County Road C snakes through Lake Country’s picturesque countryside, past the little town center and homes that dot Moose and Okauchee lakes. The road stops at Highway K and a charming speck of preserved land – Stone Bank Farm – comes into view. A pretty, ivory-hued 1850s-era church, flanked by raised garden beds and greenhouses, acts as a beacon for an initiative that saved the soil from development and brought it back to life.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The former house of worship serves as the year-round market and education/outreach facility for Stone Bank Farm, sitting on 75 acres protected and preserved by the Faye Gehl Conservation Foundation. The land had been used for conventional, nutrient-depleting farming before it sat unplanted for nearly 50 years. Then, in 2010, the foundation began returning it to use, growing fresh greens and heirloom vegetables with organic practices. The farm is also raising a herd of Red Devon cattle using rotational grazing, which allows the soil and crops time to recover.
“We have become a food hub for the community,” says farm manager Michelle Relford.
The church-cum-reinvented grocery store sells produce from farms located within an hour of Stone Bank. Shelves teem with vegetables, fresh eggs, frozen grass-fed meats, dairy products and pantry items (honey, granola, dried pasta). “We need to have a shift in the way we think about how we get our food and how we source it. There’s no excuse that we don’t have these regional or local hubs [easily accessible] where people go and shop for their food,” says Relford.
To address food surplus, they added a commercial kitchen, where these excess ingredients are reimagined as grab-n-go soups, salads, smoothies and such. One day a week, chef Kyle Knall of Birch restaurant in Milwaukee cooks with the kitchen staff as part of his role as the farm’s culinary director. Other ways the community can connect are through yoga classes (June-September), seasonal farm dinners, cooking classes and a kids on the farm program.
Although the farm operates in all seasons, summer is naturally when it flourishes. Starting June 10 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), the pop-up Saturday cafe goes into full swing. Visitors can sit outside on picnic tables, have lunch and then stroll through the gardens. “You can have a little experience while you’re here,” Relford says.
Stone Bank Farm Market is open Wed-Fri 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn more at stonebankmarket.com.
