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09/08/2024 06:19PM |
BigTim: "Dehydrated two jars of salsa for our past trip. Rehydrated at camp in a plastic bottle - filtered water about 45 minutes before use. Worked better than I expected. Next time, I will dehydrate on parchment paper - scraping off silicone trays was the biggest challenge. Was almost a fruit leather consistency, but was perfect for breakfast burritos and beef burritos."
I quickly ditched the silicon trays and use parchment paper.
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09/08/2024 09:36PM |
Jaywalker: "I love this thread. And LaVirginienne deserves a Michelin 1 Wilderness Star for her plating in the first photo.
- Ghee: plenty of people bring butter. Ghee, which is clarified butter, it super easy to make at home, adds a lot to shelf life, and adds a deep nutty flavor to anything. Easy to make at home. Without the milk solids it last much longer than butter.
- Wine glass: so I have a polycarbonite (?) wine glass from REI where the stem unscrews from the cup part. It packs neatly inside my coffee cup and weights close to nothing, but really adds to the experience of drinking wine in the BW.
"
I have used those wine glasses for 20 years…agree love them. Not necessary, but adds a nice touch in the middle of the wilderness.
Ghee…agree make it yourself. I think it was Pinetree or Billconnor that encouraged me to make it myself. Once I did that it was way better, tastier and easier.
T
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09/08/2024 06:08PM |
I think of myself as a foodie, and part of my love of food and cooking goes back to Boy Scouts where I had the very good luck of being part of a troop that was both highly competitive and supportive. One of the main way we competed was in camp cooking. It simply wasn't enough to cook weenies over the fire - dangling Cornish game hens over the fire was more our style.
I will first post adding a few key ingredients I have either often or sometime used, the come back to add some specific dishes I've planned for the wilderness later.
Here are a few things I've brought or planned to bring that have elevated things. Later post may highlight why some of these mattered more.
- Olive oil and salt and pepper: simple, but I've found adding these to some of my off the shelf freeze-dried meals have helped a lot.
- Kalamata olives: pretty shelf stable with a tiny bit of brine. Pack them in a tiny screw-top Nalgene 50 ml thing. Cut them in half so they stack better. Very large flavor that adds to many dishes.
- Capers: same as olives - high flavor punch with very small weight and volume.
- Ghee: plenty of people bring butter. Ghee, which is clarified butter, it super easy to make at home, adds a lot to shelf life, and adds a deep nutty flavor to anything. Easy to make at home. Without the milk solids it last much longer than butter.
- Dehydrated finely chopped onions, garlic, and peppers. There is just no end to how many things these can flavor after rehydrating and sautéing.
- Pancakes: I love, love, love my pancakes while canoening - but the worst thing in the world to me is "light and fluffy" pancakes which so many recipes recommend. If I have a long day of paddling and portaging, the last thing I want is light and fluffy - I want stick to your ribs pancake like the old school lumberjacks wanted. Start with a coursly ground whole wheat pancake mix - hint: SturdyWheat is by far the best. Then mix 3 part pancake mix to 1 part whey (basically all protein) and 1 part quick oats. Makes for far more complex mix of carbohydrates and protiens. Light and fluffy? Might as well just drink sugar water. At lots of butter ( or better ghee), and pure maple syrup .
- Wine glass: so I have a polycarbonite (?) wine glass from REI where the stem unscrews from the cup part. It packs neatly inside my coffee cup and weights close to nothing, but really adds to the experience of drinking wine in the BW.
I'll add some more recipes for special dishes shortly.
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09/08/2024 01:29PM |
Serves 4-6
1.5 C. mung beans (substitute lentils or yellow split peas)
4 C. water
1.5 tsp. salt
spice packet I make up ahead of time:
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1/4 stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. garam masala
plus 3 T. butter
Wash the beans and add the water and salt. Optional - presoak. Otherwise, bring to a boil then simmer until soft and most water absorbed.
Heat butter over low heat to melt then add the spices. Stir a few minutes to toast them, then remove from the heat. Add the butter and spices to the beans. Simmer and stir until it has the texture you want. We prefer the beans or lentils to still have some texture.
Serve with naan bread or tortillas.
This meal is my son's speciality. He learned the recipe in his high school culinary class and it quickly became a favorite for all of us.
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09/07/2024 08:30PM |
Next step: A whole jar gets the dehydrator treatment tomorrow. I will report on the result later.
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09/08/2024 08:36AM |
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08/19/2024 04:41PM |
Maybe I’ll see you in the road with your canoe on top one of these days. But I’m traveling north from Roanoke now, via Cincinatti and Indianapolis, formerly Middleburg by a different route. What’s yours?
Makes me wonder if I should bring sugar and use my torch lighter to caramelise sugar on those powdered crème brûlées??? Also hmm what would be a good “pot” for them (as in pot au crème)???? Like a hollowed out half pear poached in a little of the red wine???? Or is there something better??? Looks so goopy if you just ladle it out of the package…
Man you’ve really inspired me now! Thank you!
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08/19/2024 04:48PM |
bobbernumber3: "Not commercial or dehydrated or soup... but we have jazzed-up pb&j sandwiches. On them we always have shoestring potatoes. The crunch makes them seem special. Also, consider adding spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. "
Wow this is great!!!
Do your strawberries get mushed in your ursack etc??? Never tried them yet
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08/19/2024 04:57PM |
I just dehyrdated 4 meals for my upcoming trip: chili, jambalya, veggie teriyaki and
fajitas. I also make a mean hash brown dish with bell pepper, mushrooms and onion mixed in, then dehydrate for an awesome fresh eggs and hashbrowns breakfast.
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08/20/2024 12:30AM |
OneMatch: "I think you should reconsider dehydrating. There really isn't a learning curve at all. I have the Nesco American Harvest unit and it's easy peasy.
I just dehyrdated 4 meals for my upcoming trip: chili, jambalya, veggie teriyaki and
fajitas. I also make a mean hash brown dish with bell pepper, mushrooms and onion mixed in, then dehydrate for an awesome fresh eggs and hashbrowns breakfast.
"
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09/09/2024 08:29AM |
Jaywalker: "I love this thread. And LaVirginienne deserves a Michelin 1 Wilderness Star for her plating in the first photo.
*Thank you Jay!*
I think of myself as a foodie, and part of my love of food and cooking goes back to Boy Scouts where I had the very good luck of being part of a troop that was both highly competitive and supportive. One of the main way we competed was in camp cooking. It simply wasn't enough to cook weenies over the fire - dangling Cornish game hens over the fire was more our style.
I will first post adding a few key ingredients I have either often or sometime used, the come back to add some specific dishes I've planned for the wilderness later.
Here are a few things I've brought or planned to bring that have elevated things. Later post may highlight why some of these mattered more.
- Olive oil and salt and pepper: simple, but I've found adding these to some of my off the shelf freeze-dried meals have helped a lot.
- Kalamata olives: pretty shelf stable with a tiny bit of brine. Pack them in a tiny screw-top Nalgene 50 ml thing. Cut them in half so they stack better. Very large flavor that adds to many dishes.
- Capers: same as olives - high flavor punch with very small weight and volume.
- Ghee: plenty of people bring butter. Ghee, which is clarified butter, it super easy to make at home, adds a lot to shelf life, and adds a deep nutty flavor to anything. Easy to make at home. Without the milk solids it last much longer than butter.
- Dehydrated finely chopped onions, garlic, and peppers. There is just no end to how many things these can flavor after rehydrating and sautéing.
- Pancakes: I love, love, love my pancakes while canoening - but the worst thing in the world to me is "light and fluffy" pancakes which so many recipes recommend. If I have a long day of paddling and portaging, the last thing I want is light and fluffy - I want stick to your ribs pancake like the old school lumberjacks wanted. Start with a coursly ground whole wheat pancake mix - hint: SturdyWheat is by far the best. Then mix 3 part pancake mix to 1 part whey (basically all protein) and 1 part quick oats. Makes for far more complex mix of carbohydrates and protiens. Light and fluffy? Might as well just drink sugar water. At lots of butter ( or better ghee), and pure maple syrup .
- Wine glass: so I have a polycarbonite (?) wine glass from REI where the stem unscrews from the cup part. It packs neatly inside my coffee cup and weights close to nothing, but really adds to the experience of drinking wine in the BW.
I'll add some more recipes for special dishes shortly.
"
Wonderful! I bring two cups as well. I think you see my margarita there, which tastes good out of a titanium mug with folding handles. It’s a pleasure to drink wine out of as well. And then I have a very lightweight MSR insulated mug with a lot for my coffee and cocoa….
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08/24/2024 10:35AM |
lundojam: "Fresh lime elevates anything.
We like to do fish tacos with cabbage (travels well) , fresh cilantro, and lime. Very nice."
I agree. Every trip I’m always holding those limes thinking, will I really eat all of these? And I always do. Course half of em go in my tequila lol
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08/23/2024 05:08PM |
LaVirginienne: "Omg this is amazing, PopUp! So many great ideas!!
Maybe I’ll see you in the road with your canoe on top one of these days. But I’m traveling north from Roanoke now, via Cincinatti and Indianapolis, formerly Middleburg by a different route. What’s yours?
Makes me wonder if I should bring sugar and use my torch lighter to caramelise sugar on those powdered crème brûlées??? Also hmm what would be a good “pot” for them (as in pot au crème)???? Like a hollowed out half pear poached in a little of the red wine???? Or is there something better??? Looks so goopy if you just ladle it out of the package…
Man you’ve really inspired me now! Thank you! "
LaVA,
You'll not likely see me on the road to the BW/Q as I don't drive - takes way too long. I fly and either meet a buddy at MSP or DLH who comes up from Chi-town to pick me up or I'll get a rental from there. It saves a whole two days driving - time I'd rather be on the water. Locally, I'm usually paddling Bull Run.
So...um...er....I actually MAKE creme brulee on the water. Not sure what you're using, but that backpacking branded stuff just sux. I do use a package mix though - Southern Gourmet brand - find it near the cake mixes at Giant. It calls for one cup milk, 1 cup heavy cream. What I use is Nido brand powdered (whole) milk and use 1 cup mixed normal and one cup that's 1:1 water/Nido which is 'close' to heavy cream. The trick is to make it well before dinner and let it cool. I'll put it in a sealed plastic tub and then float it in a bucket of cool lake water to draw the heat out faster. I pre-make the caramelized topping at home by doing a sheet pad lined with foil with a thin layer of Demerara sugar in the oven at 375 until it flows out into basically candy glass. You have to really watch it cuz when it goes, you have to pull it out before it burns - there's a pretty short window. Let it cool, then crush it up and package it for trip. Just sprinkle on top when you're ready. Of course you could always torch it on the trip....but not in the plastic tub!!! The pear idea sounds awesome - just fill after cooling?
pd
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08/23/2024 10:15PM |
billconner: "I find fresh baked cake, muffins, and bread to be special and easy with a JMO. "
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09/12/2024 09:57AM |
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08/19/2024 12:59PM |
The search function never seems to work for me here. So apologies if I am repeating a topic that’s already in discussion.
I like a good mix of fresh and freeze dried or dehydrated food on my trips. The other day I ran out of my beloved Patagonia Provisions Green Lentil dried soup packets. Ditto my second all time favorite, their black bean soup. And I learned that Patagonia Provisions is no longer making these wonderfully seasoned, high quality meals. They’re focusing on fish instead.
I loved packing fresh add-in items that turned both those “soups” into almost gourmet meals my first couple nights. I would bring avocado, cheese, cilantro, limes and sour cream for the black bean soup. And I would toast French bread in olive oil with salt and pepper to go along. For the Green Lentil soup, I would bring fresh cumin and parsley etc. I felt like I was eating like a queen. Perhaps more important, these add ins help with presentation when you must divide the meal to share. I’d use up the cilantro or parsley in my eggs next morning. Lately I’ve taken to bringing bourbon pecan caramel sauce for my otherwise bland FirePot caramelised banana porridge.
Now that I need to develop a new menu of all time favorite camp meals, does anybody else have tips for add-ins that make certain camp meals (please name them) extra special and help with presentation? I’m taking a Northwoods newbie out on a trip early October, and so I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
Also, can anybody personally vouch for a lentil soup that is as tasty as Patagonia Provisions?
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08/19/2024 01:22PM |
TZ
(Sharing a meal from a pot in a cozy)
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08/19/2024 01:39PM |
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08/19/2024 01:56PM |
LaVirginienne, have you considred making your own lentil soup and deyhdrating it? Or maybe scouring the internet for Patagonia lentil soup still in stock?
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08/19/2024 02:23PM |
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08/19/2024 01:49PM |
LaVirginienne: "TrailZen, you two look so happy! Thanks for replying lol. If you hear any tips along these line please pass them along! And if you’re ever paddling by, bienvenue and mi casa es su casa "
Thanks! We are happy--that photo was taken in 2019 on our 47th anniversary at a site on Quetico's North Bay. We head back into the Q in a couple weeks, and our 52nd anniversary falls in the middle of the trip. Each of our dinner meals will be from a shared pot in a cozy, because we've turned into very weight-conscious paddlers who through the years have dropped what we consider 'luxury' items like plates, tables, table cloths, etc (the very things that make your presentation so pretty).
For many years we've also been dehydrating our own Canoe Country meals, and a couple years ago began taking some of our favorite dinners at home and, by modifying the proteins and/or other contents, tried dehydrating them. Most of these experiments worked out well, so if you have some dinners you really enjoy at home and you have a dehydrator, give that a try. I hope your October trip is a fabulous success!
TZ
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08/19/2024 02:24PM |
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08/19/2024 02:26PM |
Samsquatch: "I put Patagonia Provisions salmon on freeze dried Fettucine Alfredo from another brand. That definitely elevated the meal.
LaVirginienne, have you considred making your own lentil soup and deyhdrating it? Or maybe scouring the internet for Patagonia lentil soup still in stock?"
Great idea. I see that unless I reply with quote, nobody can see my direct replies.
Sorry!
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08/19/2024 03:07PM |
I'm a NOVA guy myself - not far up the road. Elevating dishes with some simple add-ins is super easy, fun and really brings the paddlers to the table! Okay...maybe hunger does that, but - it turns backwoods eating into backwoods dining. My crew has dubbed my kitchen 'portage dog's Wilderness Cafe' - a pop-up dining experience at wilderness lakes across the northlands. Most of my meals are off the grocery shelf basics, tuned up with a few things. Here are a few things I do -
smoked salmon over pesto pasta - add ins: smoked sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes, toasted pine nuts, asiago cheese crisps
instant potatoes - add ins: pretzel/cheese crisps or onion straws, diced smoked sausage
on salads (dandelion) or oatmeal - add ins: dried cranberries
bacon - on almost anything
balsamic glaze - on salads, the pesto pasta dish, sautéed Brussel sprouts
crushed Oreos on chocolate mousse dessert
finely diced apple mixed into tuna salad for sandwiches
red beans and rice - add ins: sliced smoked sausage, jalapeno crisps
honey or maple syrup on oatmeal or cream of wheat
crushed nuts (love pecans) on salads, mashed sweet potatoes, hot cereals
praline pecans on Jello brand cheesecake mix with a caramel or raspberry sauce drizzle or better yet - fresh berries
capers - on cream cheese and smoked salmon flatbread or bagels
Again, almost all of this stuff is sourced from grocery stores. There's a lot of foil pack 'snack' size things like olives, artichokes, pickles, etc. out there to liven up a meal. If you have a food sealer, it really helps to 'meal size' pack things like jarred olives, sun dried tomatoes, and plenty of other stuff. Bon apetit!
pd
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09/08/2024 07:50AM |
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08/19/2024 04:35PM |
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08/24/2024 07:54AM |
We like to do fish tacos with cabbage (travels well) , fresh cilantro, and lime. Very nice.
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08/23/2024 12:37PM |
OneMatch: "I think you should reconsider dehydrating. There really isn't a learning curve at all. I have the Nesco American Harvest unit and it's easy peasy.
I just dehyrdated 4 meals for my upcoming trip: chili, jambalya, veggie teriyaki and
fajitas. I also make a mean hash brown dish with bell pepper, mushrooms and onion mixed in, then dehydrate for an awesome fresh eggs and hashbrowns breakfast.
"
I bought a dehydrator two years ago. They aren't that expensive and dehydrating your own meals is easy. I watched a couple short YouTube videos with pointers and had no problems. I definitely prefer my home dehydrated camp food over the store bought variety...
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08/23/2024 06:25PM |
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08/23/2024 10:15PM |
billconner: "I find fresh baked cake, muffins, and bread to be special and easy with a JMO. "
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09/09/2024 04:33PM |
The second is Camp Chow: Camp Chow Soups
Having never tried Patagonia, not sure how these will compare.