RAWtional information for this week

Greetings and raw salutations!

*whew* it seems like FOREVER since I wrote and I've really missed communicating with you. It's been a busy couple of weeks and thankfully with all good stuff. I'll list the updates of what has been going on as usual include tips and recipes below. I hope this email finds you well and happy and if not, please consider eating more raw & living food each day! :-)

First and foremost, I wanted to extend a deep-felt THANK YOU to those who responded with ideas and wishes to help us. The support is very much appreciated. We're very open to the idea of having your help in creating this lovely endeavor to create a model of sustainable, raw food and a place to showcase local raw foods, arts, crafts, music and products. Please keep your ideas comin'! We'd love your help and expertise!

news and updates

check out http://www.vt-fiddle.com/rawfood - Matt got that up and running. Yippee-skippee! I love the colors (*hint-hint* You'll see these colors again!) When you click around you'll see some of it is still under construction. For those of you who have links on your website to rawvermont.com please change the link to the vt-fiddle link above. Thank you!

Matthew Delorey is helping us create gardens around this yellow house. This a wonderful attempt to beautify a small bit of the village here and to work into the design his permaculture skills. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "permaculture", it is about creating a lifestyle that incorporates sustainable and ecological uses for land - one that gives, receives and works with natural rhythms and cycles. Specific designs are based on individual needs for space and the desire is to be mindful of all life: animal, vegetable, mineral — how we work together.
Raw food is a natural extension of permaculture, in my mind. Utilizing self-reliance and self-sustainable methods of gardening/gathering food and then using as little fossil fuels possible to prepare/store foods. It's all good! So Matthew is helping us design/create gardens - his students are coming to help in whatever ways they can. If you'd like to help us with preparing the soil, planting, etc - we won't turn you down! We need mulch! Please contact Matthew with any volunteer help at 223-5314. Other needs to fill would be if you had any perennial flowers/plants that we can take bits of to replant here - that would be awesome! We're preferably looking for edible plants/herbs but wouldn't deny anything that you are willing to donate that is perennial. So if you have raspberry bushes that can use some trimming back on your end, we'll get a crew together to "weed" out your undesirables to help beautify and restore the grounds here. It helps you and us. Thank you in advance for your help and resources.

Robin Merriam is also helping us in our attempts to beautify our small bit of the village here in Worcester. She is a phenomenal artist who is wishing to share her art in the form of mural painting. We are going to have a mural painted on the exterior wall(s) on this yellow house. She is asking for help. Robin's request: WANTED: YOUR UNWANTED EXTERIOR HOUSE PAINT! To be used for a Mural Project in Worcester, VT Please contact Robin at 496-6723 or Linda at 223-2111.

Another wonderful extension of raw food & permaculture is EarthWalk! How you ask? Well, speaking from my own experience, raw food connects me with eating fresh organic food, food that is seasonal, local, & sustainable — as much as I can do. As stated above, this naturally connected me to permaculture. The natural extension then for me is the connection with mother earth. It just seemed to happen that this need was born in me: the desire to caretake and be outside to receive the lessons and gifts of the earth & nature seems to come from a deep stirring inside. I think I've mentioned in previous emails that for me, a very strong connection to dirt (earth) occurred after getting into raw foods. The best grounding tool I've found is to put my hands/body in the dirt... Some say that bread grounds you, some say nuts or cheeses do - for me it is dirt. My garden is a centering, meditative tool for me as is sitting under the big spruce on my yard. EarthWalk goes well beyond this in learning tools & techniques to help us reconnect ourselves and our kids to earth and nature.
I'm so thrilled to be getting more involved with this invaluable organization. Just to let you know, EarthWalk is having a free talk tomorrow night on Bird Language (Friday, May 18th) from 7-9 pm at the Haybarn Theatre at Goddard College. The talk will be given by Dan Gardoqui. Saturday is also an intensive workshop on Bird Language also with Dan from 6 am - 9 pm. For more information call their office at 454-8500.

A wonderful friend of mine is a contributor of this amazing magazine called Pomegranate Seeds. It's about simplifying one's life, giving practical tips and useful, inspiring information that explores simple, sustainable living. I'm honored to be able to contribute articles to this magazine. More information about this magazine can be viewed at pomegranateseeds.net. Electronic subscriptions cost $18. Next issue is about Planting Beauty.

Check out your local coops for articles on Raw Food Tips and Tricks from me! I'm supplying articles to the following coops: Hunger Mountain Coop and Onion River Coop (City Market) - if they have the space, they include my articles. Please encourage your coops to include these helpful articles which offer ease, support, tips and recipes in the raw food world from yours truly! Have them contact me and I'll gladly offer articles on whatever theme about which they are writing.

Hunger Mountain Coop is now offering my raw food workshops twice a month for the summer and into September. Check out their calendar - of course, you can also view these at my calendar page - Next workshop is: Tuesday, May 29th from 6-7 pm on Berry Crepes! YUM-YUM!

Plainfield Coop is now offering my raw food workshops twice a month for the summer! *woo-hoo* To view their workshop line up, please go here. Their first raw food workshop is Saturday, June 2nd from 2-3 on Lemon Pudding. If you missed it once, don't miss it twice! Come on over rover to Plainfield!

If you'd like to have a raw food presentation or workshop in your community, please call me to schedule! 223-2111

upcoming raw food haps

see my complete calendar here

Next rawfood potluck is scheduled for Thursday, June 14th from 6-8 pm. Lots of newbies are inquiring about this so we'll have a newbie night. I'll help by giving recipes or guidelines on what to bring. Bring a friend and come to 18 Worcester Village Rd. We'll talk about possible future presentations, themes and alternating locations. Please attend if you are looking for raw food community and support

Level 1 class is scheduled for Friday, May 25th from 3-8 pm. For more information about the class, please go here - Please call me to register at 223-2111

Level 1 class is scheduled for Friday, June 8th from 3-8 pm. Level 2 class is scheduled for Saturday, June 9th from 10-6 AND Sunday, June 10th from 10-2. Level 2 is a 2-day class. Payment plans are offered. Please call me to register at 223-2111

Weekly Raw Food Coaching is available! This is ideal for those who wish to receive weekly raw food recipes (a food plan) plus email support. I have weekly recipes for the newbie raw fooder (or for anyone who wishes to have a raw food dietary plan mapped out for them.) You'll receive 3 recipes plus snacks each day for 7 days. Recipes plus shopping list are included as well as email support from me! Cost of weekly food plan + email support is $40.00/week. Contact me at 223-2111 or linda@vt-fiddle.com for more info or to register.

Guided Customized Raw Food Challenges are also available! Please contact me for information: 223-2111 or linda@vt-fiddle.com

• For all of my raw food classes (including Alissa's) I offer a free NUT MILK/SPROUTING BAG to Hunger Mountain Coop members. So mention that when you register for classes and I'll hook you up.

• I also have Alissa's Living on Live Food book here for sale and it is also for sale at Hunger Mountain Coop. 

raw food recipe for this week

Today Matt and I made a pie for lunch. Delicious and fast. This recipe is a way to get living foods quick fast in a hurry, don't worry, raw food vision ain't blurry! (*ahem* I used to listen to a lot of public enemy in my younger days!) :-) Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding Pie

by Linda Wooliever

Crust:
2-3 cups walnuts*
1/4 cup raw agave (can substitute with local honey, raisins, dates, etc.)

Process in a food processor until well blended. Push into bottom of pie plate. This is your crust. If you have enough, push up to the sides of the pie plate so that the crust is completely on the whole of the pie plate.

Filling:
4-6 ripe, ripe bananas*
2-3 ripe avocados*
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
3 tbsp raw agave (can substitute with local honey)

Process in a food processor until creamy. Fill the pie shell and enjoy! You can firm this up in the fridge for a while. You can also slice strawberries or other fruit on top. This is delicious and easy peasy lemon squeezy! Feel free to substitute with local fruit as it comes into season - use what you have! That's what this is about. Use raw carob powder instead of raw cacao if you are leaving caffeine out of the equation.

*amounts depends on size of pie plate, smaller plate requires less ingredients.

Take good care and thank you for everything,
Linda