Arthur and Vivian Lancaster settled on their homestead in 1925. Like most farm wives, Vivian was a marvelous cook. But the delight of any visit to Grammas was a piece of her special Peanut Brittle. This same recipe is now used by her grandchildren as a basis to produce Anoka Farms Peanut Brittle. Wed like to share our story with you here. Anoka Farms was homesteaded by my great, great grandparents (Charles and Ida Frederick) They actually came from Illinois in a covered wagon. Our beloved farm was passed down to my great grandparents (Leslie and NellieFrederickLancaster) and then to my grandparents (Arthur and Vivian Lancaster) in 1925. At first a dairy, Anoka Farms later expanded to include crops such as wheat and bluegrass. There was an Indian trail across the property. The Colville Indians would use it to trade in Spokane. They called it Anoka which was said to mean windswept. If you could see this vast land, you would know why it might have been referred by the Colville Indians as windswept. It is on Pleasant Prairie just north of the Spokane Valley near Bigelow Gulch. It is a beautiful setting. You can see Mount Spokane in the distance, yet it is very secluded where the farm sits. One of my cousins lives there now. The farming is now contracted out, since my Dad has retired. Our family farm was about ten miles north of Anoka Farms. So we were very close and spent a lot of time with our grandparents since my Dad was a farmer . They worked together and shared equipment, etc. Our Grandmother started many of our family traditions. We always had a project when we would visit. Just as you might remember your own Grandmothers doting tendencies, she taught us to sew, crochet, knit, garden and we were always baking or cooking something, like her famous Peanut Brittle. loved making the brittle because it was usually during the Holidays which became a traditional event that I loved to share with my Grandmother. You can imagine, harvest was over and it was a much more relaxing time. The house was always decorated and just smelled so good. My grandmother was very precise. We had to have everything measured, set out and ready to go. Peanut Brittle- making was a very serious project and could be dangerous with all that hot, bubbly liquid. She made it very special though. We had gift tags and candy tins. What a great feeling at the end of the day to see the beautiful golden brittle all packed away ready to deliver to some very lucky people. At an early age I just knew I would be the one to carry on that Holiday Traditon. About a year after my grandmother passed away my grandfather found a tin of brittle way back in the freezer. He carried it around for days!!! After my husband Stephen and I were married, I would make my Grandmothers Peanut Brittle, enjoying the lessons I had learned from her. My husband would share the Peanut Brittle at work. They wanted to buy it!!! The rest is history!!!! We started by selling at crafts fairs in 1988. At that time most of the customers were women and of course they wanted chocolate. So Chocolate Dipped Peanut Brittle was born!! Then the White Gold Peanut Brittle was added to the favorites, and now to keep up with the times--- Espress Oh!!!!(My coffee loving brothers idea). We also make a Soft Peanut Butter Brittle and Soft Coconut Peanut Brittle. These will be added to the website real soon. In addition, Im experimenting with an Orange Peanut Brittle Dipped in Dark Chocolate. This will be introduced later in the year. Stephen and I still like Grandmas recipe the best!

Address: P.O. Box 391 Loon Lake, WA 99148
Telephone: 509-233-2619
Website: http://www.anokafarms.com/