About

Named 2016 Organic Farmers of the Year by MOSES!

We are Beth Kazmar, Steve Pincus and our two children Ari and Sophie.  We raise 45 acres of organic vegetables near Evansville, WI.   Steve began farming in 1975 and Beth joined the operation in 1999.  We purchased our current farm in 2001.   We chose this particular farm because it has sandy soil that warms quickly in spring and allows us to get an early start on the growing season.   As a result, our CSA begins weeks earlier than others.  It helps that we are in southern Wisconsin, about 15 miles from the Illinois border.

Our farm and crops are certified organic.   That means that we are biological farmers, interested in understanding the biology of our 45 crops so we can grow them better.  Crops are fertilized with cover crops, rotten leaves and composted manures.   Pests and diseases are controlled through pro-active management and gentle natural materials.

Half of our farm’s sales are through our CSA.  The remaining sales are to natural food stores in Madison, Milwaukee and Janesville.   If you shop at any of our wholesale customers below, then you may already be familiar with our produce.
Willy Street Co-op East and North stores in Madison
Willy Street Co-op-West in Middleton
Basics Co-op in Janesville
All four Outpost Natural Foods co-ops in Milwaukee, Mequon and Wauwatosa
Good Harvest Market in Pewaukee.

We are joined in our farming endeavor by many long-term employees.  We rely on each of them.  Do you have a favorite vegetable?  So do we.  Think about our hardworking field crew when you enjoy one of their favorites.   Here are our workers, the year they started working for us, and their favorite crop from the farm.

Ava Ahnen (2022)  My favorite vegetable is cucumbers because of the different ways they can be used!  You can put cucumbers in salads, make pickles, or eat them fresh with dip.
Bailey Boudreau (2023) .
Raul Casique Montes (2017)   “Hot peppers because I like adding them to everything I cook.” Raul runs his own vegetable farm and makes amazing hot sauce from home grown chilis.
Katie Eastman (2023)  “Peppers, because they are fresh, crisp and sweet.  I eat them like an apple and have always done that.”
Mary Ann Eastman (2023) .
Aly Fry (2023) .
Charlotte Hammond (2016 – 2018, returned in 2021)  “Romanesco cauliflower because it looks crazy and is delicious.  I actually planted some in my home garden just in case.  Some years we don’t get much here at the farm and I need it.  Sometimes I look up Romanesco photos online just to stare at it.”
Pete Hartman (2023)  Pizza.
Ken Kelly (worked for us many years, then returned in 2021) “That depends on the time of year.  Watermelons for sure.  During watermelon season, I’ll do a melon fast for a few days.  Keeps you hydrated!  
Me:  “Do you eat the seeds?”
Ken:  “Absolutely!”
Vern Mahlkuch (2014, 2020 – 2023) .
Lizzy Neuenschwander (2023) .
Karen Nicholson (2013) Winter squash, because they signify the change of seasons.  She appreciates the switch to cooking fall comfort foods that comes with winter squash.  Most of all, she loves the ethereal light during fall squash harvests.  By that time of year, we are racing the light during harvest but she loves the elongated shadows and finds the gold and silver colors poignant.
Simone O’Donahue (1999) Simone loves peppers.  She appreciates the variety of colors.  A favorite job is re-potting the young plants in the warm, sunny greenhouse.  She appreciates seasons when they are prolific, and has an affinity for this crop that grows well in hot summer weather.  Disclaimer; Simone runs our pepper harvest crop.  It’s a natural match.  She also loves poblano chiles for their acoustics.  They make the best rattling sound when you shake the plant or when you drop them in the basket.
Ida Schley (2023) . I forgot to ask Ida before she left for school but I can tell you she looked very happy during watermelon harvests!
Maggie Schley (1999?)  Maggie loves carrots and watermelons best.  Tipi carrots are a big part of Maggie’s life.  They were pictured on her wedding invitation.  She has lots of carrot jewelry.  Everyone on the farm saves ‘lover carrots’ for Maggie; carrots that have grown together in a spiral.  Maggie is always on the carrot harvest crew.  Melon harvests are special because they give a chance to spend time with Steve, plus a chance to throw around a lot of weight.
Bekah Severson (2022)  “My favorite vegetables are peppers because they’re fun to harvest and delicious any way you eat them!”
Ben Thomas (2019)  “My favorite is poblano chiles for fabulous flavor.  Tomatoes too because you can do anything with them.” I know that Ben loves winter squash because enthusiastically takes home all the specially-chosen squash that I offer him, even once everyone else has started to back away. “But these are special ones!” does not sway anyone but Ben.
Carrot Weinstein (2022)  “My favorite vegetable is the red cabbage.  SO much fun to harvest, great color, lasts forever, so good fresh in a salad, pickled and fermented, roasted and charred.  I love cabbage right now :)”
John Zydowicz (2019)  .  John loves peppers because they are crunchy and delicious, and appreciates that they come in so many diverse varieties.  He likes chilis with heat and grows many types in his home garden.  “It’s fun to start them in early spring and have something growing indoors.”

Steve Pincus (1975)  Watermelons!
Beth Kazmar (1999)  Asparagus.  Ask me in August and I’ll say red peppers.  But winter squash is my fall favorite.  I eat it for breakfast every day this time of year.
Sophie (since birth)  “Sweet potatoes and strawberries because they taste so good.”
Ari (since birth)  Cucumbers.  “You can do lots of things with them. Eat them raw or make pickles or turn them into cucumber salad.”