We’ve had a string of these sub-zero days recently, with the
only consolation being the bright sun and the snow on the ground. When the
temperature nudges up, it’s crucial to get outside and enjoy winter. I’ve
learned that it’s the only way to survive the longest season in Vermont. My
preferred outdoor activity? Cross country skiing.
I had never tried this sport before living in the northeast,
but became hooked on it after my first few attempts. That was back before knee
issues caused me to give up running, so the aerobic workout you get from nordic skiing appealed to the runner in me. Another plus is the lack of crowds and lift
lines that are so much a part of the alpine ski scene. Nordic ski
trails are more like hiking trails that wind through the forest. It’s not
unusual to be out skiing for a couple of hours and only see a few other people.
Besides, I was never much of an alpine skier, even though I learned as a child.
Some part of my body was constantly freezing and I don’t relish adrenaline
rushes. With nordic skiing, I always work up a good sweat and there’s just
enough downhill to keep it interesting.
Sometimes we ski on ungroomed trails, meaning literally just
a path in the woods. We have to drive only a few minutes to find one, but the
conditions can be a bit unpredictable. I prefer skiing at a ski center, where
the trails have been beautifully groomed and tracked, leaving two parallel grooves
in the snow in which you place your skis and then get going. This style of
skiing, which we generally do, is called “classic,” where the skis are mostly
kept parallel, as opposed to “skate” skiing, where the motion resembles ice
skating.
We often ski at Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton, which
borders the Green Mountain National Forest and is part of Middlebury
College. Known as Middlebury’s Bread
Loaf Campus, it’s home to the College’s nordic team in the winter and to the
Bread Loaf School of English (a graduate program) and the Bread Loaf Writers’
Conference in the summer.
I’ve attended both programs, the Conference numerous times, so
when I ski here, echoes of summer conversations frequently float through my
mind. The Robert Frost Farm is nearby as well, where the poet lived and wrote
for many years. Whose woods these are I
think I know.
Middlebury will be hosting the NCAA Skiing Championships this year, so Rikert has been spruced up considerably in preparation for the races. We’re not involved in racing ourselves, but since nordic skiing is one of those rare sports that uses every major muscle group, it provides an incomparable workout even at our pace. And it’s something we all enjoy doing as a family. Not surprisingly, it works up a pretty good appetite. A meat and potatoes kind of appetite.
Following a recent ski, I made my mom’s Tuscan pork roasted with garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds,
along with roasted potatoes and garlic,
and sautéed Lacinato kale with garlic.
An Italian meal of garlic, garlic, and more garlic. We feasted on this meal of mostly local foods and then strolled on over to our friend Troy’s backyard for a soak in his hot tub.
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| Photo credit: Troy Paradee |
I guess living in Vermont is not so bad after all.
My Mom’s Tuscan Pork
2 pork tenderloins
3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ T fennel seeds
1 T ground rosemary
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
Mix spices, garlic, and olive oil into a paste and rub it all over the tenderloins. Lightly cover the meat and refrigerate it for 4 to 6 hours. Roast it in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the center measures 145 degrees (or to your preference) on a meat thermometer. Let rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving.
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