LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/609681
48 Winter 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Dutch Knuckle Roasted Vegetable Casserole By Wende Kate Reese & Tammy Loewy Photos by Jessica Chevalier Tourists often ask what it's like to live here. It's a simple question with a complex answer. I usually start with the positives: I get to walk out my front door and step into nature. I can plan my camping trips around the nicest weather conditions. When I walk down Main Street on a weekday be- tween October and May I know everyone I pass. But to live here also means I have to embrace the cold, harsh darkness of a long winter or fall subject to lethargy and depression. There are many ways to prepare ourselves for this abundantly yin time of year. Eat more warming foods, reduce consumption of dairy products, exercise regularly, take supplements of Vitamin D and fish oil, crank up the wood stove, and indulge in a creative activity. But perhaps the most challenging aspect of winter is connecting with community. When we bundle up so completely that we are unrecognizable to our closest friends and literally sprint from our car into the post office and back, there's little time for spontaneous conversation or the casual smile that represents our human desire for connectedness. How do we thrive in the Adirondacks when the natural world around us goes into deep hibernation? The answer: throw a potluck dinner. Invite your friends, or ask some folks you've been trying to get to know better. All you have to do is clean your house, which is a great winter activity anyway, and provide some plates and utensils. Everyone brings their favorite dish and you have a delicious spread of food and drink, good conversation, and connection that feeds the soul. Here is a recipe for a potluck favorite that Tammy loves to make. It's full of locally harvested root vegetables and previously stored summer crops. The Vitamin A in the sweet potatoes helps protect our skin from the harsh winter climate. The local garlic and thyme offer immune system support, and the B-complex vitamins in the nutritional yeast help with cellular metabolism and naturally balance energy levels in the body. The vibrant colors in this flavorful dish lend themselves well to the starkness of winter, bringing red, orange, yellow and green into a vastly white landscape. So the next time you're feeling like winter has forced you into isolation, pick up the phone, call some friends, and start clearing those dust bunnies!