ARGYLE - From chasing cows in the muck to serving up home-grown beef at her restaurant in Verona, Carrie Johnson of Jordandal Farms wouldn't dream of choosing a different job.
"I have an issue with taking orders from others," she said. "But now I don't have Mondays anymore. I go to bed on Sunday and never say, "Oh man, I have to work tomorrow.'"
Johnson, originally from Monroe, and her husband Eric Johnson, originally from DeForest, started their Jordandal Farms part-time, at a single location east of Argyle growing a small amount of produce to sell at farmer's markets in Madison. Now the couple has a second farm between Darlington and Fayette. Just before slaughter, their operation has about 350 beef cattle, 8,000 chickens, 1,000 turkeys and 300 to 400 hogs. They also milk about 40 Jersey dairy cows.
Carrie Johnson said they sell a fair amount of their meat wholesale, but about two years ago they decided to build a farm-to-table restaurant in Verona - the Jordandal Cookhouse.
"We started out as a take-out only at a real small lobby," she said.
Then in November, they expanded and added 1,000 square feet to accommodate six tables. The Jordandal Cookhouse is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is located at 600 W. Verona Ave.
Johnson said the decision to bring quality, fresh farm food to Verona was to fill a vacuum for natural food.
"We just wanted to get as many local products as we can ... We buy from farmer's market to get fresh spinach and try to stay away from cans, processed food," she said.
The Jordandal Cookhouse has a varied cuisine: It includes everything from meat pies such as pasties to jerk chicken sandwiches to fish tacos. And it's all about locally-sourced ingredients. Carrie Johnson said they buy fresh cod from a Verona resident who fishes the Bering Strait and brings back loads of cod and salmon. They use bread from a Madison bakery and vegetables from local vendors. They process the meat they raise at several plants in Lafayette County and use it for their restaurant, as well as sell it to grocery stores. For their dairy, Johnson sends their milk to Brunkow Cheese Co-op to make pasteurized milk, yogurts and cheddar cheese.
How do the Johnsons ever have time to do anything besides work?
"We do a lot of things seasonally, so by December we have most of our meats on ice," she said. "You just keep plugging along."
Carrie Johnson spends most of her time at the cookhouse in the winter and bounces back and forth between the farm and the restaurant in the summer. Eric Johnson spends most of his time at the farm, while a partner runs the second farm between Fayette and Darlington.
Carrie Johnson said she has never been much of a foodie and has little culinary background beyond some time she spent cooking at a golf course, but she loves "wholesome foods," with good "home-cooked recipes."
"When we first started, I was like, "Well my food will taste either really good or really bad,'" she said. "We just really care about animals raised right - that makes us feel good and that's what we like to eat."
She said she was originally a civil engineer and had a typical 9-to-5 job, and her husband was a brewmaster.
"If I had the choice, I would do it all over again as a farmer," Carrie Johnson said. "It was nice at my old job because they were flexible, and facing no paycheck every two weeks was a little scary. But it's my passion."
"I have an issue with taking orders from others," she said. "But now I don't have Mondays anymore. I go to bed on Sunday and never say, "Oh man, I have to work tomorrow.'"
Johnson, originally from Monroe, and her husband Eric Johnson, originally from DeForest, started their Jordandal Farms part-time, at a single location east of Argyle growing a small amount of produce to sell at farmer's markets in Madison. Now the couple has a second farm between Darlington and Fayette. Just before slaughter, their operation has about 350 beef cattle, 8,000 chickens, 1,000 turkeys and 300 to 400 hogs. They also milk about 40 Jersey dairy cows.
Carrie Johnson said they sell a fair amount of their meat wholesale, but about two years ago they decided to build a farm-to-table restaurant in Verona - the Jordandal Cookhouse.
"We started out as a take-out only at a real small lobby," she said.
Then in November, they expanded and added 1,000 square feet to accommodate six tables. The Jordandal Cookhouse is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is located at 600 W. Verona Ave.
Johnson said the decision to bring quality, fresh farm food to Verona was to fill a vacuum for natural food.
"We just wanted to get as many local products as we can ... We buy from farmer's market to get fresh spinach and try to stay away from cans, processed food," she said.
The Jordandal Cookhouse has a varied cuisine: It includes everything from meat pies such as pasties to jerk chicken sandwiches to fish tacos. And it's all about locally-sourced ingredients. Carrie Johnson said they buy fresh cod from a Verona resident who fishes the Bering Strait and brings back loads of cod and salmon. They use bread from a Madison bakery and vegetables from local vendors. They process the meat they raise at several plants in Lafayette County and use it for their restaurant, as well as sell it to grocery stores. For their dairy, Johnson sends their milk to Brunkow Cheese Co-op to make pasteurized milk, yogurts and cheddar cheese.
How do the Johnsons ever have time to do anything besides work?
"We do a lot of things seasonally, so by December we have most of our meats on ice," she said. "You just keep plugging along."
Carrie Johnson spends most of her time at the cookhouse in the winter and bounces back and forth between the farm and the restaurant in the summer. Eric Johnson spends most of his time at the farm, while a partner runs the second farm between Fayette and Darlington.
Carrie Johnson said she has never been much of a foodie and has little culinary background beyond some time she spent cooking at a golf course, but she loves "wholesome foods," with good "home-cooked recipes."
"When we first started, I was like, "Well my food will taste either really good or really bad,'" she said. "We just really care about animals raised right - that makes us feel good and that's what we like to eat."
She said she was originally a civil engineer and had a typical 9-to-5 job, and her husband was a brewmaster.
"If I had the choice, I would do it all over again as a farmer," Carrie Johnson said. "It was nice at my old job because they were flexible, and facing no paycheck every two weeks was a little scary. But it's my passion."