Not half-baked

Cambridge-area CSA diversifies with a pizza oven

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Ask Andy Watson about the loves in his life and he is sure to mention his wife and partner, Kelly Bratt; his children, Wade, Ruby and Hazel…and farming.

Watson and Bratt are the second-generation owners of Sprouting Acres, a 20-acre farm on Highway 73, southwest of Cambridge (sproutingacres.com; 608-469-2319). They grow a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to support their 15-year-old CSA, but the decline in CSA participation locally and nationwide has Watson thinking in other directions.

“I love farming, but I miss cooking,” says Watson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in food systems technology from UW-Stout.

Watson spent a decade working in restaurant kitchens primarily in Madison, but also in St. Paul, Menominee and Cambridge. Come spring, he plans to combine his passions for preparing and growing food by offering pizza nights at Sprouting Acres.

Sprouting Acres is not the first to do so. There are eight other “pizza farms” scattered across rural Wisconsin; two operate in close proximity to Madison. They take advantage of the farm’s fresh produce and also idyllic rural picnicking, while connecting diners with the source of their food.

Watson spent time at Harvest and Osteria Papavero as well as the now closed Cocoliquot and The Opera House, polishing his cooking skills and learning techniques he will need to toss pies with authority and originality.

He isn’t sure what style of pizza he’ll make, but he is certain that “the vegetables we can’t take to market will come in handy on pizza night.”

Watson and Bratt just completed building a new 1,700-square-foot barn and public space designed to host the new enterprise. The pole barn, which features salvaged wood from an old shed torn down to make way for the new facility, boasts about 600 square feet of commercial kitchen and almost 1,000 square feet of dining and event space. It will seat 75 to 85 people comfortably for sit-down dinners and soon be rentable for small weddings and other gatherings.

“We should be able to get close to 100 people for cocktail party-esque events,” he adds. “I only wish we had made it 8 to 10 feet longer.”

The new pizza oven sits adjacent to the pole barn and should be ready for test-firing soon. Watson and Bratt plan to hold a “friends and family” pizza night in October to try out the oven and some recipes prior to a formal launch in May.

Watson also plans to hold culinary classes in the barn, something he’s been doing for the past few years at All Through The House, a cookware and gourmet foods store in Stoughton. He’s already building the tables at which both students and diners will sit.

“We’re hoping the barn, the food, the cooking and the classes will get people to come out and find out where their food comes from,” Watson says. “My parents, Tom and Chris Watson, started this farm 40 years ago, and I like to think of it as an oasis amid the soybean and corn fields.”

In addition to attracting current and would-be CSA customers, pizza night is, Watson thinks, a service to residents in his rural “neighborhood.”

“Our neighbors and friends are itching for places to eat, and you just can’t get pizza delivery out in the country,” he says.

The pies have it!

These two pizza farms are close to Madison:

Cress Spring Bakery, located on Cress Spring Farms, hosts a weekly pizza night with live music every Wednesday through Oct. 17. Hours are 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Pizza and beer are sold on-site (no alcohol can be brought in, but diners can bring salads or other sides). 4035 Ryan Rd., Blue Mounds. 608-767-3875; cressspringbakery.com.

Troy Farm on Madison’s north side hosts pizza night every Thursday through September 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The pizzas are Neapolitan-style and the event coincides with the Thursday night open house when the public is invited to explore the farm and its gardens. Salads also are available for purchase and diners are encouraged to bring picnic blankets, sides and beverages. 502 Troy Drive, 608-240-0409; communitygroundworks.org.