Wendy Berry and her husband Jon, decided to start raising their own animals about 10 years ago because they were concerned about the quality of the food they were giving their six children.  At the time, there were an increasing number of health reports about the antibiotics and hormones that conventional farms were putting into the “feedlot” animals and other health issues associated with large industrial food production. 

Education plays a bit part in Wendy's CSA

Thankfully Wendy and her family lived on a non-working family farm, Lasting Legacy in Barrington, NH, that had been passed down in her husband’s family for 200 years –  all they needed were some animals. Their simple family project started out with three pigs in 2000 to learn the ropes of raising animals. Wendy eventually quit her “day” job at the Rochester Opera House in 2003 to work full time on the farm and now they’re raising more than 30 cattle, 700 chickens, about 30 pigs, 80 turkeys, and a few sheep a year.

The cows are 98 percent grass fed, but are treated with a “cookie” size portion of grain which ‘mellows out the grass fed beef flavor” and gives them a few extra minerals and vitamins. They chose non-organic grain because the organic grain is cost prohibitive, nearly 3 times as much. Their consumers are also more concerned about the animals well being and that they are not given any hormones, steroids, or  antibiotics.

The Lasting Legacy Menu

To respond to customer demands, they offer several ways for customers to purchase meat, so in addition to buying beef directly from the farm, or the farmers’ market, customers can buy cow shares, or join the Lasting Legacy CSA which offers customers a weekly share in their community supported agriculture (CSA) in the spring and the fall. Buy a cow share and you get a quarter share of a cow that is flash frozen so you can store it in your freezer over the winter. Pig shares are also offered. Half a pig or a quarter cow will feed a family of four for about 4-6 months. 

The CSA gives customers a menu for just about everything they need except milk and bread. Working with other farmers the CSA provides a one-stop-shop of food including: beef, chicken, pork, eggs, vegetables (from Heron Pond) fish (from Eastman’s Fish Market) and even ice cream (from Sugar and Ice).  

Raising cattle is as much as a science project as it is an agricultural project and Wendy has become an expert on “pasture raised” animals.  She works hard to keep her grass healthy so that the animals are getting everything they need and is even looking at bringing in seaweed to help fertilize the soil.

I’ve seen firsthand how much time Wendy spends at the farmers’ market and her CSA pick up educating people about the benefits of grass-fed food and how to cook it. This is a big part of her job as more and more people choose to buy directly from the farm instead of supermarkets. Wendy has also helped organize local events around eating local and will be hosting some cooking classes to help new foodies learn the ins and outs of grass fed meats. She is even working on a cookbook  on “eating local” that will hopefully be available this fall!

Wendy was kind enough to share one of the recipes for flank steak, a flavorful, but slightly tougher piece of beef which she marinates to help tenderize it. it  Thanks Wendy!

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients

1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.
2 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 fresh Jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped (be careful not to touch your eyes or anywhere near your eyes after handling a Jalapeño pepper!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

Directions:
Mix all marinade ingredients. Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better.

Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan or griddle. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak. If pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium high. We want the steak browned, not burned. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.

Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at a slanted angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin.  Flank steak is flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.

Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas – put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.)