feature fertile fields fairly bursting with hot, cheesy pies right off the vine, pizza farms have proven to be a popular way for those in the farming business to sell directly to customers looking for that “farm to table” situation.

These trendy “pizza farms” are popping up all over the country, have proved especially popular in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin (where apparently all the food geniuses live), reports the Associated Press, bringing in crowds by inviting them over for pizza straight from wood-fired ovens, topped with ingredients grown right there on the farm.

Customers set up picnics, bringing chairs and tables and packing soda, beer and wine to go with their pies, so they’re happy. Many farms also require that diners bring their own napkins, plates and utensils and clean up for themselves.

And small farms are happy too — especially those that set up commercial kitchens to comply with regulations on serving food, as they can can often use those kitchens to supplement their income by making other products to sell, like jams and baked goods.

“It’s fun to get people back out to the country,” one Minnesota pizza farmer told the AP.

Agritourism is a good way for small farmers to diversify, much like farm wineries, giving growers another way to make money from the land. And bring pizza to the people, which is basically the best thing you can do for someone in need of good pizza.

“Direct sales to consumers, that’s the best way to capture the most value for the dollar,” Greg Schweser, an expert on sustainable local food systems with the University of Minnesota Extension told the AP. “There’s no middleman. There’s no wholesalers. That’s how small farmers are making it.”

Thank you, pizza farmers, for making at least one girl’s most fervent dreams come true.

Pizza farms offer reverse twist in farm-to-table movement [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist