Happy, Holistic Birthday Celebrations

What food do you serve at birthday celebrations? Is it a time to throw nutrition to the wind and revel in delectable sweets, or is it important to be consistent in food values and to share those with others. Can you do both?

How about gifts? Do you accept them, ask people not to bring them, ask for them to be homemade or used? What about giving gifts?

What about party favors and themes? Who decides? Where do you get your supplies? How big of a shindig do you throw? Who gets invited? Do you do several celebrations? How do you involve your kids, let them direct, or make decisions for them?

What rituals and traditions do you cherish from childhood? What ones make you cringe? How do you create meaningful and joyful celebrations?

Join us on September 20 as we discuss all this and more at our evening meeting.

We came, we ate, we fermented!

Big thanks to Tom and Christy Przystawik for teaching us how to can, preserve, and ferment the summer's bounty. Our member email list has been lit up with success stories of the kefir people have made from Christy's grains. Thank you! We appreciated the tasty fermented okra and dried figs, too, and were so interested to learn about the Mother Earn News Fair where longtime chapter member Christy will be presenting alongside big names like Joel Salatin and Sandor Katz.

Thank you also to Ed of the Arlington Egg Project for talking with us about urban agriculture. We all learned a lot!

Notes have been posted to the chapter email list and can be requested by non-members writing to jessicahmnarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com.

Ah, summer!

It was wonderful to sit and talk at our social meeting in July. We shared thoughts on parenting and work, travel, moving, birth, health care, and more. Learning from one another is powerful and inspiring. Thanks to all who came out and shared! What a supportive community!

For our August meeting, member and holistic health coach Christy Przystawik and her husband Tom, formerly owners of Food Matters restaurant, will be teaching us how to can, preserve and ferment foods to make the most of the summer harvest. Join us on August 16 for a presentation and demonstration.