Local Foods Week June 14 - 21st

Emily Oakley of Three Springs Farms

Real Food Tulsa, Sustainable Green Country and a host of other groups are encouraging their fellow Oklahomans to join them in celebrating "Local Foods Week” during the week of June 14-21, 2009, pronouncing that local food is a valuable economic asset for the state of Oklahoma. Gov. Brad Henry has made the event official by means of a proclamation, as well as Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor.

Created by Sustainable Green Country’s Buy Fresh Buy Local initiative, Local Foods Week festivities will highlight local family farms and farmers’ markets hosting a variety of events, including community garden tours, a raw & local foods potluck w/ lecture, a farm table dinner, cooking demonstrations, a scavenger hunt for children, a salsa making contest, canning classes, on-the-farm cheese making class with tour, and more. In addition, there will be a special screening of the film, FRESH. FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.

Farmers’ Markets abound in Green Country-- Tulsa boasts the Pearl District, Cherry Street, Brookside, North Tulsa and Downtown, plus markets in Owasso, Bartlesville, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Muskogee and others listed in the 2009 Farmers' Market Guide to Green Country (available at www.BuyFreshBuyLocalOK.com).

Buying local strengthens the local food and farm economy, improves health and revitalizes rural and urban communities. Tulsa metro-area residents spent $2.2 billion on food in 2004. If just five percent of those dollars were redirected to buying local food, this would mean an additional $110 million dollars stays in the Oklahoma economy.

In 2007, Sustainable Green Country, the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Tulsa County Cooperative extension, local nonprofit agencies, tribes, farmers, farmers' market managers and several volunteers came together to form a Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter. Their goals include promoting the vast array of foods grown in Oklahoma and helping ensure the economic viability of our Oklahoma farmers.

To make it easier for citizens in northeast Oklahoma to find local foods, Buy Fresh Buy Local - Green Country has produced two “local food guides", two farmers’ market guide brochures and other various marketing materials, as well as assisted with development of six new farmers' markets in Green Country.

The farms, farmers’ markets and other venues featuring special events during Local Foods Week include: (SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULE AND EVENT DESCRIPTIONS)

All Oklahomans are encouraged to celebrate Local Foods Week in some simple way -- by shopping a farmers’ market and making a special point to include some locally grown foods in the family’s meals that week. Please come join Real Food Tulsa in our Kick Off Celebration - Sunday, June 14th. Please go here for all the details and to reserve your seat!

Key Lime Heaven

Photo Courtesy of Aimee Bittinger

Last Thursday evening I went to the most lovely event. A new friend, Susan Newman, invited me to her home for Women's Health Night. There were about 25 ladies in attendance and the evening started with a luscious raw food buffet. Everything was so fresh and delicious, but here was one particular dish that stood out to me as the cream of the crop.

Local raw food enthusiast, Pam Girouard, made the most delicious Key Lime Pie I've ever had, cooked or raw. I was only able to have the tiniest sliver because it was obviously a huge crowd pleaser. So I went out the next day and bought all the ingredients to make my new favorite summer dessert!

PAM'S PERFECT KEY LIME PIE

For The Crust:
1 cup organic, soft dates, pitted
1/2 cup pecans
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup raisins (I used Inca berries)
2 cups dried shredded coconut, unsweetened & unsulphured

In a food processor, using the "S"blade, grind pecans to a fine meal; add pitted dates and raisins. Process until a dough like consistency is reached. Add 1 cup of the coconut and pulse until combined. Use the rest of the coconut to help spread and coat the dough into a pie pan or spring form pan. Cover and place into the refrigerator while you make the filling.

For the Filling:
3 avocados
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. lime zest
pinch sea salt
1 tsp coconut oil
additional agave or honey, if desired, to taste

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until you achieve a creamy consistency. Turn into the pressed and chilled pie crust, covering and putting into the freezer. Thaw for 30 before serving. It's at it's best when still partially frozen. Garnish with sliced limes.

RAW FOOD REHAB

green juice - brooklyn art project
As many of you know, I am currently in the process of writing my first REAL raw food book. I felt that having some actual hard facts and personal testimonials of the benefits of the diet would be helpful research to present in the book. When I first threw out the idea on Raw Fu and You Tube that I could use a few willing guinea pigs, I had no idea so many wonderful people would respond. I was truly overwhelmed by the response and I was forced to close registration at 150 participants, because I knew I would be unable to manage anything over that.

I currently have just over 100 active participants in my raw food experiment, which I am now calling, RAW FOOD REHAB. In the first week we collectively lost 209 pounds, and that was with only 85 people weighing in yesterday. I am very pleased with the early results and I can't wait to see how the next ten weeks will unfold.

I have been so sad that I have had to turn anyone away from this research and I so appreciate all of the eager readers and friends who have written to me. Even though I can't take anymore volunteers in the program, I did want you to know that I am making daily videos with instruction, encouragement and education. If you are interested, please log onto my YouTube Channel and you can follow along and hear bits and pieces of what we are doing and how things are progressing.

Right now the book is scheduled for an early winter release if everything goes as planned. I want to thank you so much your love, prayers and support!

PAUL NISON - COMING TO TULSA

Oklahoma's First Annual Local Food Week will be celebrated from June 14th - June 21st, 2009. Supporting and endorsing this new, exciting annual event is our Governor, Brad Henry and Tulsa Mayor, Kathy Taylor, along with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and many other statewide office holders and organizations.

Real Food Tulsa is helping to kick this week off into high gear with a very special event on the first day, Sunday, June14th. Internationally acclaimed raw food author, educator and certified raw food chef, Paul Nison, will be in Tulsa for an exciting lecture and locally themed raw pot luck.

Paul will be sharing information with us from his latest book.....everything from the raw food diet to when and what you should eat, best times to wake and sleep, balancing weight and gaining energy and the significance of eating foods that are fresh, ripe, organic and locally grown. Paul has quite a following in Tulsa, so please register soon due to the limited number of seating. The charge for this lecture will be $10 per person, to help support bringing our speaker to Tulsa. Paul will also have his books available at the event for purchase.

For the Pot Luck:
Please bring a raw food dish that can feed 8-12 people and include the recipe. The goal is to include at least one locally grown ingredient in your recipe. The pot luck will begin promptly at 5:30 pm and Paul's lecture will be from 6 - 8 pm.

The doors of this venue are locked due to security at 6 pm, so please be ON TIME!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!! HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY!

My Big Fat Raw Experiment

Starting June 1st, I am going on a journey and I'd love to take you along with me. For 10 weeks, a posse of guinea piglets and I will be focusing on cleansing and weight loss. This is all in an effort to obtain research for a book that I am writing this summer on Raw Food, Weight Loss, and Cleansing. I've been blown away with how many people have written to me, wanting to come along for the ride!

I decided to start an internet site so that I can offer daily contact to all my wee little piggies in the program. Some need to lose 10 pounds and other need to drop well over 100 pounds. I love the diversity within the group and it should make for a great experiment.

During this 10 weeks our diet will consist of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, healthy fats, seeds, sprouts, herbal teas and good pure water. Kombucha is fine too. The more raw, the better. We'll also be incorporating healthy movement into our days by walking, rebounding and/or yoga stretching. Whatever your ability level is where you should start.

If you would like to come on board the Weight Loss Train, it will be leaving the station this coming Monday, June 1st!

JUNE 1st UPDATE: DUE TO SUCH OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, I CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT ANY ADDITIONAL GUINEA PIGS :- ( HOWEVER - IF YOU'D LIKE TO WATCH MY DAILY VIDEOS FOR THE EXPERIMENT ON YOUTUBE, PLEASE CHECK MY PAGE THERE.

The Kirstie Alley of Raw

Today I spill my secret to weight gain. Yes, you read that right, as promised last week in my interview with Matt Monarch, there has been a secret to my recent weight gain! I'm already sensing the excitement building as I prepare to embark on this literary and physically transformational adventure. I'm looking forward to sharing details with you over the upcoming weeks. I also think it's ironic that this blog came out on the internet this morning. Move over Oprah & Kirstie, there's a new fatty in town! Let me show you what the raw food diet can do!

Someone You Should Know - Olivia

Thanks to Dhrumil of We Like It Raw and Philip from Loving Raw for turning me on to this young REAL FOOD rockstar. Nine-year-old Olivia is a cancer survivor and she is on a mission to find out, What is Real Food? She takes us to the Farmer's Market and to her school. The video has been entered in a "Real Food is" video contest for the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. It's all about getting fresh, locally-grown food into schools.

Learn more at farmtoschool.org