Just read Alissa's book and have a few questions

[newbie]

Hello,

I received Alissa's book and DVDs about a week ago and have already devoured them. Alissa, if you're reading this, you are very inspiring and make me feel like I can do this. I plan on watching the DVDs again soon.

I made my first recipe from the book tonight - the stuffed portabella mushroom caps- and we loved them. Okay, my husband and I loved them. My 12 yo who likes guac, but dislikes mushrooms loved them. My 6 and 8 yo wouldn't try them. They're looking forward to the fruit leathers once the dehydrator arrives.

Anyway, I wrote down a bunch of questions as I was going through the book. I'll post just a few at a time so as not to be overwhelming.

1. Are all olives raw? I'm assuming the canned and jarred kind are not. How about the kind you get in big open bins at the market?

2. If the nuts are not roasted, can I assume they are raw or does the package have to say raw?

3. Are all dried fruits raw? How do I know if they have been dried at a low temp? For instance, I buy Naturally Preferred Organic raisins at Krogers. It says sun-dried, but are they really? I have a hard time picturing them putting all these raisins out in the sun to dry.

4. Are all herbs dried at a low temp or does it just not matter because you use such a small amount?

5. Where do you find raw sauerkraut?

I'll stop there for now. Thanks for any help you all can give.

Tina in WV

[glad_2beme]

well I can help some:

1 - no, not all olives are raw, the ones in the bins are probably opened in the deli and are not raw either. You can do a search on the internet for them

2. - they need to say raw, or are still in the closed shell (I think, on the shell part)

3. not all fruits are raw, most have something added to them, not sure about the raisins, but if they are organic and sun dried with nothing else in the ingredients

4. sometimes, as some people here say, you cant split hairs over this - just use them if you dont have fresh

5. try http://www.rejuvenative.com/ alot of people, including Alissa reccomend them

6. Welcome to the board

[flutterfly]

1. All olives are not raw. Those in the bins are not raw plus they are full of chemicals
2.Nuts have to say raw or they are cooked in some way
3. dried fruits are usually diied at a higher temp over 115 degrees plus what you get in the store are sulfered
4. I am not sure about that one
5.as far as I know the saurkraut that comes in the plastic by the meat counter is raw but is also full of salt. I think you can make the raw yourself easier then trying to find it. Call up the health store and ask them
Hope I have helped out a little

[askcassyfirst]

Seems like the last couple of posts answered your questions, but I wanted to welcome you to the board!

That is great that your husband and family are interested in raw as well. If you read thru the journals on this website, as well as several recent posts, you will note that it is really helpful when you have a loving supportive family to help you on your journey...You are quite lucky!

Feel free to post as many questions as you want. We are all here to support you.

Cassy. :) :) :)

[newbie]

Thank you all for answering my questions. I ordered all the catalogs Alissa suggested in her book, so maybe they will help me find what I need. So much to learn - and I was a vegetarian for years(haven't been for the last 2 though)!

Cassy, thank you for the welcome. It is wonderful to have a family that is looking forward to this - or, in the case of my children, at least to the desserts! My husband is desperate to feel better. He was a vegetarian for years also. He loves fruits and veggies and trying new things so I don't think that part will be hard for him. The hard part will be not eating cooked food after he's had the raw. He is always hungry!

I'm going to post a new thread with another list of questions.

Thanks so much again,
Tina