Solstice Sustenance

Sicilian alter of light....

The winter solstice marks the shortest day & longest night of the year...it is a time to consider our relationship to the sun and all of the energy its light provides; light energy that makes possible life on earth.  

Though today is also the first calendar day of winter, we've been in full snow mode for quite a while here in the upper Midwest.  Its times like these when our food traditions just seem to make both poetic and actual sense--our bodies crave the nourishing hearty greens, root vegetables, winter squash, and other "good keepers" like apples, onions, shallots, and so on that have graced larders for centuries.  All those foods that have undergone the remarkable process of storing up the sun's energy so that we can be fed.

Having recently returned from Terra Madre, Slow Food's international meeting in Italy, I was fortunate to learn about many different countries food traditions.  Here in the Great Lakes region, winter fruit and veg are part of our food heritage and the joy of eating in place. As a cook and a dietitian, I encourage people to eat their veggies all year round...not just because  they are good for us, but because they taste divine.  Earlier this morning I visited the Wake Up team on Fox 6 for Get Active Today to share some of my favorite seasonal produce recipes to celebrate the season.  You can watch the clip below and get the recipes here.