The Vegan Bug

I had no idea that this was even a national holiday. Turns out that today is national ice cream day, so go grab some fake stuff, and enjoy!

What did I do for the 4th of July? I went to the farm sanctuary! The farm is locted just outside of Orland, in northern California. The Independence Day celebration is an annual event at the farm where they give free tours and free food.

My friend and I arrived at about noon and took off on a nearly hour-long tour. The first stop was the “special needs” animals, a pasture with cows, sheep and goats. Some of these animals had arthritis because of their weight. Almost all of them were very friendly, with the exception of a few that would run away if you came too close. We also walked through the pig barn and peered into the chicken barn, duck and goose hatches, turkey barn, and the rabbit barn. It’s such a great experience to see (and touch) an animal that is cared for, loved, and not forced to do anything. After the tour, back at the “People Barn” the staff served up veggie dogs and sausages, chips, popsicles, cookies, lemonade, watermellon, and ice cream bars - all totally vegan. The whole farm is vegan, including all the staff an interns living on it.

The Farm Sanctuary began as a safe haven for animals raised for food. There are two sanctuaries, one in California (300 acres) and the other in New York (150 acres, about.) The animals at the farm have come from a variety of different situations; one piglet jumped off a transportation truck headed to slaughter; the first animal, a sheep named Hilda, was saved from a dead pile; authorities often utilize the sanctuary when there are animal abuse cases in town; or sometimes, animals are simply dropped off out front. In any case, the sanctuary provides a safe place for the animals to live out their lives. Kudos!!

If you are interested in visiting the sanctuary visit http://farmsanctuary.org/ to get more information about their sanctuaries, philosiphies, animals, annual events, and campaigns.

P.S. Pictures from the sanctuary will be coming soon!

Though I was raised a meat-eater for the first 13 years of my life, I sometimes forget what a “crucial” part of life meat can be for some people. So, here I attempt to bridge the omni-herbi gap for the sake of celebration.

Tips to make a meal friendly to all:

- Options make everyone happy
Give your guests as many choices as possible. Go for the veggie dogs and the veggie burgers, but also throw a few unexpected twists in the mix. Include main dishes such as stuffed bell peppers with tempeh or tofu cutlets. This way meat eaters will have something recognizable to choose, but veggies who don’t want “junk food” will have some more healthful options as well.

- Never underestimate the power of the side dishes
People on special diets, people with dietary concerns, and picky eaters alike find hope in the sides. Between a traditional green salad, vegan potato or macaroni salad, and a fruit salad everyone will be able to find something meeting their standards.

- Check your booze, etc.
Try to picture a table set for a Fourth of July party without exessive amounts of drinks. For those old enough, be sure to double check that your alcohol is vegan. (Visit http://tastebetter.com/features/booze for a list of vegan booze.) But don’t forget the non-alcoholics as well. There’s nothing fun about water or soda. Mix it up with some special non-alcoholic mixes or punches.

Some recipes to check out:

An entire 4th of July meal down to the letter
http://www.vegparadise.com/cookingwith57.html

Look at this amazing dessert
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/red-white-and-blue-fruit-terrine.html

BBQ Tempeh
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7458.0

Black Bean Salad
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9461.0

Most people get together with friends and family on the 4th of July for a picnic or BBQ and some fireworks. But being a poor sarving college student two hours away from any family and without a car makes me: Not most people.

So instead, I’ll be spending my Fourth at a Farm Sanctuary. I recently realized that one of the premire farm sanctuaries in the nation is less than an hour away from where I live. I’ll be dragging my friend over there where they are giving free tours, free veggie dogs, and free belly rubs to pigs. Sounds like a party to me! Actually, I have wanted to visit a sanctuary for quite a while now, and it seems like the perfect chance.

On another note, what are your plans for the holiday? A lot of cities are having get-togethers where you can go meet other vegetarians, eat (sometimes free) food, watch fireworks, and generally mingle and schmooz. If you live near a major city, do a quick search on the web to find some veggie meet-ups near you.

Happy 4th!