Last weekend, I was invited to speak and demo my raw foods at the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down annual celebration in Watkins Glen, NY. It was a huge honor to be included in the speaker lineup with founder Gene Baur and T. Colin Campbell, author of the China Study. The Hoe Down was one of the best organized events I’ve attended.

Volunteers helped me prepare pies for over 120 people in about 30 minutes just before my presentation. We chose the manual ‘food processor’ style of hand mixing dates with almonds. Good forearm exercise.

Strawberry Kream Pie, from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials. Made with dates, almonds, cashews, vanilla, and strawberries. Simple and delicious.

A photo of my raw food demo, taken by Morgan Jamie Dunbar.

It’s so much fun to sign books after a raw food demo and talk. I love having this opportunity to connect with other like minded folks in the community.

Later, I got to visit the animals out on the other part of the 200 acre farm. This guy was 3,000 pounds big, what a cutie pie!

Amazing to stand in the pasture with a flock of sheep as the sun was setting. It was so peaceful. Actually, I rested really well on the farm every night.

That evening was the Barn Dance where we line-danced first, then it broke out into a full on night club with a packed dance floor until after 1am. Everyone had tons of energy and was jumping up and down, especially Gene Baur, who was wringing sweat out of his t-shirt! My hair was soaked in sweat too. I noticed no one stunk of body oder, and people’s sweat didn’t gross me out as it usually does. That’s a huge plus for eating clean, vegan, and raw.

I realized this was my 20th year reunion from Cornell, and I hadn’t been back to Ithaca since I graduated in 1990 (except returning briefly for my brother Max’s graduation in 1993). So, it was a double treat to visit Ithaca and Farm Sanctuary. I’m looking forward to the next Hoe Down in California, and visiting New York’s Farm Sanctuary again soon.