Backpacking Meals - Specialty Materials

This post will focus on the specialty materials used to prepare different meals at home for remote backpacking trips where weight matters and simplicity is required. Simplicity and low weight do not mean you are limited on your menu if you are willing to experiment a little. I also do not want to poison myself by using the wrong container to prepare meals, so a little research is in order as well. Most meals are contained in one or more plastic bags. Everything to prepare the meal is in the bag except the water which is where the majority of food weight comes from.

The first material item is the food itself. I used freeze dried and dehydrated food items. Freeze dried and dehydrated foods can be purchased from several manufacturers and most of them are available through Amazon.com. I have tried the places below and recommend them.

• Mountain House: http://www.mountainhouse.com
• Emergency Essentials: http://beprepared.com
• Honeyville: http://honeyville.com
• Augason Farms: http://www.augasonfarms.com/
• Mother Earth Products: http://www.motherearthproducts.com/
• Packit Gourmet: https://www.packitgourmet.com/AllGrocery.html
• Harmony House Foods: http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/

The next material item is the container in which the meals are stored and many times are also prepared within. Special plastic bags designed to have boiling water poured in them or bags that are designed to be placed in boiling water are used for these meals. ZipLoc brand freezer bags are not designed for either of these purposes. The plastic in ZipLoc freezer bags softens under these conditions and can melt which can release toxic stuff we should not ingest. I do use these types of bags to keep items separated withing the main bag on occasion though. The bags listed below are the types I recommend.

• opentip.com: http://m.opentip.com/product_info.php?products_id=8412154 These bags are used for pouring boiling water in to. I use the 16 oz, 25 oz and 34 oz sizes. The 25 oz size seems to be the right size for a one person meal without any extras. The other two sizes are handy in other circumstances.
• Weston 30-0206-W Vacuum Zipper Seal Bags (50 Count), 6" x 10": Amazon Link. These bags are used for immersing in boiling water to cook the contents in the bag. These are made to be used with a vacuum sealer and are primarily used to cook eggs.

Travel sized condiments and food preparation items can greatly enhance the flavor of meals and still maintain a level of simplicity. Many of these items can be found at fast food restaurants, food bars and convenience stores. For specialty items in this class I recommend the places listed below.

• minimus.biz: http://www.minimus.biz/FoodMain.aspx
• Packit Gourmet: https://www.packitgourmet.com/CondimentsSeasonings.html
• Webstaurant Store: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/48631/condiments.html

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Disclaimer: Do your own research and find what works for you. I have done that for myself and I feel comfortable with the items I use. The information above should help get you started.

New Series - Backpacking Meals

It has been several years since I have posted anything on this blog. I tend to focus on certain food related areas like bread, pizza, canning, etc. At the moment I am focusing on creating just-add-water meals for backpacking. I have learned a lot about this topic over the last few month and thought I would share my learning and my recipes on this blog. It seems appropriate.

I'll start off with a few entries on technique and materials and then get into some suggestions on how to "cook" the food and then I'll post recipes as I develop and test them.

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Canned Cherries

 This past spring I was in canning mode and wanted to try cherries. My primary motivation was to be able to make a completely homemade cherry pie during the holidays. I used big plump bing cherries. I know ... I know ... I violated some kind of culinary law because I didn't use tart or sour cherries .... so what!

  The toughest part of the whole ordeal was pitting the cherries, but what can you do about it .. they have to come out. I got a cherry pitter from my local cooking gadget store and went to town. I started with about 20 lbs of cherries and it took me about 1.5 hours to get through them all. I washed them real good before starting and after I was done pitting. The rest is cake (or pie as it were).

Canned Cherries in Simple Syrup (7 quarts)

20 lbs cherries, pitted (about 3 lbs per quart)

10 c water

10 c sugar

  Combine equal parts water and sugar to form the simple syrup (also known as heavy syrup) in a large sauce pan on med high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Just before the liquid boils turn the heat down to med low to stay hot. Fill your jars with cherries to the shoulder leaving at least an inch head room. Ladle hot syrup in to each jar covering cherries and leaving 1/2 inch head space. Release any air bubbles in the jar. Adjust two-piece canning lids. Process pints and quarts for 25 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Enjoy!

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam (about 6 half-pints)
2 c strawberries, roughly chopped
2 c rhubarb, chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
5 1/2 c sugar
1 c homemade pectin (recipe here)

Combine berries, rhubarb, pectin and lemon juice in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot sterilized canning jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust two-piece canning lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Enjoy

Blueberry Jam

Blueberry Jam (about 6 half-pints)

4 1/2 c blueberries, roughly chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
5 c sugar
1 c homemade pectin (recipe here)

Combine berries, pectin and lemon juice in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot sterilized canning jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust two-piece canning lids. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Enjoy!

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Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam (about 8 half-pints)
2 qts strawberries, roughly chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
7 c sugar
1 c homemade pectin (recipe here)

Crush chopped strawberries. Combine berries, pectin and lemon juice in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot sterilized canning jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust  two-piece canning lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Enjoy!

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Homemade Pectin

  Pectin gives jellies and jams structure so they don't run all over the place. I don't mind the structure and I actually prefer it, but I do mind the preservatives that many of the packaged pectins seem to have not to mention the price. This year I decided to make my own pectin. Lo and behold, I am not the only one to ever think of it. Guess what? This is how they used to do it before you could buy it in a box or a tube! Imagine that!

  You need a bunch of green, unripened apples. When I say green apples I don't mean Granny Smith apples, I mean apple that are not ripe yet regardless of what color they will turn when they are ripe. It turns out green unripened apples are very high in natural pectin. I was able to get my apples from an old tree where I work that almost nobody even realizes is there. If you don't have your own orchard or know someone that does, chances are you can find an apple tree somewhere nearby that is in need of attention. And since it is early in the season when these apple are harvested, they are still in pretty good shape before the insects get hold of them later in the summer.

  The trick is to get the pectin concentrated and in a form you can add to your jelly and jam recipes. I washed the apples good, chopped them up in my food processor and cooked them down in the biggest pot I have. Drained the liquid off and canned it for later use. The process I used is located here. I have also reproduced the text found at this link below in case the original is ever deleted.

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HOMEMADE PECTIN STOCK


From Harriet Fasenfest, Co-owner, Preserve

1. Put 3-4 pounds chopped apples in a non-reactive pan. Add enough water to barely cover apples and bring to a boil. Lower temperature immediately and let simmer until soft, approximately 20-30 minutes.

2. Pour apples and liquid through a fine sieve into a second pot. Without stirring, let this liquid drain overnight.

3. Bring liquid to a boil and cook until it has reduced to half its original volume.

4. Test pectin content (see instructions below) and continue to cook if necessary.

5. Once liquid pectin reaches the desired strength, store it in the fridge or freezer.

Testing the Pectin Level

I admit to loving this part. To determine the amount of pectin in your liquid, put 1 teaspoon of the liquid on a plate and add 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to the mix. Swirl the mixture around until clots start to form. It will amaze you, but it will happen: You will know the strength of the pectin by the size of the clots.

You want a fairly large viscous clot to indicate strong pectin. Weak pectin will show up as several small, scattered clumps. If that is the case, bring the liquid back to a boil and reduce further. And toss out the test batch-you don't want to return that to the pot. Once the pectin reaches the desired strength, refrigerate, freeze, or can it until you make jam. It will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Using Homemade Pectin

As a general guide, 2/3 cup of liquid pectin is enough to set 4 cups of low-pectin prepared fruit or fruit juice. Here again, you have room for whimsy. If you use strawberries (low in pectin) alone, use the full amount of liquid pectin. If you throw in a few currants (high in pectin) with the strawberries, use less liquid pectin. If you use half currants and half strawberries, you might not need any liquid pectin at all.

In the end, willingness to learn by trial and error and to love whatever the outcome is what will win the day.

Posted by Deborah Kane on March 2, 2007 11:55 AM
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