Lazy Crazy Acres
Pizza lovers flock to farm in Arkville, New York
Consider these two words: pizza and farm. In a normal world, these two words rarely appear together. But as we know, it's a crazy world out there — and so pizza and farm come together at Lazy Crazy Acres.
Located 150 miles north of New York City in Arkville, New York, Lazy Crazy Acres serves locals, weekenders and tourists alike at their Pizza Night on the Farm. (Pizza Night is held Saturdays during summer). Owned and operated by husband and wife team, Karen and Jake Fairbairn, Pizza Night on the Farm was born of their love for hosting people and feeding people good food (e.g. pizza). Instead of taking their harvest to markets, they found it was a lot more fun to have people visit the farm and throw a giant pizza party. Visitors can see where their food comes from and how it's prepared — an educational and delicious experience.
The husband and wife team prepare the pizzas together; Karen makes all of the sauces and toppings while Jake makes the dough and mans the oven. The pizza is then cooked in a wood-fired oven hovering around 800 degrees and only takes a couple minutes to bake. A friend, sister or mom might be present to help cut the pies, add toppings, and help serve the kids swarming the buffet. It's a true "mom and pop" joint.
Further enticing the crowds, the menu is ever-changing; toppings vary from week to week and are chosen based on what's readily available from Lazy Crazy Acres or neighboring farms. Cheese is sourced from neighboring dairies. With access to such fresh ingredients, the result is a taste you can't duplicate at any regular pizza joint.
Each week, Karen posts the current menu on their Facebook page, and pizza enthusiasts come out in droves. Entry is $19 for adults and $10 for kids ages 10 and under. Children age four and under eat free. The price includes endless pizza of six varieties, drinks, dessert and even a hayride tour around the farm. Upon arrival, visitors stake out a spot under the pavilion, set their stuff down, then dive in to the crowd around the buffet. Every few minutes, a new pizza is delivered fresh from the oven.
After dinner and dessert, $4 buys you entry into the chicken coop where you can collect your own farm-fresh eggs. We made a beeline to the free hayride, where a tractor tows riders up a mountain to a super-scenic overlook, passing the farm's pigs and cows. Though the ride is great for kids, we weren't ashamed to be among the only adults without children on the tour.
The cherry on top? Lazy Crazy Acres also sells bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, made right there on the farm. It's harvested from the farm's more than 2,000 trees, then aged in bourbon barrels from Tuthilltown Distillery in the Hudson Valley. And as luck would have it, the syrup happens to taste great on the pizza. (Yep, we went there.) Bon appétit!
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