THE BWCA COOKBOOK
by Ken E. Brown
Rule of thumb amounts:
Pancake Mix - Krusteaze, 1 cup per person per meal needed.
Biscuit Mix - Jolly Baking Mix or Bisquick, 1/2 cup per biscuit.
Cooking Oil - About 1 oz per person per day seems to work.
Syrup - About 2 oz per person per meal needed.
Butter - 1/2 stick per person per day.
Potatoes - 1 large or 2 small per person per meal. Freeze dried if packing.
Bacon - 4 slices per person per meal.
Eggs - 2 large or 3 medium per person per meal (or powdered equivalent).
Noodles - Angel Hair cooks faster than spaghetti, tastes great, and works well. 3 ounces per person per meal.
GORP - A one gallon zip-lock bag is enough for four people on a five day canoe trip (providing there is other snack food as well).
Granola Bars - 1 1/2 per person per day (providing there is other snack food as well).
Pita Bread - 2 per person per lunch.
Hard yellow cheese - 4 ounces per person per week.
Hard Salami - one small per two people per week (variable).
Venison Jerky - One quart zip-lock bag per person per week (perhaps slightly less).
Jelly - One squeeze bottle for a group of up to six should last a week. (put in a zip-lock bag). (For a small group for a couple of days, use the packets from restaurants).
Peanut butter - One small jar (plastic) for a group of up to six should last a week.
3 Teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon
2 Tablespoons = 1 liquid ounce
16 Tablespoons = 1 cup
1 cup = 8 ounces
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups = 1 quart
1/2 pound margarine = 1 cup
1 pound of sugar = 2 cups
1 pound of brown sugar = 3 cups
1 cup chopped nuts = 1/4 pound
64 marshmallows = 1 lb.
No. 10 can holds about 12 cups of water.
1 level Sierra cup holds 1 1/8 cups water.
1 standard sized plastic insulated cup hold 1 1/3 cups water.
1 medium onion = 2 Tablespoons of minced dry onions.
1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1/2 teaspoon of dry herbs.
1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1/4 teaspoon of powdered herbs.
1 cup sour milk = 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon of vinegar.
1 cup sour cream = 1/3 cup butter, 2/3 cup milk & 1 Tablespoon vinegar.
1 cup milk = 1/4 cup powdered milk stirred into 1 cup water.
Let stand 15 minutes.
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THE FIRST NIGHT SUPPER
I like a special treat for the first night out -- fresh food (the rest of my trips are mainly dehydrated fare). Generally, on the first day I don't travel as far with picking up permits, traveling to the put-in, getting the car unloaded, getting the party organized for the first time, and other front-end activities. Also, everyone, generally, is fresh and, usually, excited. So carrying the extra weight of fresh food on day one isn't so bad (but still, you want to use it up the first night).
This first night dinner uses minimal dishes. The time saved washing dishes can be spent relaxing, playing cards, talking. However, coals are needed, so first I gather firewood and build a nice (but small) campfire. I make sure there is plenty of wood. We need a good bed of coals and we'll want enough wood for a campfire tonight. Then I help get camp set up as the fire coals up, but only if I can safely tend the fire at the same time. If I can't tend it, someone is assigned. No unattended fires, please! This is what I like for the menu:
Baked Potatoes with sour cream & chives topping
Corn-On-The-Cob
Beef Steaks
Desert (Vanilla Pudding?)
Baked Potatoes
Wrap baking potatoes in heavy duty foil before leaving home. Put them in the campfire coals in camp. Turn frequently. They may take an hour or more. They should feel slightly soft when pressed. Serve with butter, salt, and pepper. Another neat topping is to take the sour cream and chives packet from a sour cream and chives box potato side dish. Mix it up with a little warm water and --sour cream and chives topping for your baked potato!! (use the dehydrated potatoes from the box mix in another recipe).
Corn-On-The-Cob
Soak the unhusked corn in the lake for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 2 hours. It may have to be weighted down with a rock. Watch out for critters trying to rob you! Shake off the excess water and throw the corn right on the coals. Turn frequently. It should take 20 - 25 minutes to cook. Corn should feel slightly soft when pressed. Peel back the husk to use as a handle. Season with butter, salt, and pepper.
Steaks
There is a company named, "No Name Steaks" which sells frozen, individually sealed steaks, usually six to a box. I like them because of the extra protection of the vacuum sealing. I try to keep them frozen solid for as long as possible. I take them from my home freezer to the ice chest and transport to the put-in. In the BWCA there is a lot of portaging and so I do not take a cooler along. The last thing I do before we shove off in the canoes is take the frozen (or nearly so) steaks from the cooler, wrap them in newspapers, put them into a large plastic bag, and stash them in the food pack. When it is time to cook the steaks, they are defrosted and in great shape. In camp, I clean off the cast iron fire grate as best I can and grill the steaks right on it, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The newspapers are handy fire starters.
Desert
I try to have some kind of desert with every supper. Vanilla Pudding works for me with this meal (you can choose whatever you like). I simply mix up store bought Instant Vanilla Pudding with mixed up powdered milk according to directions. It will set up fine without refrigeration.
There you have it -- a great first night meal! And virtually no cooking equipment needed. Wash up a plate, knife, fork, and spoon for each person, a bowl for mixing the pudding, and another for mixing the sour cream. That's it (except for the cups for the after dinner, around the campfire, hot toddies).
Camp Toddies
1 Shot of Something*
1 teaspoon of Sugar**
Dash of Cinnamon (optional)
Boiling Water
No secrets here. Mix everything together in a cup and ENJOY!!
* Bourbon, Brandy, or Whiskey all work
** Substitute Apple Cider Mix, Apple Kool Aid, or Cinnamon Tea
Delete, add, or substitute freely. Experiment!
My favorite? Brandy and hot instant apple cider!
Another? Peppermint Schnapps and hot instant cocoa!
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ALTERNATE METHOD
You find a camping spot late, it's rained all day, it's raining now, there's a fire ban, there's no wood, there's not enough time to burn a fire to coals -- whatever the reason, cooking the First Night Supper over the fire isn't going to happen. Here's what you do.
String up a tarp, set up your stove, start a pot of water boiling. If it is raining, make it your largest pot. While the others set up camp, get everything you'll need together. Leave your corn-on-the-cob and baking potatoes in the food pack -- the menu's been changed. Perhaps you'll catch some fish tomorrow and have them then or maybe you'll have to slice the potatoes and cut the corn when there is more preparation time. However, you have to have the steaks tonight or they will spoil. Go to your "Pantry Bag" and pull out your extra Minute Rice and Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix. Make up the pudding and set aside to firm up. Start slicing the steaks.
If it is raining, gather everyone together under the tarp when the water boils and have the camp toddies first -- cocoa or hot apple cider for the kids. Otherwise, pour the correct amount of boiling water into a pot for the amount of Minute Rice you are making plus a little more. Add the soup and rice. Give it a stir. Cover the pot with its lid. Set it to the side with a jacket, towel or other insulating item covering it.
Fry your steak strips in a fry pan with some margarine and spices. If you have any veggies, you could slice them up and toss them in when the meat is nearly done. When done, place a serving of steak strips on top of a bed of veggie rice for a nice sort of stir fry. Rummage through the Pantry Bag for soy sauce packets. Pudding for desert.
Put the water back on for another round of hot drinks -- coffee, tea, cider. They don't always have to be, nor should be, alcoholic. Make sure the group stays hydrated! If it is raining, the hot drinks shared with everyone under the protection of a tarp is a great spirit lifter. Furthermore, you will be held in higher esteem because of your ability and flexibility in adverse conditions (or at least try to convince the group that).
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Home Drying Foods For The Trail
-- This is an important strategy and skill for Do-Your-Own BWCA Meals.
Homedried Ground Meat
1 # of Ground Meat (beef, venison, turkey).
Brown in frying pan or cook in microwave till all redness is gone. Drain off all fat. "Flash off" meat (Add 1/2 cup water to cooked meat, bring to a boil, drain off all fluids. This process is to reduce fat to as little as possible.). Repeat flashing off process two or three times. Spread crumbled, cooked ground meat on tray. Dry in dehydrator for up to eight hours or overnight turning meat occasionally to ensure even drying (this can be done in an oven as long as the temperature is under 150 degrees and door is opened a bit to vent moisture). The stuff looks and feels like large pieces of ground coffee.
To store, divide in half and double bag. The first shoud be a Baggies sandwich bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible and it tie shut with a simple knot (don't use a twistie -- it can puncture the bag. Besides they can easily be "lost" which is not wilderness-friendly). The second bag should be a ziplock freezer bag. Duct tape the seal as insurance against moisture spoilage resulting from a broken seal during rugged handling associated with camping activity. Label contents, place in a larger freezer bag, and store in freezer until you are ready to make up actual meals. This gives you two packages of the dried equivalent of 1/2 pound of ground meat. Each packet is about the right amount for two portions of most casseroles.. Thaw at room temperature before packing for trip to avoid water condensation.
The packets of dehydrated ground meat should last a week on the trail, maybe more. KEEP SEALED! Meat can take on moisture from the air and spoil quickly. Keep stored separately for this reason. If meat does go bad on the trail before use, simply make a meatless version of your casserole or substitute something like pepperoni, sausage, or dried (chipped) beef.
Tuna
This is simple. Drain a can of tuna packed in water NOT oil. Flake and spread on a fruit leather sheet. Dehydrate (this will be much faster than ground meat). Pack into a plastic bag. Treat as ground meat (above), though this will dehydrate to a much smaller volume. I don't do this much. There are a lot of fresh fish to be had in the BWCA - why bother with dehydrated tuna?
Tomato Leather
Cover tray with fruit leather sheet (or plastic wrap - do not let product touch metal trays - the acid interacts with the metal). Spread a 6 oz. can of tomato paste about 1/4 inch thick. Dry 6 - 8 hours. The lower the temperature the better. After 4 hours, peel up tomato leather and turn over ( this speeds the drying process). Store in ziplock bag in freezer.
Tomato Powder
Take a Tomato Leather (above), tear into pieces and put into blender. Pulverize into powder. Store in ziplock bag in freezer. This will reconstitute much faster than a Leather. I have seen this available from mail order and in our local CoOp, but it is expensive! On the order of 20 times more!! If you don't mind a few more minutes for rehydrating, go with this do-it-yourself, cheaper version.
Drying Vegetables
Dry zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, and/or green and red peppers. Choose the best quality vegetables Wash and dry. To prepare: slice zucchini and mushrooms; eggplant peeled, cut in 1/2 inch slices and cubed; peppers diced or cut in thin strips; onions diced. Spread on racks and dry. Turning or stirring will speed process. Finished product will be leathery. Use low temps - it takes longer but you will get a better product with less vitamin loss. Now in this case, a better way is to go to the store or food co-op to see what dehydrated vegetables they have and purchase what you can. All stores have dried minced onions and my co-op has mushrooms, green peppers, hot peppers, and others. Purchasing these already done gives you a much better product and is probably cheaper. You may not be able to find zucchini or eggplant and have to do those yourself.
Camp Salsa
The easiest is to simply pack some salsa packets you've saved from a fast food restaurant (same for ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.) . But what works really well is a store bought bottle of tomato-based salsa dehydrated on a plastic sheet (after 4 hours, peel salsa off and flip over to speed drying time). Break into pieces and bag. In camp, add about 1/4 cup of boiling water, let stand 5 minutes. Add a little water at a time, giving it time to absorb, until the desired consistency is reached. This rehydrates perfectly! You may want to dehydrate extra for other meals.
TO RECONSTITUTE DEHYDRATED ITEMS: Guesstimate how much water to add. Warm water works fastest. Start with just enough to cover dried ingredients and add more water as needed. Cook noodles, spaghetti, etc. separately according to package directions.
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