Mary Bell's Comp Dehydrator Cookbook by Mary Bell

Author:Mary Bell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Trail Food: Backpackers

Take Note

If you are a backpacker (as I am), canoeist, kayaker, or outdoor enthusiast of any kind, you undoubtedly already know how taking dehydrated foods on your trip can help to lighten your load. Even if you pursue more traditional modes of traveling, but dietary restrictions or food allergies necessitate taking your own supply of foods, you know what I am talking about. Foods, fresh or canned or packaged, weigh a lot and take up valuable space; dried foods weigh a lot less and are remarkably packable. Rid of water and heavy protective packaging, dried foods make the perfect traveling companions. Dried foods high in nutritional values supply the energy you need for a day of strenuous physical activity. And by drying your own food at home and packing it yourself, you have direct control over what it is you will eat, because you’ve made the meals and planned the menus. No longer are you limited to ready-made mixes or someone else’s idea of what’s good for you out on the trail.

The recipes throughout this book can be used to plan meals away from home, but this chapter, in particular, will show you some special combinations to prepare and dry—foods that you might not think of cooking at home, but that are worth their weight in gold out in the wilds. For example, consider dried wheat gluten as a high-protein meat substitute, or dried tofu, or already cooked dried grains a nourishing meal, with the addition of vegetables.

I believe the reasons some us of us want to live temporarily (at least) in the outdoors, to sleep under the stars, to breathe crystal-clear air, to view still wide-open unpeopled spaces are highly personal. There is the challenge of doing it, of course, and the knowledge of the dramatic effect nature has on our senses. Whatever the reasons for outdoor adventuring, of this I am sure: The same foods we eat at home seem to taste much better and are much more appreciated when eaten in the outdoors away from home.

There are those moments, though, when you are camping and it starts to rain. You are dripping wet, having lugged thirty-five pounds of gear all day on your back, and you still can’t find a suitable place to camp for the night. It’s at those times, when all I can think about is my cozy Victorian bed with fresh, clean linens waiting for me at home, that I ask myself, “Why do I do this?”

The answer lies in how the experience helps me grow. I see the spaciousness of life; old problems disappear as new insights are made. With my eyes and ears and nose, I respond afresh to everything—especially food. Eating is a great part of the fun of adventuring.

What follows are some of my more practical insights on the foods you can take backpacking. They involve, not surprisingly, having used your dehydrator before leaving on the trip!

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