Backpacking Food

Backpacking Food Mantras:

• weight = bad! water = weight Conclusion: Don't buy/carry food with water.

• Universal cooking instructions:

  1. heat one pot of water

  2. add ingredients

  3. stir

  4. eat

• You should be able to find all backpacking foods you need in supermarket.

• Cooking is NOT an exact science, don't worry about:

  • exact measurements

  • substitutions

• there are no refrigerators, meaning: no eggs, butter, meat, milk, cheese, etc.

• keep packaging to a minimum. you will have to pack out non-burnable trash.

• eating utensils:

  • Cool Whip bowl (or Frisbee)

  • plastic cup (measured)

  • spoon

  • jack-knife

• use pre-packaged pre-measured ingredients in baggies (do the pre-packaging at home)

• Think of 'what you want to eat?', then then figure out how to make it.

• Carbs are good (cheap, light, high energy), E.G. pasta, rice, instant mashed potatoes, noodles, etc.

• fresh fruit/veggies are good, but hard to backpack

• food/trash needs to be secured at night (to keep away from critters) in a “Bear Bag”

• beware of bulky/fragile foods

• Freeze-dried foods are TOO expensive.

• MRE's are OK, but they're: expensive, heavy, not readily available, limited selections, bulky, produces a lot of non-burnable trash

Sample 3-day Menu:

Recipes:

Chili (feeds 6):

• 2 2/3 cups boiling water

• 1 beef bouillon cube

• 3 1/3 cup of Worthington GranBurger (available at Shaw's)

• 1 package of Wick Fowler's chili mix (or Shelby's or ...)

• 1 4.5oz tube of tomato paste

• add more water as needed

  Optional: Instant Mexican Refried Beans (add more water)

Tuna-Mac (feeds 3):

• Tuna-Mac (feeds 3)

• 1 package of Lipton/Knorr vegetable soup (or 1 can of veggies)

• 1 package of Kraft Mac & cheese DELUXE

• 1 can of tuna (or ham or chicken)

  (Please note: a pouch of tuna is too expensive)

Pasta (feeds 3):

• 1 chicken bouillon cube

• 1 package of Barilla Tortelloni (or other pasta ... )

• 1 package of instant pesto sauce (or tomato sauce or ... )

• 1 package of lipton vegetable soup

Oriental chicken in peanut sauce (feeds 3):

• at home put following in a sealable baggie:

  • 2 Tbs peanut butter (chunky is good)

  • 2 Tsp soy sauce

  • 1 Tsp chinese hot oil

  • 1 Tbs sm ginger chunks (available Xmas time @Trader Joes)

• cook 3 packages of Raman chicken noodles

• add 2 3oz cans of chunk chicken

• add sauce from baggie

Cream pie in a bag (feeds 4):

• 2 packages of instant pudding

• 1 package dried milk (makes 1 qt of milk)

• 1 qt (32oz) COLD water

• put above in a 48oz containter, shake well for 2 minutes,

• serve into cups,

• then add Oreo cereal/granola/etc.

  examples: chocolate pudding & rice crispies, cheesecake filling, crushed graham crackers & wild blueberries, banana cream & grape nuts

Power bars (Hudson's Bay bread from Boy's Life 6/97, pg 46):

mix in a large bowl (make this before the trip):

• 2 cups white sugar

• 2 cups margarine

• 1/2 cup KARO syrup

• 9 1/2 cups rolled oats (AKA oatmeal)

stir in:

• 1 cup sliced almonds, coconut, chocolate ships, etc.

spread 1/2" think on a greased pin, bake @ 350F for ~18 mins until golden brown

cut into 12 bars

Instant breakfast:

in a 1 quart wide mouthed water bottle, add:

• 2 packages Carnation Instant Breakfast

• 1 package of dried milk (enough to make 1 quart)

• 1 qt cold water

shake

Fudge:

• 3 oz. cream cheese

• 1 stick butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 lb powdered sugar

• 1/2 cup cocoa

• 1 large Ziploc freezer baggie

Mix all ingredients together in the bottom of the baggie. Once all the ingredients are sticking together in a ball and is pulling away from the bag, it's done. Grab a spoon and eat right out of the bag. Seal bag and refrigerate leftovers.

Garrett's Gorp (Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts):

put in sealable freezer baggie:

• M&M's

• shelled roasted salted nuts (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.)

• granola cereal (or non-sugar'd cereal like: Chex, Cheerios, etc)

• optional: dried fruit (like: raisins, cherries, apricots, etc.)

• optional: small crackers (like: goldfish, etc.)

• remnants from the bottom of cereal/cracker boxes

References:

• Cooking (USSSP)
• Cooking for Scouts and Scouters (MacScouter)
• Cybercook
• Simple Food Suggestions with Backpacking Equipment List

HOMEWORK:

go to a supermarket (like Victory/Demoulas/Shaws/Trader Joe's/ etc.) and make lists of:

• non-refrigerator meats or meat substitutes (proteins):

• sources of carbs:

• non-canned/non-refrigeratorable veggies (dried):

• breakfast options:

• deserts: