Another Fork in the Trail. Laurie Ann March
Equipment at home is equally important and you may already have most things you need for pretrip preparations in your home kitchen. This book relies heavily on dehydrating your own foods, giving you a balance between food weight and great taste. While you can use your oven to dehydrate many of the foods for your trips, I strongly suggest that you purchase a food dehydrator for the task, as it will be more efficient and the results will be better. I have had the opportunity to test units by Nesco and Excalibur. Both companies have excellent units and have stood up to a great deal of dehydrating with my creation of two wilderness cookbooks. A good, sharp paring knife and chef’s knife are very important. A coffee grinder used specifically for spices and other foods is very useful, as is a food processor. While not a complete necessity, I like to use a mandolin slicer because of its ability to create uniform fruit and vegetable slices for dehydrating.
Cooking Methods
How you will cook in the backcountry will depend on a number of factors, including the type of activity, location, altitude, duration, season, and individual needs. Most methods such as boiling, frying, heating, foil packet cooking, and grilling are familiar and straightforward. Backcountry baking, on the other hand, will need some explanation and a little practice. While what I am about to write may seem daunting at first, it is a worthwhile skill to learn as it will enhance your menus, especially on longer trips, and it’s much easier than it first appears.
You will need some additional equipment for baking. My preference is a product known as the Outback Oven by Backpacker’s Pantry. You can bake almost anything that you can bake at home in this type of oven and achieve the same results—imagine enjoying fresh-from-the-oven goodness on a wilderness adventure. There are two sizes of this product. I prefer the Ultralight, which uses a pot and lid that you are already bringing and consists of a heat shield, riser, thermometer, and convection tent. The other model, the Plus 10, comes with everything the Ultralight model has plus a 10-inch lidded frying pan. The convection tent is also larger on the Plus 10. While it isn’t as light, the Plus 10 is preferable when baking for three or more people, and it’s brilliant for making pizzas. When using this type of oven, you need a stove that has the ability to simmer. Outback Ovens are not for use with stoves where the canister is directly below the flame or with alcohol-burning stoves.
The BakePacker is another type of backcountry oven. It is basically a grid that sits in the bottom of your pot with a bit of water. This system allows you to steam-bake items in a bag. The downside is that you don’t get the golden brown color or crusty exterior on baked goods like you would with a normal oven.
Reflector ovens use a hot campfire for baking. They are made of metal and reflect the heat back to bake the item within. Most reflector ovens fold flat for storage. While a few places sell reflector ovens, you can also make one quite easily. Other ovens are available from cottage or hobby gear makers, and you will find links to these, as well as oven plans, on www.aforkinthetrail.com.
Of course, there are many other ways to bake in the backcountry. Some of these methods are baking in a frypan, foil packet, or orange skin, or on a stick over a campfire.
Spices, Condiments, and Fats
Spices and condiments can really enhance a meal, but for the vegetarian, vegan, or person with celiac disease, it is extremely important to be aware of the ingredients. Some spices contain traces of gluten with ingredients such as wheat starch, and some condiments, such as regular Worcestershire sauce, contain meat products such as anchovies. Even some less expensive brands of tamari sauce have meat ingredients, so be sure to look for true tamari sauce and read the labels carefully. If you are traveling with a group, it is advisable to allow each person to adjust the spices according to his or her preferences. I take salt and pepper but will also include other spices and condiments as my menu dictates.
Oils, butter and substitutes, shortening, jams, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, and other items can be stored in small leak-proof Nalgene containers. If you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian and are taking butter, it is best to take regular salted butter as the salt acts like a preservative and the butter will keep longer. In very hot weather, ghee or clarified butter is a great alternative. Soy- and olive oil-based spreads work very well but aren’t good for baking.
Using This Book
Dehydration times listed in the recipes are approximate; you should check food periodically as it’s drying. The cooking and rehydration times are also an approximation. Outside factors such as weather, humidity, altitude, and heat source can affect the cooking or baking time. You should read a recipe, including the instructions, twice before you make it. Familiarizing yourself with the recipe in this manner will give you better results.
Serving sizes are what I would describe as average to hearty. All recipes, except for the baking ones, can easily be cut in half. Those of you who are solo hiking or solo paddling might consider making the recipe and eating it for dinner at home and then drying the leftovers or drying the entire recipe and dividing it into single servings. Because dehydrated food will keep for an extended period, doing the latter will give you food for additional trips. If a recipe involves dehydration, then the approximate time is listed at the beginning. Where applicable each recipe includes icons to help you choose an appropriate dish.
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indicates that a recipe is suitable only for ovo-lacto vegetarians. | |
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indicates that a recipe is vegan | |
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indicates that the recipe is gluten free. | |
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indicates that a recipe is especially lightweight and therefore more appropriate for an activity such as backpacking or |