Topped with adventure: Wisconsin pizza farms showcase fresh, local ingredients in beautiful setting.

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When I first heard about Wisconsin’s pizza farms, I had two thoughts: 1) pizza grows on trees? and 2) point me in that direction, stat.

This May, I headed out along Wisconsin’s Great River Road (WIS 35) with a tank full of gas, a healthy appetite, the Mississippi River on one side of the road and majestic green hills on the other.

Instead of pizza on trees, I found charming, community-supported farms tucked into the lush countryside that grow all or most of the toppings you would find on a pizza: herbs and tomatoes that go into the sauces, crisp veggie toppings, farm-raised hogs for sausage and, of course, Wisconsin’s famous cheese. The taste of a hot-out-of-the-oven pie elevates “fresh” to a new level.

“The pizza crust is a blank canvas,” said Heather Secrist, owner of Suncrest Gardens Farm in Cochrane, a farm by day and pizza hotspot on Friday evenings. Secrist herself shuffles the pies in and out of the farm’s wood-fired pizza oven, located in a small building in

the middle of the farm.

“It’s a way to use what we’re growing. We take it and create different seasonal pizzas,” she said.

On the evening of my visit, Suncrest was featuring a “Spring Fling” pizza ($25), topped with house-made walnut pesto, locally sourced mozzarella cheese, fresh-picked arugula, grilled asparagus and thin-sliced radishes. Unexpected and unconventional, perhaps, but incredibly tasty, with a signature crispy wood-fired crust to complement the crunchy vegetable toppings.

Suncrest Gardens, like other pizza farms, does no advertising and is located on a county road so deep into farm country, you’re almost guaranteed to lose cell phone and GPS reception along the way. Helpful hint: bring along a regular map and some good car tunes.

Despite the off-the-beaten-path location, the farm still attracts a huge followings on weekends throughout the summer, when families flock to the down-home, casual atmosphere. Kids can mingle with goats and chickens, roast marshmallows around a bonfire and enjoy the playground equipment.

“We’ve been waiting for this all week,” said Kimberlee Bastian, who came to the farm with her sister Mary from nearby Winona, Minnesota.

“It’s not like when you’re eating at a pizza chain and you feel the grease,” Mary Bastian said, diving into her favorite Greek pizza, topped with artichokes, olives and chives.

Farther north along the scenic byway in Nelson, I stopped at the Stone Barn, where owner Pamela Taylor has attracted a similar cult following after transforming a crumbling stone building with the help of fresh, organic pizzas and a little open-air romance.

The wood-fired oven can churn out up to a pizza per minute on the busiest nights. The oven “is a living thing, so you have to monitor the temperature, make sure you use the right size and type of wood,” Taylor said.

The pies are popular because of their fresh ingredients.

“Nothing is premade,” she said. “The dough is made fresh, the pre-cut herbs are all grown here, all organic. We make our own sausage from locally sourced pork.”

The Stone Barn is open only on weekends. Taylor hires local high school students to cook and serve up pies to throngs of devoted fans. Taylor said the farm has exceeded her expectations, despite minimal advertising, relying mainly on media and word of mouth.

“I thought if I made 40 pizzas in a weekend, that would be good,” she said. “We made 226 per night last year. We are so busy some nights there is no place for people to sit.”

Pizzas include an Alaskan ($21) with smoked salmon, fresh dill, capers and a cream cheese base, a Thai pizza ($22) with teriyaki chicken, onions, cilantro, lemongrass , mozzarella and a peanut sauce, and a Modena ($21) with balsamic chicken, mushrooms, pea pods and feta cheese.

One woman drove more than two hours from Marshfield, Wisconsin, and hugged Taylor at the end of her meal. “You have the best pizza,” she said. “This is worth it.”

The added allure of the pizza farms is stopping in the small towns that dot the Wisconsin countryside — La Crosse, Pepin and Stockholm, to name a few — each with plentiful opportunities for camping, hiking and biking. Pepin is the birthplace of author Laura Ingalls Wilder (you can still visit the site of her original log cabin) and Stockholm is a tiny artist enclave filled with interesting shops and eateries.

Be warned: you should be prepared to get lost along all those meandering roads. But it’s all part of the fun — and when the reward at the end of the road is fresh pizza, you can’t help but enjoy the ride.

If you go …

Suncrest Gardens Farm

S2257 Yaeger Valley Road, Cochrane, WI 54622

608-626-2122

suncrestgardensfarm.com

• Open Fridays from 4:30 to 9 p.m. in May and September; Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 9 p.m. June through August

• Outdoor seating available — picnic tables and chairs

• Beer, wine and soft drinks available for purchase

• Live music events planned throughout the summer

Stone Barn

County Road Kk, Nelson, WI 54756

715-673-4478

nelsonstonebarn.com

• Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 5 to 9 p.m. mid-May through September

• Indoor and outdoor seating available

• Beer, wine and soft drinks available for purchase

A to Z Produce and Bakery

N2956 Anker Ln. Stockholm, WI 54769

715-448-4802

atozproduceandbakery.com

• Open for picnic-style Pizza Nights on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

• Beer and wine available for purchase

• Bring everything else — any additional drinks, side dishes, glasses, plates and napkins.

LoveTree Farmstead Cheese

12413 County Rd. Z, Grantsburg, WI 54840

715-488-2966

lovetreefarmstead.com

• Open sporadically for picnic-style Pizza by the Pond nights on Sundays throughout the summer; follow “Pizza by the Pond” on Facebook or call for upcoming dates and times.

• Bring your own utensils, beverages and chairs.