Backpacking Tips: Food

TIPS ON FOOD

"The wind walks wildly
in the trees
tonight."
--Joseph Trumbull Stickney--

 

Yucky looking water

When refilling water bottles a few years ago, we saw little critters swimming in the water bottle. Several refillings did not solve the problem. Then we tried pouring the water through a bandana and it worked as a fine filter.

Iodine-Flavored water

If you despise iodine-flavored water but prefer the convenience of iodine treatment over boiling or carrying a filter/pump, pour in a sugar-free flavoring of your choice about 30 minutes after treating the water. Crystal Light works well. I switched to the sugar- free last year after realizing I was carrying an extra pounds every time I packed regular flavorings. Also, Potable Aqua now has a bottle of chemical magic (vitamin C tablets?) which, when later added to iodine-treated water , gets rid of the discoloration and funny taste.

Heather Ross, director of Winged Boot Womens Backpacking, likes to add a slice of lime, lemon, or a vitamin C tablet to iodined water to kill the bad taste. She also suggests carrying a little baggie dried mint, saying "it really gives a lift and encourages constant hydration breaks."

Chuck Horner suggests using powdered East India brand cinnamon tea to mask the iodine taste.

Trail snacks

Zip locks full of jelly beans provide energy without fat content, survive weather extremes well, and provide a variety of flavors. If there is a color you don't like, don't pack it! I also pack separate zip locks of cashew nuts, licorice bites, and raisins.

A quick trail lunch

Healthy, tasty, quick, and easy: take a couple of tortillas, a small can of chunk tuna fish in water, and a couple of small restaurant packs of mayonnaise. Spread some Mayo on a tortilla, top it with a half can of tuna per tortilla, roll it up, and dine fine. The empty can and empty Mayo packet go back into the zip lock and into your trash bag, taking up little room and weighting nearly nothing.

PB&J and mac & cheese (no, not together!)

Candace Aulick from Walton, KY, always takes peanut butter/jelly sandwiches which she makes prior to the trip. She says they provide a great boost in energy and protein and keep for 3 or 4 days on the trail. Another of her favorites is a box of macaroni and cheese (in a zip-lock bag) to which she adds a can of tuna fish after the macaroni is cooked. Thanks Candace!

Carrie (like me) spreads the peanut butter on both slices of bread which doubles the pb taste and keeps the jam from leaking through.

Thai noodles in place of Ramen

Carrie likes Thai noodles. They are light in weight, easy to prepare with just hot water, and, she says, taste better than Ramen. She likes the Coconut Ginger noodles from Taste of Thai, and combines them with a small can of chicken.

Trail mix and jerky

R. Selman likes jerky, granola bars, and trail mix for lunches, making his own combo of trail mix with peanuts, sunflower kernels, raisins, M&Ms, and dried cherries. He also makes his own jerky so it isn't as dry and hard as store bought stuff. He also carries the backpacker oven so he can make fresh jalapeno cornbread to go with his beans and rice, and also makes muffins and biscuits to go with gravy on cold mornings.

Black beans, rice, and meat

Gary of San Ramon suggests you get mahatma black beans and rice with seasoning packet, make the rice according to the directions, and then add your favorite meat (i. e. tuna, chunky chicken, spam, smoked sausage, pepperoni). It is very tasty after a hard day of hiking.

Cook-less backpacking

"Coyote" suggests you leave your stove, fuel, and cookset at home when you go on a short trip, carrying instead foodstuffs that don't require cooking such as sausage, cheese, tortillas, tuna fish, breakfast bars, dried fruit, etc.

MREs

 

Lee E. suggests you use MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for 2 or 3 day trips. He says they can be bought at military surplus stores and over the Internet. He cautions that they do weigh a pound each, but there is no need for a stove or fuel, no hassle of cooking them, and they provide a good, substantial meal.

Tony L. adds: You can lighten the weight by cutting a slit below and perpendicular to the seal to remove the contents. Discard the cardboard from all pouches EXCEPT the main entree (needed to heat meal with included heater). Çheck all dinner "extras" and discard any you don't want. Put contents back into pouch and tape the slit with packing tape.

Salad on the trail

Mark G. of Helena, Montana, packs salad fixings to be shredded in the backcountry, and while cooking dinner, has the vegetables marinating in vinegar and oil with a dry Italian dressing mix. He also suggests soy sauce and rice vinegar as a quick salad dressing idea.

Grits!

Will Holman of Maryland is a Star Scout and he recommends grits for the trail. He says they are light, cheap, and only need boiling water. He suggests you add maple syrup or cheese and eggs for breakfast, or have them for supper with gravy. Finally, he comments that they are filling and packed with carbohydrates.

Meals by Mark

Marc Rimmer, age 14, is already a huge hiker and suggests these meals: breakfasts of packaged noodles and granola bars; lunches of bagels with jam or peanut butter, or wheat thins with cheese or jam or PB; suppers of dried soups or pita pizzas (fry pita in margarine with canned meat, salsa, and cheese), or powdered eggs.

Teenager GORP recipe from Mark

Nuts, dried apricots, peanuts, raisins, rolled oats, banana chips, and M&Ms or chocolate chips.

Stovetop Stuffing

Jeremy Boik pre-measures the dry mix at home and adds water and margarine on the trail. He says it makes a great hot snack and doesn't take much room in the pack.

Cornish hens

Marc Healy packs frozen cornish hens on backpacks. They are individually wrapped, and as they thaw slowly they serve as an ice pack, keeping drinks, cold cuts, etc. cool. They weigh a couple pounds each so eat them early on the trip. They do produce condensation while thawing.

Scrambled eggs

Shelley Schafer of Canada suggests you precook scrambled eggs and sausage at home and store them in a Ziplock bag which you then freeze. At camp, put the bag in boiling water for a few minutes, and breakfast (or supper) is served. You have to eat it the 1st day out but it makes for a nice change from the other foods you will be eating.

"Killer" salad and fruit cocktail

Jim Stewart from California also likes a "killer salad" the first night out. He buys a bag of romaine lettuce or spinach, pre-packaged with a packet of dressing and croutons, and at camp adds his own pre-cut carrots, onions, and green peppers. The next morning he enjoys his homemade fruit cocktail, made with dried fruit purchased at the health food store. He carries in Ziplocks of 1/2 cup each of dried pineapple, raisins, mango, papaya, prunes, and figs. He lets them soak overnight in a water bottle and cautions you NOT to use the "sulfurized" stuff.

Suppers and snacks by Jess

Jess suggests instant chili Mac using 1 packet of Mac and cheese (in a zip lock baggy, the box is to much bulk) and toss in a half-sized can of chili of choice. A can of beef stew can substitute for the chili.

Freeze a medley of mixed vegetables and diced meat of choice and wrap in foil. The frozen packet keeps things cool in your pack. They will slowly defrost as you hike and be thawed by the end of the day. Toss the foil in/on fire or in boiling water and cook until done.

For the second day you can take peas, rice, or beans and soak them overnight and as you hike the next day. When you are ready to stop for dinner the following evening, they are hydrated and cook fairly easily and quickly. You can toss in a tablespoon of home dried peppers of choice for flavor and even a bit of onion flakes and meat of choice to make an improvised chili, or pea soup.

If one wants to get gourmet they could even bring some fresh green beans (they travel well), a handful of peanuts or cashews, and dried shrimp found in many Asian markets, or even a small can of meat, for a quick stir fry.

I would also advocate bringing a baggy or two of carrot sticks and celery sticks. They travel well, make wonderful snacks, and cook up well. The idea of having fresh food instead of freeze dried or even canned, is a major psychological boost at the end of a long day.

For breakfast or a snack , make a mix of oatmeal, nuts, M&Ms, brown sugar, salt, dried fruit, and even powdered milk or cocoa. Divide it into two parts. Mix 1 with caro syrup and the other part with peanut butter. Then add the two mixtures when the syrup and peanut butter are absorbed. It makes a good trail mix snack, and you can add hot water for a hot breakfast.

PB&J for the trail

For peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that will *really* last, spread a little butter on the bread before applying the peanut butter and jelly; this will prevent the jelly from soaking in, and you won't be eating soggy sandwiches by the third day. (From Chris in Lincoln, NE)

Trail dessert

Also from Chris: There's an East Indian dessert that can be made easily on the trail: One cup of cream of wheat with two cups of water; add in a teaspoon or two of ground cardamom and cook until the water is almost gone (about 10 minutes); add in raisins and almonds and let it sit. Eat it at normal room temperature. This is a simplified version; make it at home first and see what it needs to fit your taste.

Trail burritos

Kurt uses 1 pkg. of freeze dried black beans, a small can of green chili peppers, and a can of chicken. Hydrate and heat the beans, add the chicken and peppers, heat some more, roll into tortillas, and 2 can eat, all with 1 pan and no plates.

Easy breakfast

Scott from Austin suggests you mix sweetened cereal and powdered milk together in a freezer zip-lock at home. Then add water on the trail for a fast easy breakfast. Laura from Kansas City discovered that hot chocolate mix tastes much better than powdered milk when used on cereal.

Lunch on the trail

Scott also mentions that French bread is nearly indestructable, and with mayo packets, canned tuna, and your favorite spices (i.e. Cajun seasoning, comino, chili powder, garlic salt), makes a quick, tasty lunch.

Adding flavor to suppers

Toss some minced onions or green peppers or garlic into water being boiled for instant rice, couscous, mashed potatoes, etc. for some added flavor (from Scott again). They don't weigh much and really help spice up suppers.

Improving instant potatoes

 

Randy from St. Petersburg, FL, adds 1 or 2 tablespoons of instant coffee creamer to water when preparing instant potatoes, thus giving them a richer, creamier taste.

Oatmeal!

Tom from Greenville, SC, reminds us that oatmeal is an easy meal (just add water) and can also be added to nearly everything for additionalflavor and nutrition.

Vegetarian snacks

 

Teenager Jennifer enjoys protein powder, tofu, and peanut butter while hiking, and also says that Nature Valley Granola Bars make great trail snacks. Both chewy and crunchy are available, all in a various flavors. Her favorite is banana nut.

Pouches of tuna 

 

Craig from Virginia Tech suggests using the new single-serving pouches of tuna (or chicken or salmon) in place of canned tuna. They weigh less, take up less space, and are easier to carry out as trash. He even saw one variety called garlic-herb tuna, so tasty possibilities are becoming available. 

Trail sandwiches

 

Craig also suggests sandwiches of pre-cooked bacon wrapped in a tortilla with salad greens as an alternative to jerky.

Snacks for sweaters

Liz and Wendy from Phoenix say they must have vinegar and salt Pringles after a long day of sweating, and then they use the empty can for trash.

Pasta and pesto

 

Liz and Wendy also have a favorite dinner - packaged, dried Italian filled pasta (usually tortellini) which is boiled and then has a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto added. (They admit it is heavy to carry, so they either eat it the first night or stash it in a sealed cookie tin at their water cache for the last night on their way back out.)

Real eggs on the trail

Mike from Sussex, WI suggests you mix 2 eggs, milk, and your favorite seasonings at home, put it in a zip lock bag, and pop it in your freezer. That way it will stay cool on the trail for a day or so. Place the bag in boiling water until the eggs are cooked for a breakfast (or supper) of real eggs, all without having dishes to wash. (Pack out the bag of course, using it to carry whatever other waste you have to pack out.)

Simplify cleaning your pot 

Glenn from Charleston, SC, coats the pot's bottom and lower sides (exterior only!) with liquid dish soap BEFORE cooking, thereby making cleanup a breeze. Any soot from the stove or fire washes right off. Be careful not to contaminate the inside of the pot while preparing the food or you'll regret it!

Brine is fine!

B. Nicholson from Tampa says that if your tummy feels crummy, swig a little brine! There's nothing like salt water to kill pesky little tummy germs! The fact of the matter is that most disease causing organisms can't stand salt (they're halophobic), so knocking back an occasional mouthful aids digestion and quells most stomachaches instantaneously. Humans must replenish salt lost via perspiration and healthy kidneys dispose of any excess sodium chloride (NaCl). This is only for healthy people, though, so if you are concerned, ask you family physician.

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