Whenever we meet at Nature Friends Clubhouse in Sierra Madre (NF), we ask that each participant to donate $3.00 CASH to help cover the expense of using the facility. There's no cost for the meeting itself, but we occasionally sponsor events that require donations. Every meeting begins with a potluck dinner, so we recommend that you bring a dish to share if you wish to participate.
Donations
Donations to our chapter are optional and can be made at any time. Donations may also be requested to help defray the cost of particular events. The amount requested as a donation for a particular event does not include the cost of using any facilities, such as the rental fee for Nature Friends clubhouse.
Potluck Dinner Guidelines
In preparing for the potluck dinner, please use the guidelines outlined below, or the Dietary Guidelines as posted by the Weston A. Price Foundation. You may contribute whatever course you like. On Ethnic Nights (see schedule), please bring a dish to represent the culinary culture of the evening. Feel free to modify any recipe to comply with the guidelines below. We also highly recommend contributing dishes made from recipes out of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, Internal Bliss by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley Fishman, and Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.
Food
Produce – GMO-free & pesticide-free or organic or biodynamic
Grains, nuts, seeds & beans – GMO-free, sprouted (soy: fermented!)
Meat & poultry – GMO-free, wild or pastured, either uncured or naturally cured
Organ Meats – GMO-free, wild or pastured, either uncured or naturally cured
Fish – wild caught
Dairy – GMO-free, raw, pastured
Fermented/Cultured Foods – any of the above!
Condiments
Salt – sea salt
Herbs & Spices – pesticide-free or organic
Fats for cooking – fats from pastured animals (beef tallow, lard, duck fat, chicken fat) or organic tropical oils (Coconut, Palm)
Oils – (do not heat!) extra-virgin organic olive oil, or other organic expeller-pressed oils
Vinegar – raw, organic
Relish – HFC-free & preservative-free, homemade or fermented
Ketchup – HFC-free & preservative-free, homemade or fermented
Mayo – made with extra-virgin olive oil or other expeller-pressed oils
Beverages
Water – filtered with added minerals (eg. sea salt)
Juice – fresh-squeezed or fermented
Milk & Cream – raw or cultured
RSVPs
RSVPs for potluck dinner meetings are generally not required, since we usually have enough space to meet at Nature Friends Clubhouse in Sierra Madre. Occasionally though, we do hold meetings at other venues which may have space limitations. In those cases, RSVPs will be required. Check the Meeting Schedule to find out when RSVPs are required. If you are on our chapter email list (sign up at the right), you will be notified whenever RSVPs are needed.
Timing
Our chapter meets monthly, rotating between the last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the month. All meetings begin at 6:30 PM and run to about 9:00 PM or so. After a brief gathering period, we start with introductions and a potluck dinner. The dinner is always followed by local chapter & community announcements. Once the announcements are done, we usually have a group discussion, an educational presentation, or a film. Start times of post-dinner activities vary, depending on the size of the group, set-up logistics, and the time devoted to group discussions. Whether or not we have a special presentation depends on volunteers from our local community, including meeting attendees. We learn from each other, and everyone is encouraged to share their knowledge with the group!
Purpose
The primary purpose of the meetings is to give the local Weston A. Price Foundation community an opportunity to dine and interact with other like-minded folks. When we have a special topic, it usually relates to traditional foods, their health benefits, and/or how to prepare them. We also learn about sustainable agriculture and the humane treatment of domesticated animals. Our group seeks to support farmers who grow crops and raise animals in a healthy and humane way, and to educate the community about how traditional food production and preparation methods benefit consumers, farmers, plants, animals, the environment, the economy, and ultimately the health of our nation. Presentations have covered topics such as natural sweeteners, counter-top yogurt (complete with starter to take home!), cod liver oil, grass-fed beef, and more.
Ethnic Nights
In October, 2011, we started a new tradition of hosting Ethnic Nights 3 times per year. Inspired by Jaye Park's July 2011 Kimchee demonstration, we thought it would have been nice to have had some traditional Korean food at that meeting to complement Jaye's Kimchee. Thus, our Ethnic Night was born. The purpose of Ethnic Night is to encourage all potluck participants to seek out recipes representing the culinary culture of the evening, prepare them, and share them with the group. If you'd like to attend one of our popular Ethnic Nights, just do a little research to find an appropriate dish to share. Select any recipe that represents the culture of the evening, and prepare it in the traditional manner, using the guidelines above. The more participation we have, the more we can learn about and appreciate some of the many culinary traditions of the world.
