Nature is Where Ever You Can Find It
Today’s destination: Scriber Lake. This is one of my favorite little hidden gems of a park. It may not be wilderness, but at least I got out today…
The park is right smack dab in the middle of Lynnwood, not more than a mile from a major mall. When I worked in this area, I used to come have my lunches here, watching the ducks and enjoying the paths. Once in awhile I was lucky enough to see beavers too.
The city park is 22 acres of wetland, with a half mile trail that goes around the lake. There are plenty of little hidden overlooks to watch the ducks and enjoy
the water lilies (in spring).
In places, the red osier dogwood, alders and other wetland plants form almost a tunnel over the paths.
Today, the Madster hiked the entire half mile without being carried or even whining a little (she’s two). The ducks were a HUGE hit with her, which made my day.
Totally worth taking the time to get out and enjoy the weather. Plus, I got to spend another great day with my daughter! I’ll bring her back here in a couple of months to see the water lilies in bloom and the fuzzy baby ducks. I’ll enjoy that as much as her!
Masala on the Trail?
Last night I tried the Chicken Tiki Masala. I did this at home, but only a few changes would be needed to change this into a backpacking meal. Other flavors of the spice blends include Punjabi Chhole (chickpeas), Rajmah (kidney beans), and Tandoori Chicken as well as several others.
Most of the spice blends are organic. Yes, you could put the blends together at home, but these mixes make it easy for someone who doesn’t have an overflowing spice rack and/or doesn’t want to got through the trouble of putting it all together. Some of the blends have 12 spices or more, so it would be a bit of work.
Instead of the chicken that they call for I used tofu. I also reduced the amount of fresh ginger (from a 1/4 cup down to 1-2 tablespoons) and fresh garlic (from 4 cloves down to 2). It seemed like it needed vegetables too, so I added some fresh broccoli, which COULD be done in the backcountry.
The result was a very spicy Indian dish, but very tasty. It would have been even better had I served it with rice.
To make this into a backpacking meal, you will need to swap out the tomato sauce for tomato powder, the fresh onions and garlic for flakes, and the fresh ginger for powdered. Add whatever vegetables you like. You can pack in firm tofu, a small can of chicken or dehydrated chicken to make up the protein portion of the dish. The package says serves 6, but it really serves more like 3-4.
Lemonade to Go!
I dumped 2 packets into a regular sized nalgene (32 ounces) and it was just about perfect. Not too sweet, and nicely tart. I made mine with tap water, but I can only imagine how good this would taste with ice cold, freshly filtered water in the back country.
I tried the pink lemonade flavor, but the Singles to Go also come in regular lemonade and cool raspberry flavors. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that it has artificial colors (but then again, I did buy the pink lemonade). Good stuff! I’ll buy this again.
Apple Chips – More Fun With the Dehydrator
They were sliced 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick (by hand!). This would be a lot easier with a mandolin or food processor, but I don’t have either, so I got to practice my knife skills.
Then I removed the cores. Again, this would be easier if you had an apple corer. The cores could be removed prior to slicing, but alas it is yet another kitchen gadget I am in need of. Instead, I used a TINY cookie cutter (usually reserved for appetizers and shortbread). Worked great! Alternately, you could cut the apples in half and remove the cores with a knife. You’ll just end up with crescents instead of rings.
I spread the apples in a single layer on lined dehydrator trays. Five apples took up three trays. I didn’t add anything to the apples for flavoring. They were nice and sweet, but if you wanted to, you could add a sprinkling of cinnamon before dehydrating. I’ve heard of people using Jello powder as a flavoring too, but I think that would be too sweet for my tastes.
I set the dehydrator at 145 degrees and turned it on. After about 2 hours, I checked on the apples. This is what they looked like. Starting to shrivel, but still very moist.
I wanted crunchy apple chips, not chewy ones, so I let the dehydrator run for about 8 hours. If you wanted a chewier final product, you will want to decrease this time. After allowing them to cool, store the dried apples in a zip locking plastic bag. Eat like potato chips.
I am wishing now I had done a full (8 trays) dehydrator full of them. My daughter LOVES the final result. And I love that I have a kid-friendly snack that is really tasty and healthy! Nothing but apples here folks. I have a feeling these aren’t going to make it to the trail, but I think I will be making them often.
Simple Foods For the Pack – Book Review
I have the second edition of Simple Foods for the Pack. I bought it way back when I first started hiking and backpacking because I was disgusted with the flavor and cost of freeze-dried meals. Unlike other “backpacking cookbooks” this one did not disappoint me! Published by the Sierra Club, this one has been around for a long, long time. With good reason.
After the expected introduction of water treatment, stoves and caring for the backcountry, the book is divided into two main sections; food to make at home, and food to make in camp. The at home section contains recipes for crackers, breads, dried fruits as well as spreads to go with these items.
Peanut Butter Fudge is one of the recipes in this section. Yum!
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy milk powder or regular milk powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup raw wheat germ
1/8-1/2 cup honey
Mix all ingredients together until they are thoroughly blended. Carry in a lidded plastic container and break of pieces as you wish.
The in camp section the recipes vary from almost instant hot breakfasts to more labor intensive things, like breads you can make in camp. I especially like the soup ideas. Simple, but creative and totally trail doable! Rice, noodles, lentils and potato flakes make up most of the dinner recipes, but they are utilized in innovative ways. For example, Lentil Tomato Stew, which has both lentils and pasta. There are some trail classics too, like Chili, Macaroni & Cheese and Spaghetti.
The recipes are mostly vegetarian, although the book does incorporate fish into some of them. The dessert section relies heavily on dried fruit and nuts.
Simple Foods for the Pack doesn’t use a lot of hard to find items either. Almost everything can be found either in your regular grocery store or at the health foods store (or aisle).
If you like putting your own trail meals together, this is a book you should absolutely have in your collection.
Pumpkin Seeds – With a Hefty Kick!
Organic, less than $2 for 4 ounces, crunchy and packs a nice spicy kick? YUM! I’ll take it. I just discovered Eden Organic’s Spicy Pumpkin Seeds. They are nice and crunchy. The spice comes from garlic powder, tamari and cayenne. Very easy to eat by the handfuls, but they would also be good mixed in with some dry fruit for a spicy trail mix. Dried apricots or mangoes would be excellent with them. An added bonus is the packaging is trail ready. They come in small, resealable bags. If you don’t like your trail snacks on the zesty side, Eden also offers a dry roasted and salted version of the pumpkin seeds. They have a whole line of 4 ounce snacks; dried fruits and nuts. Look for them to take on the trail!
Trail Dessert – Step by Step with Photos
Serves 4
1 package instant cheesecake mix
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 packet instant hot apple cider
1 2oz container caramel dip
1/2 cup dried apples, diced
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
At home: Combine cheesecake mix, powdered milk and apple cider in a zip locking plastic bag. Label this bag “Add 1 1/2 cups water”. In a second bag, combine spices and dried apples. You can put the caramel dip in this bag for storage. In a third bag, combine the crust mix, sugar and optional pecans. (Tip: You might want to divide the crust mix in half. It does make a lot of topping.)
In camp: Remove caramel dip from the apple bag and set aside. Add enough water to the apples to cover. Set them aside to rehydrate. Combine the cheesecake mix and water in your cooking pan. Stir well, breaking up any lumps. Allow to sit for a minute or two to begin setting up. Spoon or pour the caramel dip on top of the cheesecake, distributing as evenly as possible.
When the apples are rehydrated, top the caramel layer with them. Do not include any extra liquid from the bag.
Top the apple layer with the crust. Set aside until firm.
Dried Cantaloupe?
First, seed peel and thinly slice your cantaloupe. Place on lined dehydrator trays. You want your slices to be 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. One cantaloupe will fill about 4 dehydrator trays (will vary depending on your dehydrator and cantaloupe).
I set my dehydrator to 135*F and let it run. The slices were dry in about 4-5 hours. Let cool and put in a zip locking storage bag. Eat as a trail snack. Yum! Healthy snack for kids too. My toddler LOVES these. Enjoy!
Stretch Wraps
So I bought a package to test it out. It works!
The Stretch Wraps are made by Regency Wraps, Inc. who specializes in food service and gourmet cooking supplies. They are basically just a round piece of cheesecloth with an elastic edge, but they are the perfect size for the full-sized naglenes! They *might* work for the narrow mouth ones too, but you will have some loose material. I don’t have one or else I would have tried it.
Each package contains 12 Stretch Wraps and costs about $3. They weigh next to nothing, so I’m tossing a few into my cook kit for times when the water is looking a bit chunky.
