by Stephanie Schneider, Together Farms
What could be better than a juicy grassfed-beef burger with your choice of delicious sides eaten while in a pastoral setting among rolling hills down on the farm? Throw in some great music to listen to while you eat, yard games to play, a rooster crowing every now and then, and grateful pigs you can feed your non-pork leftovers to, and you have the ingredients of an entertaining, pleasant, and appetite-satisfying evening for all ages. And don’t forget the huge farm dog, Mr. Fluffypants, who will greet you in exchange for some petting time.
Stephanie and Andy Schneider’s Together Farms, near Mondovi, Wisconsin, has been a source of grass-fed beef and lamb, as well as woodland pork, since 2012. They have a store on site, meat and freezer meals can be delivered via their food route or shipping, and their products are available from several local retail locations and restaurants.
But new this summer is their Burger Night. “I honestly don’t remember how exactly I came up with Burger Night. I know it came to me over five years ago, and since then I’ve been asking everyone if they thought it was a good idea or if I was crazy, and not everyone said crazy!” Stephanie says. “So I’ve just been waiting for the right relationships to be in place to actually pull it off and finally! Here it is!” Of course, they needed a lot of other things to be in place to get all the licenses and permits too. “Turns out that pulling off events like these requires much more than you’d imagine, but if the right people get behind your [crazy?] idea, then magic happens.” And, yes, it is pretty magical.
One of a number of great chefs from around the Chippewa Valley will be on hand to add just the right touch to each Burger Night’s menu, which offers several burger choices, including Drunken Hawaiian, The Minimalist, The Good Fat Burger, Olive and Swiss, The Spicy One, and Bacony BBQ Cheeseburger. The health-promoting fats make it into the French fries and cheese curds too, which are fried in the vitamin D-rich lard from the farm’s pigs. There is even a kid’s meal option of a slider with cheddar cheese, a small serving of fries, and applesauce. Of course, a Burger Night would not be complete without beer or wine from the farm’s Woodshed Tavern, which also has plenty of excellent non-alcoholic options, including WiscoPop and Sprechers.
The Schneiders practice Intensive Rotational Grazing (animals are moved every one to three days), and they try to be as transparent as possible about what they feed the animals. “Health is our goal, and it’s the goal of most of our customers. That means 100 percent grass, 100 percent of the time. But we also know that labels and marketers try to confuse them, not only by what is said, but also by what isn’t said,” Stephanie notes. “We don’t play any gimmicks or use grass feeding terms that are meant to confuse you—our beef and sheep are born and raised here and are fed no grain ever, just grass/clover, minerals, apple cider vinegar, and some essential oils.” When it comes time for processing, the animals are treated and processed humanely by an Animal Welfare Approved processing facility.
Burger Night will take a hiatus though August, then return with gusto Friday, September 8. See their website (www.togetherfarms.com) for the schedule of dates and upcoming musical guests, a list of what and what not to bring, and directions.
Stephanie says they already have plans to construct a new building with its own kitchen to better facilitate Burger Night, Wine Nights, and other events at the farm. Watch for Together Farms on the PBS program Wisconsin Foodie, scheduled to air next spring.