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Food Freedom Project: Join the #LocalThanksgiving Challenge
In many ways, Weston Price’s work and revelations have never been more relevant, practical or important than they are right now. And it’s not simply because of the massive downturn in health, economy, food supply and artificial “health” practices so many around the world are confronting, but because of a loss of true human connection and sense of community that was also very much a part of the extraordinary health and well-being of the cultures Price studied and celebrated.
My name is Nora Gedgaudas. Apart from being an active board member with the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation for quite a few years now, I’ve also been a passionate advocate of ancestral principles in my books, courses, talks, and lectures over the years.
At a recent board meeting, we talked about how we at Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation could create more community and support our members in living in alignment with nature’s principles as Price espoused and that can give us and our families and loved ones the best chance for health and vitality now and for generations to come.
We are excited to soon be sharing with you some updates to our membership that we hope will create even more value for you. And with Thanksgiving around the corner, we had an idea.
#LocalThanksgiving
As local, organically raised, farmed, and foraged food is baked into our organization’s DNA, we invite you all to join us for a Local Thanksgiving.
What does that mean? Well, I for one am part of a growing number of homesteaders who have left the grid (and grind) behind and am becoming more self-sustaining on a daily basis on my land in Idaho.
Food sovereignty is a big part of our mission at Price-Pottenger so my plan is to create a Thanksgiving meal with as many locally farmed, foraged, and hunted ingredients as possible.
We recognize that not everyone may be able to do this fully but as we spoke at a recent board meeting, we all made a commitment to make as many locally gathered dishes as possible and we invite you to join us.
For some of you, that might mean only one dish with some beef from a local farmer. Or perhaps if you’re in warmer climates, you still have a garden generating produce that you can prepare.
So please join us this Thanksgiving and try your hand at creating some locally grown dishes for your table. And if you’re so inclined, invite a local farmer or neighbor to join you. We know that the more we can connect with like-minded neighbors, share resources and create community, the healthier and happier we will all be.
PRICE-POTTENGER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We on the PPNF board will all be eating this way this holiday and will be sharing pictures from our dinners. We would love for you to try this as well and share your pictures with us. If it’s not possible that all your dishes are locally gathered, even one dish on your table will move us all in the right direction.
At the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, we have been educating people for over thirty years on the power of real food and living in alignment with nature’s principles. But it doesn’t stop there. We also passionately believe in the power of community, the power of local food growers and farmers, and the power of food sovereignty. To that end, we’ve started a Telegram Channel called “Food Freedom Project”. Please join us in this important conversation by clicking on this link: https://t.me/+cmIkJYg-kmYxNTNh.
This is a way of life that restores our sense of belonging, and our deepest appreciation for beauty and all that we have. And it also creates networks that support all of our long-term empowerment. So get to know more of your neighbors, your local farmers and strengthen those ties. You never know when you’ll really really need it.
And if you live in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, we urge you to plan a meal with locally supplied ingredients and foods too!
Who’s hungry for this?
LOCAL THANKSGIVING TIPS
To embark on a local Thanksgiving, begin by exploring farmers’ markets and joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where you can obtain a bounty of fresh produce, meats, and other products directly from the source. In addition to these, food cooperatives and local food directories like EatWild.com are treasure troves for finding region-specific goods. For those with a do-it-yourself spirit, foraging groups and apps, “u-pick” farms, or even your own garden can provide unique and local flavors. Don’t overlook the usefulness of social media platforms, where community groups can often share tips on the best local suppliers.
Expand your local food quest by consulting with local culinary enthusiasts, including chefs known for their farm-to-table approach, and visiting local bakeries and artisanal shops for bread, pies, and sweets crafted with regional ingredients. Butchers can offer insight into locally sourced meats, ensuring your Thanksgiving table features the freshest fare. Pair your meal with regional wines and beers, as local wineries and breweries can provide the perfect complement to your locally-sourced dishes.
Lastly, leverage technology and networks for guidance; mobile apps like SimplyLocal can pinpoint local meats and produce, while Slow Food USA’s chapters promote regional cuisine and seasonal eating. Keep an eye on community bulletin boards in places like libraries or coffee shops for local producers’ advertisements. Additionally, local culinary schools might offer connections to local farms and producers, providing yet another avenue to source the freshest ingredients for your Thanksgiving feast. By tapping into these resources, you’ll not only enhance the flavor of your meal but also support the local economy and food community.
If you’ve got questions about how to implement a #LocalThanksgiving, check out Alex Miller’s insights below from LickSkillet Farms in Tennessee. At a recent talk, he outlined some of the best ways to support local farms and the questions to ask to make sure your food supply is clean and nourishing.
What Can You Do to Support Local Farms?
- Take the 50% Pledge
- Commit to spending 50% of your food budget locally
- Commit to spending 50% of your food budget locally
- Find Local Farms
- Find better meat sources at GoodMeatProject.org
- Find local farms on FarmMatch.com
- Contact your state’s local department of agriculture for more information
- Carefully select your farmer based on these 8 questions:
- Health, Safety, & Quality of Food:
- What use do you make of GMOs, antibiotics, vaccines, hormones, insecticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers?
- Do you ever feed any grain to ruminants (cattle and sheep)?
- What grains do you feed your monogastrics (pigs and poultry)?
- At what age, weight, and level of finish are your cattle harvested?
- How do you manage quality assurance of X (whatever product you buy)? What is your guarantee?
- Animals, People, & Environment:
- What policies and procedures do you use to ensure animal welfare?
- What makes your farm a good place for your employees to work?
- What are you doing to restore your environment to what it was before it was farmed?
- Health, Safety, & Quality of Food:
- Consider delivery service
- The direct-to-consumer future is becoming delivery, because delivery trucks are constantly passing by your local farms already. Contact your farm to see if they can deliver to you directly.
- We also love companies like US Wellness Meats. Although not local, if you don’t have local farmers in your area, it’s a great back-up.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATES
We as an organization are being re-born. We are renewing, re-generating and re-dedicating our focus as an organization toward not simply curating the work of so many important nutritional pioneers, but using the wisdom they understood so well to inform those interested toward reviving the very dream of Weston Price:
In addition to this, we are also newly committed to supplying more vocal Truth in (actual) science, in support of the best possible natural human health for this and all future generations.
In the weeks to come, we’ll be sharing about our updated membership program so please keep your eye out for that.
Our goal: doing our part to create a lasting network of human community and living systems that honor what it means to be human; living in true, rightful partnership and alignment with Nature in the best possible way.
In short, whatever we can do to insure that you have the knowledge and the access to the highest quality information out there as well as the resources to create vibrant health for you and for the generations to come.
Thank you for being part of our community.
The Price-Pottenger Board of Directors
