backwoods menu/Wild tea.

[Rick]

You want to pick the tips (new growth) for the best flavor. I usually pick a stem about four inches long. If you look at a blue spruce, you can easily tell what is new growth and what is not. There's a very sharp difference in needle color. That would give you a decent reference with Red Spruce since the coloration doesn't differ that much.

I find that White Pine is a much milder tea and Red Spruce is a bit more flavorful and robust. Both have a nice clean flavor and are loaded with vitamin C (I've read 5 times that of an orange).

I usually rub the needles between my index finger and thumb to break them open and give more surface area to the water. Not enough to destroy the needles, however. Just enough to bring out the oil in them. I do the same thing to herbs by the way. It increases the flavor.

Some folks swear you should chop the needles but I've never done that. I just rinse the stems off, stick three or four sprigs in a cup and pour boiling water over them. I let steep about 10 minutes and enjoy.

Bon appetit!

[Last Mohican]

Does anyone have a good recipe for hardtack?

I just made a batch using:

4 cups rolled oats
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp salt

I baked it for half an hour @ 300 , flipped it over, cut into 3 inch squares, poked a bunch of holes, put it back in for another hour. After that take it out of the oven and let it sit overnight. The next day I put it back in the oven @ 200 for 2 hours or longer with the door slightly propped open.

It actually turned out pretty good. If anyone has any improvements, please let me know.

[FVR]

What is the consistancy of yours?

When I make it, it's like, really hard. It does taste good when there is nothing else.

[Sourdough]

Just buy Sailor Boy Pilotbread. Have you ever thought "FRUITCAKE". It has a half life of 200 years. Taste like Sh*t, but it will keep you alive, Maybe.....Plus you can use it for a brick if you are short of tent pegs.

[FVR]

For day trips, I just pick up a loaf of French bread. Take a little wine, cheese, crackers..........oh, oh, that's for a picnic. Just the bread sometimes.


At the rendezvous, I would leave pretty early, stop by Kroger and pick up one or two of their roasted chickens. After I set up camp and make a fire, I'd stick a stick through the chicken and stick it over the fire.

Pull and eat as necessary. I'd have two or three chickens depending on how many days I'd stay.

Always had roasted yardbird to eat.

[FVR]

I use to make apple pie in gallon jugs. After the first time, it was mand. that I bring apple pie.

I'd break it out at night after the firearms were put away.

Ya know, think I need to make some up.

[Last Mohican]

The dough is pretty thick when I mix it.

After it is finished baking and drying, it is hard enough to put a dent in a speed limit sign when thrown out the window @ 80 mph. Other than that it is pretty good. Just hope I don't break my teeth on it.

[Last Mohican]

P.S. I can't find pilot bread here in PA.
I thought about ordering it online. I read about it on wikipedia. They said it was big in Alaska.

[Sourdough]

P.S. I can't find pilot bread here in PA.
I thought about ordering it online. I read about it on wikipedia. They said it was big in Alaska.

Roger- roger, Ain't a private aircraft survival kit in Alaska that ain't half full of pilot bread.

Put some SPAM on it, and your eating like a real man.

[Proud American]

FVR-We talkin Gallon Milk jug!
I want to make SOME! Is it good? Im sorry Mohican but in my teenage mind it comes down to this......
Hardtack Never = Apple Pie!

[rt36crazyfists]

i was wondering what wild ingredients one can put in tea? i've heard but dont quote me, raspberry leaves, pine needles, willow wood? anything information to add on this? also what kind of pine needles would be useable? anything to stay away from?

[Sarge47]

I'm moving your post to the thread already started on this subject.

[Sarge47]

This is where your post belonged.

[Rick]

Sarge, I'm sorry but I don't know what you moved or where you moved it. I know this thread is on wild foods but I did a search and didn't find a hardtack thread. To answer LM's question, sorry if I posted wrong:

During the civil war, hardtack was often soaked in coffee (or what ever they were drinking at the time) to soften it up. You can add a little animal fat (bacon grease works) to the softened hardtack to improve the flavor a bit.

Here's a link to a bunch of recipes for hardtack. It also includes wild foods and their uses:

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/ba...9/recipes.html

Here's a place you can buy hardtack crackers:

http://www.bentscookiefactory.com/hardtack.htm

[Sourdough]

10-4
Rick, I agree. I understand someone has to keep order (be the adult). But why not let the new subject run for 10 days, or till there are no new posts for 3 days. At that point sticky it where it belongs.

[corndog-44]

Not sure where to put this but can a person become sick by eating half-raw meat?

[nell67]

well you do run the risk of some nasty little parasites,and they can make you sick.

[Rick]

Are you talking about wild game? Fish? Domestic meats (cow, pig)?

[corndog-44]

Are you talking about wild game? Fish? Domestic meats (cow, pig)?

Eating half-raw meat would apply to all meat. Do you really trust meat inspectors at the packing houses? Not me. And domestic meats that are homestead grown are home-butchered a lot of times.

[Last Mohican]

Thanks Rick. I will have to check those sites out. I guess the hardtack thing is hereditary. Since the French and Indian war, my family has been in infantry divisions in the army including myself. I was an M-60 totin' ground-pounding grunt for six years.
I must be a glutten for punishment.