December news from the sanctuary

Dear Friends of the Animals,
The holidays are a special time for many of us, and provides perhaps a little bit of down time to reflect on our past year. It's been busy at the Sanctuary, with record extreme heat, soaring hay prices, a seemingly never ending global pandemic, and our residents needing care and comfort. Through it all, our supporters old and new have been there for us. We couldn't be more thankful. 

We've been busy preparing for winter, and have been so fortunate to have not only our group of steady, committed volunteers with us working hard, but several groups have come to the sanctuary and to help us with larger projects. Your support is amazing.

We've spent the past few weeks getting all our heated water set up, shelters full of straw, and making improvements to shelters and accommodations for some of our more special needs animals. We are also celebrating Blizten's first real Christmas! Read more below...

As 2021 comes to a close, we hope you'll consider us for any year end giving. Whether you'd like to shop our holiday catalog, sign up for a monthly sponsorship, or just make a one-time donation, we appreciate every single penny. We are an all volunteer organization and donations go directly to the care of the animals. 

Read on for some great vegan cookie recipes!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Kit & Pete Jagoda
Co-Founders
River's Wish Animal Sanctuary

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Blitzen's first REAL Christmas

​Blitzen first joined us last year after seven years of living in a motel and being fed bread as his daily diet. He had some significant skin problems, overgrown tusks, and needed to be neutered. The holidays last year were, needless to say, a whirlwind for this feisty guy. He was no doubt overwhelmed by his new environment and busy getting lots of medical attention, as well as love, safety, and comfort.

As Blitzen healed medically, and had his needs taken care of physically, including a serious upgrade to his diet, he got to know us and we all got to know him. He was quickly a favorite among the volunteers because of his bossy personality, little grunts, and loud chewing noises. This year, it is safe to say that Blitzen is fully settled in, and if you ask him, he pretty much manages the place! 

Because of his need for control, Blitzen has had several roommates tried out a few different locations at the sanctuary, as we've worked to find out what works best for him and the other pigs he shares space with. 

As is often the case with pigs that find their way to us and numerous other sanctuaries across the country, Blitzen started out tiny and cute. Pigs are smart, sensitive, and can get into lots of trouble with their energy and curiosity. But, as Blitzen grew in size, he also grew in personality. Without the socialization of other pigs, and appropriate attention and training, his attitude got a lot bigger than his body did. Not being neutered until he arrived at the sanctuary only added to his robust personality. We've learned that Blitzen is most happy (as are his pig friends) living as more of a single bachelor--with supervised get togethers with his friends. 

Blitzen makes us laugh with his attitude, and charms us with his devilish good looks. We're happy we've been able to create a safe and happy life for him with us. We are thrilled to celebrate Blitzen's first real Christmas at River's Wish!

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River's Wish Holiday Catalog Count Down: 10 days to go!

Our first ever online Holiday Catalog is now open and you can shop until you drop, share the gift of animal sponsorships for the holidays, pick up a hoodie, and more. We even have some once-in-a-lifetime in-person experiences available. Just think about sharing pizza with pigs or tea with Tucker! And it's never too late to do your last minute shopping! Our digital certificates are easy to print and put under your tree! Note: if you're a Blitzen fan, we've got Blitzen key chains, prints, and sponsorships in the catalog. 

Click the image below to start shopping now!

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Thinking Vegan? Holiday Cookie Baking Tips & Recipes

The holidays are a time to celebrate traditions, and for many, this includes baking beloved cookies and treats. Often these recipes have been passed down in families from generation to generation. So what is one to do once they have chosen a vegan lifestyle? 
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Thankfully, you don’t have to toss out grandma’s recipes. Maybe it’s time to try “veganizing” some family favorites instead! Here are five tips for swapping out animal products that are commonly used in cookies and bars:

1. Experiment with egg replacements. Common substitutes for 1 egg that you can try in cookies include:
   • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water (this is called a “flax egg”)
   • 3 tablespoons aquafaba, which is the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas 
   • 1/4 cup mashed banana
   • 1/4 cup applesauce
     
2. Replace the dairy. Many vegan cookie recipes I come across recommend soymilk or almond milk in place of dairy milk, but they often note that you can use any nondairy milk of your choice. So feel free to branch out! Dairy butter replacements include coconut oil, canola oil and of course vegan butter. I personally love baking with Miyoko’s European Style Cultured Vegan Butter.
   
3. Use organic sugar. Conventional cane sugar and brown sugar is often processed using bone char, which isn’t vegan-friendly. Luckily an easy way to guarantee you’re buying vegan sugar is to choose organic, since organic sugar is not allowed to be processed with bone char. 
   
4. Look for vegan chocolate. Chocolate chips and bars often contain milk, but there are plenty of vegan options too. Just make sure to read the ingredients on the back of the package. If there’s milk, it will be listed in bold as an allergen. Common vegan chocolate chips include Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Baking Chips, Equal Exchange Organic Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, and Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips. Theo Chocolate offers vegan, fair-trade dark chocolate baking bars, as well as Peppermint Crunch dark chocolate bars.   (Target, Natural Grocers and Huckleberry’s Natural Market each carry one or more of these chocolate brands.)
   
5. Choose vegan candies. Marshmallows with gelatin is a no-no, so go instead for Dandies, a vegan marshmallow brand, or Trader Joe’s marshmallows, which are vegan too. Peppermints and candy canes are another candy to watch out for, since they may contain conventional sugar and questionable red dyes that could have been tested on animals. Natural Grocers and Huckleberry’s carry organic candy canes that avoid these issues. 

BONUS! Five Tried and True Vegan Cookies Recipes

If you’re in the mood to create new traditions, here are five vegan cookie recipes that would be perfect for the holidays. I know from experience that these are a hit with both vegans and non-vegans alike.

• 1-Bowl Ginger Cookies from Minimalist Baker
• Chocolate Fudge Candy Cane Cookies from Post Punk Kitchen (the peppermint chocolate bars mentioned above are perfect in these)
• Snickerdoodles from Nora Cooks
• Coconut No-Bake Cookies from Minimalist Baker (I suggest adding vegan marshmallows!)
• Cranberry Spice Oatmeal Cookies from Post Punk Kitchen

Happy baking, and happy holidays!

Thinking Vegan? is a monthly feature by Megan Jonas, River's Wish volunteer and vegan activist. Images and baking done by Megan.