Potlucks Are you ready to learn something new—or show the world your hidden talent? Then it’s potluck time! This great American tradition is alive and well at campgrounds and RV parks around the country. Potlucks are a great way to meet people and make new friends, and they provide their own conversational material because you can always talk about who made what dish. In fact, if you’re short of small talk at a potluck, try praising a dish you enjoy. Someone there is sure to leave with a happy smile.
Many RV parks hold regular potlucks. These events serve a dual purpose—they provide a great meal for all the attendees, and they help park guests get to know each other better. If you’re headed to a potluck, be sure to ask your host two questions: How many servings should you bring? And what type of food should you bring? Many potluck organizers have a system for dividing the dishes, so they get a roughly even number of salads, main courses, and desserts.
A quick note about potluck etiquette. It’s customary to bring all of your own serving dishes, from bowls or platters to serving spoons and forks. The host provides the rest of the equipment (dishes, flatware, napkins, cups, etc.). Be sure to pick up your dish when you leave, and if you like, you can offer to leave any leftovers with your host. Sometimes potlucks end with a leftover exchange, so be prepared to take home extra rolls, cookies, and other goodies!
Many people have supposed that the word potluck comes from the Native American term Potlatch, which describes a large social get-together with an exchange of gifts. The term is actually English and was first used in the 1500s as “pot lucke,” probably describing a feast where the guests were lucky to get whatever was in the cooking pot.
Large families and groups of friends that like to have get-togethers are pros at potlucks. This is a great way for groups that don’t see each other often to come together without any one person having to bear the stress of putting on a huge meal. Everyone brings something, and that lightens the load. Too, this is a way for everyone to get to enjoy old favorites like Aunt Sally’s crescent rolls or Uncle Jim’s Caesar salad. If you have a superb dish that you like to make, don’t keep it from the world. Be sure to sign yourself up for the potluck at your next RV park destination and share your skills with everyone. You’ll make plenty of friends, especially those who want your recipe!
A fun variation on the potluck dinner that would work well in an RV park setting is the Progressive Dinner or Safari Supper. Every RV or campsite is assigned one dish or course of the meal (hors d’oeuvres, salad, bread, main course, and so on). The diners all gather together and visit the first house for their first course, then progress on to the second and third until they reach the dessert house. It’s a festive way to enjoy a meal.
If you’re not a confident cook but would like to attend a potluck, here are a few no-fail dishes you can make and bring. And if you’re really timid in the kitchen, just ask your host if there are beverages you can bring. These are always needed and welcome at a large group get-together, and buying them doesn’t take anything more than a trip to the grocery store.
EASY JELLO SALAD
Serves 12 to 15.
1 sm. instant vanilla pudding
1 (16 oz.) can fruit cocktail
1 (16 oz.) can pineapple chunks
1 med. size container Cool Whip™
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. chopped walnuts
Place pudding mix in large bowl. Add fruit cocktail and pineapple chunks (along with juice from both). Blend in Cool Whip. Add marshmallows and nuts. Chill for 3 hours.
THREE BEAN SALAD
Serves 12 to 15.
1 can (16 oz.) green beans, drained
1 can (16 oz.) waxed beans, drained
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 med. red or sweet white onion, sliced thin
3 tbsp. sugar or sweeten to taste
1/4 c. vinegar
Mix first three ingredients, then layer onion in. Mix sugar and vinegar together and pour over salad. Refrigerate overnight. More Potluck Recipes
Oktoberfest
This lively German festival is a fun celebration of friends, German culture, and the finer things in life. As the name suggests, Oktoberfest traditionally takes place in the month of October, though in America you can find Oktoberfests happening through out the year.
The next time you're camping near a town that's celebrating Oktoberfest, why not stop in and see what it's all about? You're guaranteed to find good food, a beer garden or beer tasting, and other events celebrating German culture. You might learn a German word or two or even spot some young people in traditional German dress.
Oktoberfest has become a German celebration, but its roots are actually in Bavaria, a particular region of Germany. Bavaria is famous for its beer, from the lagers that are popular in the U.S. to darker stouts and ales. This region also serves up delicious food, including the bratwurst and giant pretzels that are typical fare at Oktoberfests. Pile on the sauerkraut or use American condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish, and you'll have a meal that's fit for a king.
American Oktoberfests
German-American towns all over the country hold Oktoberfest celebrations every fall. You'll also find big-city events in places like Las Vegas, Cincinnati, Newport Kentucky, Anaheim California, and Fredericksburg Texas. Las Vegas hosts its Hofbruhaus (an authentic replica of the original festival that's held in Munich every year), in late September and throughout October. This popular even has been an annual tradition since 2003. The Las Vegas celebration includes premium beer that's brewed in Bavaria, high-quality Bavarian food, and a special Bavarian warmth and coziness.
Cincinnati is so fond of Oktoberfest, they put on two of them every year! This town has a large and proud German-American population that loves toasting Bavarian culture. In September, Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati brings in about 500,000 visitors. That's followed in October by the three-day Donauschwaben Oktoberfest. Dover, New Jersey also holds two Oktoberfests, one in June and one in September.
Hold Your Own Oktoberfest
This October, if you're camping or traveling in a place that doesn't pull out all the stops for Oktoberfest, why not hold your own? Pick a weekend or a special day and throw together a Bavarian-inspired meal that features beer, German sausages, sauerkraut, and pretzels. You might even inspire your RV park to make this an annual tradition!
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Leave-No-Trace Camping
For those of us who love spending time in the great outdoors, wild spaces are very special. These are places we visit to recharge, to fill our hearts with natural beauty. We hate to see them cluttered with litter, graffiti, or any reminders of the people who visited before us.
If you feel this way, then you're the perfect person to promote and practice Leave No Trace camping. Leave No Trace is a philosophy as well as a nationally-recognized outdoor skills program. Every year campers and outdoor instructors are trained in the art of leaving no trace, but you can practice it yourself without any lessons beyond this article. The mindset is simple, and if you already love to see nature in its pure, unadulterated form, then you're already a believer!
The principles of Leave No Trace are to treat the wilderness the way a courteous visitor would and leave everything just as you found it, with no evidence that you passed through. This is also called "low impact" or "no impact" camping, because your visit makes a minimal impact on the environment. You can carry out these ideals in a number of ways. Begin by packing out all your litter. Whenever you go camping, take an empty trash bag with you and put all garbage, including toilet paper, into the bag‚then take it to a dumpster at the end of the trip. Teach your kids about the garbage bag and make it a game to keep on the lookout for litter to put in the bag.
If you're going to be camping where there aren't outhouses, pack up a special toilet kit that will help with your Leave No Trace camping. Keep your toilet paper in a ziplock bag. Also, pack a brown paper sack inside another plastic bag. When you go to the bathroom, tuck your used toilet paper into the brown paper bag, then wrap it all up neatly in the plastic bag. Every member of your party can use the same system, or, if you'd rather, everyone can carry their own personal paper bag. The important thing is to not leave any toilet paper strewn across the woods.
Try not to trample vegetation. Whenever you can, stay on established trails and never cut switchbacks or make your own shortcuts (this will lead to erosion and eventual destruction of the trail). When you pitch your tent, try to find a place that's already bare of plants. If you're in a group and you have to cross a field that doesn't have a trail, spread out to minimize your impact. Wherever you go, think about what your heavy shoes or boots are doing to the plants underneath and try to keep damage to a minimum.
Leave what you find. In addition to not leaving litter behind you, it's important that you not take things away from the wilderness. Rocks, plants, seashells, and arrowheads are all part of the natural landscape. If you take things away, they won't be there for others to enjoy. Also, many animals find homes and food in abandoned shells and flower-heads, and these are things they would miss if you collected them.
Unless you're in a campground where wood is provided, avoid campfires. If you're backpacking, it's always better to use a camp stove than to burn up wood in a campfire. Fallen limbs and driftwood are important parts of the ecosystem. Animals make their homes under piles of dead wood, and decomposed logs are where baby trees often take root. Many wild areas have been ruined by too many people collecting wood for their campfires. If your campground sells or provides wood, you don't need to worry. But if you're in the backcountry, camp stoves are always best!
Have respect for wildlife. This means not intruding on a wild animal's "space" and not feeding it any human food. A good rule to follow is that if your presence is changing the animal's behavior, you're too close. Step back, use binoculars or your camera for a closer view, and enjoy watching the animal live its life.
Last but not least, be kind to your fellow campers. That means keeping noise to a minimum, keeping your group small, respecting private property, and camping away from others.
Leave No Trace camping is about being respectful and thoughtful. It's about honoring the natural world and the creatures that live in it. If you love seeing an untouched mountain stream or a pristine field of wildflowers, then you've already taken the first step. Follow these basic practices and you and your family can be models of the Leave No Trace philosophy.
Enjoying the Magical Colors of Fall
When the trees burst with gold, orange, and crimson, autumn is in full glory. Nothing is more gorgeous than a hillside full of changing leaves, each one perfect on its own -- while as a group, they create a symphony of color. In your daily life, you may not get to see massive swaths of trees. If that's the case, then this is the perfect time to plan a trip to see the leaves change. This is a great way to celebrate the turning seasons.
Where to Go
New England is famous for its fall color. With acres of deciduous trees and the early cold snaps that make the foliage pop with color, New England is a perfect place to visit for the leaves. If you can manage a trip to Vermont, New Hampshire, or Pennsylvania this fall, take a drive through the countryside and soak in the atmosphere. You might stop off at a cider stand for some fresh apple cider or crisp fall apples, or visit a small town for a bite of lunch. In Pennsylvania, tour Pennsylvania Dutch country and explore the array of homemade crafts, tasty baked goods, and stunning hand-made quilts.
The rest of the country enjoys a burst of color in the fall, as well. The Great Smoky Mountains blaze with color in the fall, as do many parts of the South. In Colorado, quaking aspens turns golden-yellow, looking dramatic with their white trunks. The Pacific Northwest and Alaska keep their carpet of evergreen trees, but when patches of maples and alders turn yellow and red, it can make a colorful splash.
The Great Lakes region is a terrific place to enjoy fall. As farm fields turn tawny-gold and corn stalks grow heavy with fruit, you'll find blue lakes surrounded by bright yellow and orange leafed trees. This is the time of year when early settlers would go "sugaring," tapping maple trees for their precious sweet syrup.
A Scenic View
There are two perfect ways to enjoy fall color. One is to walk or drive directly through it, admiring the boughs as they curve overhead. Walking a trail that's covered in yellow and red leaves is a special delight. With the smell of wood smoke tinting the air, you'll build up a hearty appetite for a lunch of butternut squash soup or minestroni. Watch for wildlife as you go. You might even see squirrels and chipmunks stashing away nuts for the winter.
After you've taken your walk or drive through the woods, see if you can get up high for a panoramic view. An overlook, vista point, or mountaintop will give you an eagle-eye view of hills and valleys, all rippling with color.
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