How Stone Acre Farms Became A Place For Food Education And Community

 An arial shot of a farm and house in the woods   Credit: Matthew Benson

` Heritage Cooking Logo View Series These German Christmas Cookies Are On My Cookie Platter Every Year This Nonprofit is Providing Native American Communities With Access to Nutrient-Dense, Culturally Affirming Foods—and It’s Helping People Eat Healthier There’s a Movement to Revitalize Indigenous Cuisines and Knowledge—Here’s Why That Matters How the Comfort of German Potato Pancakes Helped Me Adjust to a New Life in Rural Pennsylvania

An arial shot of a farm and house in the woods   Credit: Matthew Benson

An arial shot of a farm and house in the woods Credit: Matthew Benson

An arial shot of a farm and house in the woods

Credit: Matthew Benson

Jane Meiser has vivid memories of childhood summers spent at her family’s 65-acre farm in Stonington, Connecticut—running through cornfields, jumping over cattle guards, picking raspberries from the bushes for her grandmother’s jellies while sneaking samples—just like the many generations that came before her.

She never imagined that a few decades later, she would own the place with her husband, restaurateur Dan Meiser, and have turned the farm into its own self-sustaining compound, complete with an event space, farmstand and non-profit education center.

A portrait of a man and a woman outside   Jane Meiser and her husband Dan | Credit: Matthew Benson

But the most exciting way that the Meisers have transformed Stone Acres Farm, which dates back to 1765, might just be the farm’s new zoning designation. Yes, you read that right: a zoning designation. This bit of city planning has been a game-changer because it permits the farm to have a range of uses and therefore revenue streams—allowing the Meisers to keep Jane’s family legacy alive. And it sets a precedent for others to do the same with their land.

A decade ago, after Jane’s grandmother passed away, her family decided to sell the farm. There were offers, but no one wanted the property to go to a big developer. And it sat on the market for six years—until the Meisers, who run four restaurants in the area, realized that their dream business venture had been right in front of them the whole time. They would create a space for people to come and eat, drink, stay, shop and learn on the farm.

The Meisers assembled investments from family members, neighbors and regulars at their restaurants, all of whom “recognized that this is a preservation project first,” says Dan.

But it wasn’t until after the property was theirs that they realized their grand plan had hit a major snag: because the farm was in a residential zone, only very limited commercial activity was allowed.

“This is why so many farms get sold,” Dan explains. People can’t bring in enough revenue from crops alone to cover the tremendous operating costs. So, in 2016, the Meisers collaborated with the town of Stonington and devised a new floating zone called the Agricultural Heritage District, which grants low-impact commercial activity on historic farms. The “floating” designation means an eligible property can be in an otherwise-zoned district as long as its master plan fits the AHD criteria. To qualify, farms must be 35 acres or larger, have been in continual operation for at least 25 years, and all of their various businesses must tie directly back to local agricultural activity—a clever way of supporting the community.

Vegetables in crates in the back of a pickup truck with 2 people   Credit: Matthew Benson

A major benefit of this system, of course, is the delicious food it brings. “We have extraordinary product popping out of the ground,” Dan says of their crops, from tender Japanese eggplants to sweet carrots. Every dish served at farm dinners and events couples the food grown at Stone Acres with that of other local producers. Sea bass caught nearby is dressed in caper butter and served with the farm’s corn and tomatoes. Corn on the cob is brushed with a flavorful compound butter made with shiitakes from nearby Seacoast Mushrooms. “It is a win-win for everybody involved,” says Dan. “It is a win for flavor and a win for your local economy.”

The Meisers hope their experience can be a model that helps keep other American farms alive. “It is so easy to sell farm properties to be developed,” Dan notes, “but by creating an Agricultural Heritage District you can give them the opportunity to be creative and do more than just sell corn at a farmstand or raise cattle for beef.” While their farmstand is an integral piece of Stone Acres, they also host weddings, farm dinners and food events like a BBQ and bluegrass festival and clambake movie nights. And kids can learn about food and farming at The Yellow Farmhouse Education Center. Jane says that the Stonington planning department has already started to have conversations with different towns across New England about how this zoning designation can be applied elsewhere.

Growing up so connected to the land, she adds, has helped her to understand the positive impact that farms like her family’s can have on the community. “We are all connected in this one big living system,” says Jane. “Stone Acres might be a small farm, but it’s all the little footprints sewn together that make the larger impact. If we can figure out how to be successful and solvent enough, hopefully others, the little footprints, can join.”

Recipes to Try

     Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing     Credit: Matthew Benson      Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing  View Recipe             Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish     Credit: Matthew Benson      Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za'atar Relish  View Recipe            Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad  View Recipe            Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter  View Recipe            Honey Cornmeal Cake     Credit: Matthew Benson      Honey Cornmeal Cake  View Recipe

A portrait of a man and a woman outside Jane Meiser and her husband Dan | Credit: Matthew Benson

A portrait of a man and a woman outside

Jane Meiser and her husband Dan | Credit: Matthew Benson

| Credit: Matthew Benson

Vegetables in crates in the back of a pickup truck with 2 people Credit: Matthew Benson

Vegetables in crates in the back of a pickup truck with 2 people

    Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing     Credit: Matthew Benson      Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing  View Recipe   

    Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish     Credit: Matthew Benson      Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za'atar Relish  View Recipe   

    Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad  View Recipe   

    Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter  View Recipe   

    Honey Cornmeal Cake     Credit: Matthew Benson      Honey Cornmeal Cake  View Recipe   

  Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing     Credit: Matthew Benson      Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing  View Recipe  

 Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing     Credit: Matthew Benson

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing     Credit: Matthew Benson

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing

Credit: Matthew Benson

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing

  Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish     Credit: Matthew Benson      Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za'atar Relish  View Recipe  

 Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish     Credit: Matthew Benson

Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish

Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish     Credit: Matthew Benson

Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish

  Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad  View Recipe  

 Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad     Credit: Matthew Benson

Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad

Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad     Credit: Matthew Benson

Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad

  Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter     Credit: Matthew Benson      Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter  View Recipe  

 Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter     Credit: Matthew Benson

Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter

Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter     Credit: Matthew Benson

Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter

  Honey Cornmeal Cake     Credit: Matthew Benson      Honey Cornmeal Cake  View Recipe  

 Honey Cornmeal Cake     Credit: Matthew Benson

Honey Cornmeal Cake

Honey Cornmeal Cake     Credit: Matthew Benson

Honey Cornmeal Cake

` Heritage Cooking Logo View Series

These German Christmas Cookies Are On My Cookie Platter Every Year This Nonprofit is Providing Native American Communities With Access to Nutrient-Dense, Culturally Affirming Foods—and It’s Helping People Eat Healthier There’s a Movement to Revitalize Indigenous Cuisines and Knowledge—Here’s Why That Matters How the Comfort of German Potato Pancakes Helped Me Adjust to a New Life in Rural Pennsylvania
Heritage Cooking Logo View Series
Heritage Cooking Logo

View Series

Heritage Cooking Logo

Recipes to Try#

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing#

Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish#

Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad#

Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter#

Honey Cornmeal Cake#

Recipes to Try

Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Caramelized Lemon Dressing

Socca with Crispy Potatoes & Scallion-Za’atar Relish

Grilled Sea Bass with Charred Tomato & Corn Salad

Grilled Corn with Mushroom-Miso Butter

Honey Cornmeal Cake