It's Sunday, so obviously you want to partake in LoveTree Farms' Pizza by the Pond. When I heard…read morethere was another farm that offered pizzas with fresh, homegrown and homemade ingredients, I was totally game. Pizza Farm is cool and all, but like, EVERYONE and their mom knows about it.
LoveTree Farm is about 1.5 hours from the Twin Cities, but the drive past Taylors Fall is beautiful. When you're on County Road Z, don't miss the LoveTree's pink sign. There will be ample parking right next to the pasture, with some cows looking disinterestedly at you. Amble down to the Shire-like Grotto, which is built into the earth. It sits on a swell of land that slopes into the Pond, hence the name Pizza by the Pond.
Their wood-fired pizzas range from $25-$30 and all of them are topped with cheese made right at the farm. Three of us shared one pizza, half Savory and half Cheese Me Please with added chorizo. This was $25, $30 with tip. It was way less crowded, there were maybe five or six other hanging out to eat pizza.
The Savory was topped with thick slices of ham, fresh basil, slices of pear and portobella mushrooms, and herbed goat cheese. The herb goat cheese really added a nice dimension to the pizza. The Cheese Me Please was supposed to have three cheeses, tomatoes and basil, but I only detected goat cheese. Nevertheless, it was pretty tasty with the chorizo on top. The chorizo itself was more like a sausage, with notes of fennel. They had sprinkled sea salt on the crust, too.
If you love good cheese, you will not be disappointed. The pizzas had generous dollops of cheese. It was rich, so I suggest bringing some salad or fruit to round out your meal. I also recommend citronella candles to ward off bugs.
You're allowed to walk around the farm and gawk at the animals. LoveTree has a group of Guardian Dogs - some mastiff/Tatra/Maremma mixes - that are a bit barky, but if you pop a squat and let them sniff you out, then you guys can be friends. Some are still wary though, but leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Also as a note to those with sensitive noses; it is a farm and smells like one.
LoveTree is cash-only and you have to bring everything - napkins, plates, drinks, etc - and carry the trash out, but those are pretty minor points when you get to eat pizza made with fresh ingredients and ultra-local cheese on hand-kneaded dough. We were the last ones to arrive and it was a pleasure to sit and eat outside in the cooling air, with a runty farm dog waiting patiently for you to drop a morsel, as the sky began to darken and the stars coming into view.
