I'm asking for some recipes...
I just got back from an overnight trip just outside Annapolis, MD. The Naval Academy had some neat things going on, so we spent Friday night down there at a campsite just outside the city, and spent Saturday at the Academy. We had fun and all, but I realized a couple things. One was that I need a couple recipes:
1. Some sort of trail food. Most stuff is pretty expensive, and the rest is so processed and unhealthy that I might as well just take cans Crisco and a spoon. Ideas? I'm especially interested venison jerky recipes, but if you have any good trail mix combinations or anything else, I'd love to hear it!
2. I need a lunch recipe, too. I've got some Dutch Oven books, and a Civil War recipe book, but they mostly have breakfasts, breads, and dinners. I prefer a recipe that I could use on a weeklong trip (light, compact, easy to cook in a frying pan or mess kit, and not dependent on extended refrigeration). As of now, I think dehydrated soups and such would be good, and I like Ramen Noodles, but it's nice to have something homemade. Thoughts?
3. I'd like a recipe for some sort of dessert. Just like the one above, I'd like to be able to take it backpacking or camping for a longer period of time than an overnight.
I appreciate any replies and ideas, I'm sure that I'm not the only one benefitting from them. Thanks for reading, please reply. Also, I'll be posting questions in other threads, so watch out!
misc ideas snacks and meals
Some of the differences between beef flank and some wild game like venison, elk, wild boar are that wild game will typically be leaner therefore less shrinkage, may be tougher so cut thin cross grain depending on part of animal. Personally I would never use backstrap/tenderloin for jerky. Perhaps shoulder or ham, I pull out ligaments or cut across them.
I like a mix of nuts and seeds for snacks on the trail, they are relatively high in protein and complex carbs and some fat is good for you and digests slowly. Which ones depends on your personal taste. Buy in bulk from bins at super market. I like sunflower, almond, peanut, but for variety even pumpkin seed is OK not great. If I need a quick lunch while hiking or kayaking I use vacuum packs of tuna/salmon/chicken/beef on flat bread but if car camping there are great Dutch Oven recipes online at several sites that taste MUCH better. One friend of mine peels fresh apples and makes a great cobbler, I am more lazy and use mostly ready to eat canned or frozen items, boxed cake mixes etc. Most is personal preference and depends on your method of camping and transportation.
Edit:
Quick Lunch Idea: Not as good as fresh but when I don't have a cooler I have used vacuum packs of chicken (bit better than dehydrated) heat up in fry pan put on flat bread (tortilla), add whatever veggie. If I have a large enough pot and time I will add fast cook rice or noodles to boiling water, then meat, then freeze dried vegetables, i.e. one pot meal. A dry soup mix or tiny ziplock bag of premixed spices. Also root crops like large carrot scrubbed and cut up and cooked with rice/noodles is also a good choice. Fresh carrot or sweet potato lasts a long time (days perhaps) with no cooling.
There are several online sources of dehydrated vegetables and fruit by the pound that seem very expensive but when you consider that most of these items fresh or frozen in the grocery store are mostly water then the price per pound is really not that high dehydrated. If you buy a lot of something in season fresh you can also dry it yourself in just about any oven (wire tray) with a regular light bulb small fan for a day or two or buy a good quality dehydrator if you do this often. Wife is like, what the hey! I want to bake a pizza! LOL
Snacks in mylar vacuum seal bags
If you make or buy snacks in bulk then re-package them in smaller amounts for snack or small meals throughout the day one of the best ways is in plastic or mylar bags sealed with a vacuum seal machine. But it is also possible to do this with just a common iron typically used to press clothes. Some people also use a shop vac and a steel bar or pipe. It is easiest to do this with dry foods but also possible to "pot" wet cooked meat (hot) then reheat to sterilize. This is most popular with backpackers not car campers because obviously packing a ice cooler much easier and there are more food options available on ice. There are several online retailers that sell many sizes of mylar or plastic bags for about 20 cents to $1 each in various quantities. Here is a youtube video showing one method but it is not the best, there is probably a better video I just could not find one. Best to experiment with something simple like peanuts or noodles first. Oxygen observers only necessary if you are storing for a long time. Extra large bag if you want to add hot water to cook a meal in bag like Mountain House or Backpackers Pantry etc.
http://youtu.be/uf2GJXJ3KRY
Another method is using the extra fat plastic straws and sealing the ends with heat. I have filled these with peanut butter, also Almond, Cashew and other snacks. There are some YT videos of this but its is fairly obvious. These are popular with some triathlon, and endurance racers.
