Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Andover Chapter Meetings of Weston Price Foundation, Fall 2010 - Winter 2011

The meetings this year are aimed primarily at parents of young children who want to learn about preparation of traditional foods, but of course anyone is welcome. So many of us are so accustomed to buying prepared foods for our families, that when we start to realize how much those foods are missing nutritionally, we don't know where to begin.

Those of us who have been cooking the Weston Price way for some years have learned some things on the way. You don't have to be an expert to be a good cook! Cooking means transforming raw foods like vegetables and grains and meats into edible meals. It's an amazing alchemical act, but it doesn't have to be complicated or gourmet to taste good!

The cultural shift we've undergone in this country from cooking our own food to watching people cook on TV for entertainment has meant that lots of people have grown up without the skills to prepare a simple meal in their own kitchen. This is too bad, as cooking and sharing a meal together is deeply satisfying and bonding, and with homemade meals you actually know what you are eating, which is not the case with prepared foods.

Our attitude is: you begin where you are, and there is no such thing as a stupid question. Bring the questions you have about any issues related to food preparation and we'll try to answer them. We'll briefly give an overview of Weston Price's work and what were his major conclusions about what's in a healthy diet after his world-wide study of healthy isolated groups. Then we'll discuss and demonstrate how to soak grains, nuts and seeds for the October meeting - it's one of those techniques that seems confusing at first, but watching the preparation clears that up. We'll have some recipes to share too.

There are several of us in the Andover area who have kefir grains to share, as well as sourdough starter. If you are interested in obtaining either of these, be sure to email Liz a few days before the meeting so we can bring a jar for you to the meeting.

Each of these meetings will take place from 7-9pm at North Parish Church, 190 Academy Road, North Andover MA 01845. The church is large; the entrance is around to the side of the building, at ground level, on Great Pond Rd. For complete map, find the directions here: http://www.northparish.org/contact.htm

Meetings are free and are open to everyone, though we gladly accept donations to help defray the cost of paying for the space. Back issues of the quarterly journal "Wise Traditions" will be available for purchase.

Tuesday night, October 19, 2010 7-9pm - Soaking seeds, nuts and grains.
Tuesday night, November 16, 2010 7-9pm - Cod liver oil - presenter Jim Delmino of Traditional Health First will talk about how cod liver oil is processed, the difference between regular cod liver oil and fermented CLO, and will have samples to test.

Tuesday night, January 18, 2011 7-9pm - Feeding Our Little People Part One - Kids don't need low-fat anything: what foods to have on hand, what fats to use, ideas for lunches and snacks.

Wednesday night, February 16, 2011 7-9pm