If you are not familiar with the acronym C.S.A., it stands for Community Supported Agriculture…read more This allows you to purchase a share in the farm, typically in early spring, and then receive your vegetables, eggs, and other farm items from the farm throughout the season. The farmer has funds to invest in products and their operations directly versus purchasing from a store which would take a cut prior to passing along to the farmer. I was first introduced to Rubicon River Farm at the Urban Ecology Center's annual CSA event which allows you to meet the farmers and understand how each chooses to run their business. Their shares sold out before I could sign up in 2012 but I signed up early and took part in the 2013 season. I chose a bi-weekly, single share which fits with my household size and lifestyle at the moment. I receive bags of fresh salad mix, assorted vegetables, some bulk items such as raw sunflower kernels and brewer's yeast and even potted fresh herbs to grow on my porch throughout the season. One of my favorites is garlic and garlic scapes (the green ends of the garlic) and Swiss chard. They are both great in quiche. I'm looking forward to the other bounties of the season, including fall as well. One thing that I feel sets Rubicon River Farm apart from other farms is the communication and involvement with the shareholders. Each week there is an online newsletter which discusses the items, teaches you more about the ways to prepare and sometimes the history. For some, the items may be outside of the normal grocery purchases but it is a great adventure. The owner also arranges special events, like organic strawberry picking at the farm. There is also an option to assist at the farm to be involved in the process. This can also be a device to supplement your share cost. Families can also visit with their children to show them where food REALLY comes from. There are a variety of delivery options, including delivery to your home or business. It is very convenient for folks who may work or travel frequently. The farm is also open for onsite vegetable and egg sales for those who want a little bit more or just want to check things out. I am more than pleased with the way this CSA program is operated and what I receive. I often recommend Rubicon River Farm to my friends and family - not to mention share some of the treats I prepare from my bounty.

Exceeded My Expectations!…read more I just attended the Fall Festival at Rainbows End and had a wonderful time! In addition to seeing pigs and different varieties of sheep and chickens we got to see live sheep shearing and wool spinning. There was a blacksmith and a wide range of other vendors offering spices, farm products, and crafts. The farm store was really charming, and there were so many people on hand who could answer questions about the farm. To make it really special there was live music, a food truck, and a tent with tables and chairs where you could just sit and relax. I recently attended a "fall festival" at the Elegant Farmer that was nice, but this family farm had so much more to see! I believe they host a similar festival in spring, and I am already looking forward to it!

We love this farm! It's so beautiful and peaceful to be there. This is the only place we will get…read moreour eggs, honey, and maple syrup from and we love their meat! Jeanne and her family are so knowledgeable and always friendly! We always look forward to their Spring open house and the Fall farm tour. The little shop on the property is always full of nice local vendor products.

I came up to visit my parents in Wisconsin, and my mother said let's go Apple picking! In my 44…read moreyears on this earth, I've never had an opportunity to do that. We took a short drive to Appleland, and oh what a great place! They have a little store that has Apple cider donuts, pies, jams, salsas, breads, wine, candles, soaps and so much more. We purchased a bag to go pick our own apples. My mother and I had so much fun walking around picking different kinds of apples. I have never seen Apple trees with so many apples on them!! The employees were so nice, great prices and amazing selection of items! I bought so many things to bring back home with me. I highly recommended stopping at Appleland, I know you will love it!!

So glad we were told by folks who live in Port Washington to be sure to go to Appleland. We did and…read moreyou should, too. Since our first visit, we've been back and enjoyed Apple Fritters (with bites of fresh apples), Apple Muffins (that tasted fresh for days when heated in microwave), Apple Doughnuts (tasty too), APPLE PIE (like Grandmothers make), and many choices of fresh apples!

A) Shagbark Hickory syrup. I don't need to really say more. Try some, you'll soon be nursing from…read morethe bottle. It's worth the trip here for this alone. B) the log cabin. It's cute and fun and everyone had a great time playing with the old timey games. C) it's a self pick apple orchard with some organically grown apples and some conventionally grown ones. It's a great place and I'm looking forward to running out of syrup so we can go back again.

I have never felt so welcome at an orchard before. Scott and his family have a fantastic gem of an…read moreorchard with Log Cabin. It's just the right size for families looking to pick apples with kids, but big enough that it never feels crowded. Log Cabin grows both organic and traditional apple crops (pears too). Both their Macintosh and Honey Crisps are the best apples I have ever had. I am already planning a return visit. If you were thinking of trying apple picking call or FB message Scott and he'll let you know the details.

The bakery is amazing. Don't bring it to a business meeting, because you'll get asked every time…read moreafter that where the apple turnovers are.

bakery people are just rude!! They no longer have any outdoor crafts, pumpkins or decor at least…read morenot now. Perhaps it's too early?

We got married here on August 28th, 2021 and I can't recommend it enough. Zedland farm is a great…read morelocation, the inside of the barn is beautiful, the outside offers a gorgeous space for the ceremony along with lots of activities for guests to participate in while waiting for dinner (bags, jenga, goats, cows, etc), plenty of parking, and an absolutely amazing view. The venue and everything included with the venue is very clean and very well kept up with. The venue is also affordable which was one of the things I had the hardest time finding when it came to searching for venues. Even with the venue being incredible as is, Erin and Matt made our special day even more amazing. I can't say enough positive things about how seamless they made the process. Even before the wedding, Erin made herself available for me and was quick to respond to any of my questions. We used the "helping hands" that is available and it made the process of setting up and taking down everything quick and easy. They also helped out the day of the wedding with directing vendors, making sure we had everything we needed (and running to get anything we did need), and keeping everything on schedule. They also recommended a lot of vendors that they were familiar with (you're able to pick all your own, you don't have to go with any of their recommendations) so it could be a really easy process to find vendors if you chose to follow up with any of their recommendations. I really don't know how I could have made our day as perfect as it was without their help. I can't say enough things about how great this venue is and how incredible Erin and Matt are!

Great spot for good quality meats and cheeses and some other treats…read more Lots of cheese curds and cheese spread flavors. We stop regularly for the ring bologna when passing by.

I thought this would be a little more than it was as it's right off the interstate and it looked…read morelike a tourist attraction. It was more like a local market that people would stop in for meats and cheeses. I didn't find anything different so I didn't purchase anything except a beverage. It also didn't feel like your country market when you walked in and not get acknowledged. Maybe it was an off day

This is one cool place!…read more I've been to two classes here recently and absolutely love what Wellspring is all about. It's a CSA, it's a bed and breakfast, it's a working farm, and it's an educational facility. The classes I took were Introduction to Cheesemaking and Advanced Cheesemaking. Both were taught by Herbalist and Cheesemaker Linda Conroy. And each six hour session was packed with so much great information I could not take notes fast enough. We received an eight page packet full of recipes, food sourcing information, and additional tips and links, which was a good base for our learning that day. In the intro class we learned to make our own butter from fresh (the cow was milked less than 24 hours before the class) dairy cream. It was much easier than I expected and voila, we had butter for our fresh baked sourdough bread that would be served at lunch. The we learned, hands-on, how to make fresh feta cheese. Because the process requires significant drying time Linda had finished product to share - both for our lunch, and to take home. We packed the dense white chunks into small canning jars with sprigs of fresh rosemary and filled the jars with extra virgin olive oil. Linda explained that the rosemary would infuse the oil and the porous cheese and preserve it without refrigeration indefinitely. She also shared variations on the starter recipe to make both paneer and farmer's cheese. Lunch at both classes was the most gourmet of farm to table spreads. We had fresh churned butter on fresh baked salt crusted sourdough. Linda made a delectable egg and vegetable baked and shared many of her fabulous canned goods. There was applesauce, and candied kumquats. Cherries and olives. And everything was divine. The afternoon of the basic class consisted of finishing up our feta and then making a 30 minute mozzarella to take home. The advanced class began with how to make aged gouda and aged cheddar for your home cheese cave. We learned to press the fresh curds into molds and continually extract the whey. After lunch we pulled the cheese from the forms and learned the aging process, as well as flavors we could incorporate into each cheese. Our final project of advanced class was creating squeaky and fun curds from scratch. And as good as those taste you would not believe how simple the process was. And taste testing the warm little nuggets was pretty cool too. I never would have imagined learning all the concepts and techniques that I did, but thanks to Linda and Francie from Wellspring, learning like this is accessible to anyone. I absolutely see myself going back for other classes. Cooking with Herbs, and Brunch Class have peaked my interest right now. But I check their site often to see what new classes have been added and I highly recommend that you do the same!

I signed up for the CSA here this spring b/c I didn't know if there would be any farmers' markets…read moreopen due to Covid. The fact that there were still openings available this late in the season should have been my first red flag--most of the better CSAs are sold out long before this. In a nutshell, while I'm sure these folks MEAN well, the end result has been disappointing, to say the least. First of all, according to the website, I would be able to pick up my box from the dropoff location between 3 AM and 8 PM. As I work 2nd shift, this sounded great; I'd be able to pick up in the morning before work. However, immediately before pickups were to begin, an email was sent out saying we could pick up between 4 PM and 8 PM. This is a problem--I'm at work from noon to 8:30 or 9 PM. A friend was willing to do the pickup for me, so I found a solution, but even though I notified Wellspring that the pickup time was WAY off, I don't think it's been corrected on the site yet. I signed up for a small share, and they're not kidding, it is small indeed. Some of it is what I'd call "junk" produce. I received purslane twice, which, although edible, is a weed and doesn't really require cultivation. I received violet leaves, which are only borderline edible, and the same thing about not needing cultivation. I received "broccoli greens", which are the leaves cut from the broccoli plants, but interestingly, I have not received any actual broccoli. This all gives the impression that the CSA shares don't get the "real" produce, only the stuff that can't be sold elsewhere b/c no one would buy it. I received yellow crookneck squash that had been allowed to get so large that the lower portion was entirely seeds and thus useless; the neck was so tough that it was inedible. I suspect that they allowed gourds to cross-pollinate with their squash, likely not knowing any better. The zucchini also has been allowed to get too big and is mushy inside. I've been receiving onions and garlic regularly, but since these are FALL crops, they haven't been dried/cured so they will keep. I don't consider it a bonus that I get to do that part... The website goes on about the advantage of getting FRESH produce, but much of what I've received appeared to have been harvested LONG before it got to me, or else was indeed harvested recently but stored incorrectly. Within a few days of receiving it, I have to pick slimy bits out of my salad mix. The eggplant I stored in a plastic bag in the fridge has shriveled and gone soft in less than a week. Some of my tomatoes were showing sunken spots when I received them. I don't expect "supermarket perfect" produce, but I don't expect produce that is on the edge of being spoiled, either. It has not been a terrible year for growing, so I don't believe these problems can be put off onto bad weather. I suspect that it's more a failure of knowledge and perhaps labor problems, too. I understand that part of being in a CSA is to help share the risk of bad weather and other crop problems, but this seems to be a very different sort of problem. Overall, the impression is that Wellspring is scrambling every week to find something, anything, to put in the CSA boxes. I understand that organic produce costs more than conventional, but I am quite sure I could go to Outpost and get much more produce (locally grown, organic, better quality) for my money than I'm getting at this CSA. I grew up on a dairy farm and we always had a huge garden. I am VERY familiar with what to expect in terms of quality and freshness from real "garden fresh" produce, and sadly, Wellspring falls short much of the time. I wish the best for everyone there, but I will definitely not be returning, at least not anytime soon.