The following recommendations are made in consideration of general raw
food, vegan, and vegetarian dietary guidelines.
What to bring:
- A raw-vegan dish to generously serve 6 or more people, preferably
organic if you can. If there are two of you, bring enough to serve 12 or two
different dishes.
Raw food includes: fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts & seeds, raw nut
butters, "live" sauerkraut, sprouted grains, or other seeds.
Please do not bring food processed by heat or chemicals, containing
dairy, honey, animal products. As a guide, use nothing from a box,
can, or bottle.
Please also bring:
- Serving utensil(s) for your dish
- Plate(s), napkin(s), and utensils for yourself
- A mat or blanket to sit on
- Water and cup for yourself if desired
- An ingredients label. Also label what is organic.
-Please use organic ingredients to the fullest extent practicable,
many of us use a combination of conventional and organic as our
budgets allow.
-A raw-vegan dish contains no animal products and no cooked ingredients.
-Vegan means no animal products such as dairy, eggs, honey, and fish.
-Please refrain from bringing any food that has been genetically modified.
-When serving yourself at the raw feast, your serving size should be in
proportion to the number of people present. Please ensure everyone has
had some of the dish before taking the last piece/spoonful.
-Please provide a quick list of ingredients and indicate what is (and
isn't) organic. In addition to helping all of us make informed food
choices, such a list is a great tool to stimulate conversation about
wonderful food.
-Please be sure that all fruits and vegetables have been properly
washed and are ready to be enjoyed as is.
-Should an item contain nuts and/or seeds, please label whether or not
it was soaked.
-Please ensure that any cut or prepared food is properly refrigerated
prior to the raw feast. Once a fruit or vegetable is cut, enzymes begin
to break the item down and bacteria starts to grow. The results vary
from mild toxicity (which may not be noticed but affects the health of
the body) to extreme food poisoning.
-If you are bringing fruit, we especially welcome seasonal, locally
grown & organic or at least pesticide-free fruit that have been picked
when ripe. Sometimes such fruit can be found at Farmer's markets.
-Citrus can provide a great alternative to vinegar.
-Raw ingredients have not been cooked at all; specifically they have
not been subjected to the heat of cooking, which is generally
considered to be above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Food and beverages that
have been pasteurized are not raw.
-Even many nuts and grains are not raw due to heat during processing,
although any seed that can sprout is raw. Almost all packaged foods
are not raw, including frozen vegetables. Rarely raw are oil, vinegar,
spices, and other seasonings, though we allow their inclusion in
dishes when required. No refined sugar or products containing it or
derivatives. Neither pasteurized nor canned foods are raw. Most
bottled items have been heat pasteurized when bottled. Tofu, and for
that matter virtually all soy-derived products, have been cooked and
highly processed.
-If you use oils, cold-pressed oils, extra-virgin olive oil and flax
oil, are preferred. Remember, most commercial oils are heated.
-If you use sweeteners agave nectar, stevia or dried friut are prefered.
-Bragg Liquid Aminos and Tasty Yeast are not raw, though we allow
their inclusion in dishes when alternatives are not available.
-For those unable to bring a dish we ask for a contribution of $15 (per
person), please let us know well ahead of time so we can accomodate
the number of hungry tummies.
Please remember any funds collected go towards covering costs of running our
gatherings including cups, plates, cutlery, door prizes and our website
costs.
And lastly, mindfulness is requested when sharing these gifts of food with fellow guests, overeating is considered socially inappropriate.
