Tramping Food: A couple of my most popular meal ideas....

Tasty vittles for Jon's tramping trips....

I find my posts about tramping food, tramping menus and food for the trail are usually the most popular pages on my blog. So I thought I would look at a couple of my favorite meals I like to eat when out tramping.

One of my homemade 24 hour ration packs...Chilli-Mac on the menu!

I tend to rotate freeze dried meals with homemade meals when I am out overnight. Freeze dried is light, quick and simple to make but they are quite expensive and the flavor gets tedious after awhile. Homemade meals can be cheap but usually require more cooking time and can be heavier. I much prefer the flavour of  homemade meals to freeze dried meals.

I do eat freeze dried meals..Outdoor Gourmet Thai Chicken Stir Fry

All of the following recipes get a regular outing when I go on trips into the outdoors...solid and well known meals which I know are quick to prepare, tasty and filling. Some are totally homemade while others are a mixture of commercial meal components with my own additions.

Recipes I use on my tramping trips

I'm talking about hot meals only and I have broken these recipes down into meal periods (i.e. the times when I actually eat hot meals) so breakfast and dinner really...

Breakfast meals for tramping trips:

 A lot of people just eat toaster pastries, muesli bars or breakfast biscuits etc. with a swing of water for breakfast but I think that sucks. I like a cup of coffee or tea in the morning and a sit down meal if time allows. My attitude is...I'm boiling water so I might as well make something hot to eat at the same time.

Muesli bars like an OSM can provide breakfast on the go....

....as can toaster pastries!!!!

I like to have a meal before I start walking each morning but it needs to be filling, quick and easy to prepare. I also like breakfast meals I can eat from the bag as this saves me doing too much kitchen admin when I could be tramping.

Enjoying a tasty morning brew on my hut bunk....

I find breakfast to be the most difficult meal to plan...it tends to get monotonous. I try to rotate recipes so that I have some variety in my menu...the same meal quickly becomes boring after 2-3 days and you are looking for something new.

My usual breakfast fare is good old porridge aka POG aka oatmeal with a mug of coffee/tea with sweetened condensed milk in it. I beef up the calories/flavor in my porridge by including cinnamon,  milk powder, fruit and nuts.

Note on measures: T= Tablespoon, t=teaspoon, 1 cup = 250gm's

Jon's standard porridge/oatmeal:

Porridge and coffee in Howdon Hut on the Routeburn Track, 2019

Recipe: One person

2 pkts instant oats (I like Uncle Toby's but any brand is fine)
2t sugar
2t milkpowder
1/4t cinnamon powder (optional)
Pinch of salt
1T raisins/craisins/sultanas/chopped prunes to taste
1T almond slivers

Place all dry items in a sandwich size zip-lock bag add, add 1 cup hot water and stir. Leave for 5 minutes for the oats to hydrate and eat from the bag. Quick, easy and no dishes to clean...beautiful!!!

Hot muesli with milk:

Recipe: one person

1 cup of your favorite muesli mix (I like Hubbards brand)
1/2 cup powdered milk
1t powdered cinnamon
1T raisins/chopped dates/chopped prunes/chopped apricots
Sugar to taste

Place all the ingredients in a zip-lock bag. To prepare; add 1/2 cup hot water and mix well, leave for 2-3 minutes to hydrate. This is a hot version of muesli with fat in the form of milk and added fruit. This is excellent to break the monotony of porridge every morning, eat it from the bag. 

Cheesy polenta/grits:

Cheesy Breakfast Polenta/Grits

Recipe:1-2 person
1 cup instant polenta/grits (250gms/1cup polenta mix to 1 litre hot water)
1/2t salt
A twist of cracked pepper
1/2 chicken stock cube
Pinch of paprika (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (powdered Parmesan is good)
1/2 cup salami/luncheon/bacon bits etc. (optional)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste

Place all dry items in a sandwich size zip-lock bag at home. To prepare; add dry ingredients to 1 litre hot water and stir into porridge like consistency. Leave for 3 minutes for the polenta to hydrate then fluff and eat. I source Italian instant polenta from a local store which just needs water+oil added and a 2-3 minute simmer time. Alternately you can find grits (basically the same thing...) at Bin Inn and health food stores. You can add some protein to this meal in the form of salami/luncheon/canned chicken/bacon bits etc. and splash in Tabasco for a fiery hit.

Loaded O-Meal Hash-brown Potatoes:

OMeal Hashbrown potatoes

Recipe: 1-2 person
1 pkt O-meal self heating hash-brown potatoes
2 bier-sticks/salami sticks/cubed luncheon/pre-cooked bacon or similar, diced
1-2 tortillas each
Salt +Pepper
Tabasco to taste

Heat the O-meal following the instructions, cut meat into small pieces and add to hash-brown mix once heated. Wrap in a tortilla and splash with Tabasco to taste. The OMeal range are retort pouch meals new to the New Zealand market...they are available at Hunting and Fishing stores. They have a flame-less ration heater included and can be warmed and eaten right from the bag. There are a variety of entrees but the one I like best is the hash-brown potatoes. 

Breakfast beans: 

Beans are a hearty breakfast or dinner meal....

Recipe: 1-2 people
1 pkt Absolute Wilderness freeze dried beans or small tin baked beans
2T Hormal bacon bits or 2 rashers bacon cut into small pieces and fried
1T dried onion flakes
1T brown sugar
1/8t ground mustard powder
1-2 McDonald's Ketchup sachets or tomato sauce of your choosing
1t Worcestershire sauce
1-2 flour Tortillas per person
Salt/pepper to taste

This is basically a stove top version of BBQ Baked Beans. At home place all of the dried ingredients in the packet of beans and reseal or place in a sandwich size zip lock bag. Worcestershire sauce can be carried separately, I reuse those small fish shaped measures you get with sushi. To prepare; add all dry and wet ingredients to the recommended amount of hot water on the bean packet. If using tinned beans add 1/4 cup of water. Stir well and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Place aside for 5 minutes to fully hydrate and then eat with the tortillas. 

Lunch/Dinner meals for tramping trips

I usually eat crackers or wraps with peanut butter/cured meat/tuna/smoked chicken/pate and cheese for lunch but I occasionally break out the cooker and whip up a hot meal.

My usual lunch...wraps/crackers with pate and a drink...

 I would usually only do this on cold wet days and if I had some cover like a handy hut, shelter, tree or similar.You usually find cooking shelters on the Great Walks and private walkways but a small tarp will suffice to keep you dry if you plan to cook lunch. I have a 1.5x1.5 tarp just for this purpose...Karen and I took it to Rakuira as I was expecting some wet lunch breaks.

Preparing to cook a hot lunch on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

....Dutch Curry Soup and Butter Chicken Curry for lunch....

Any of the following recipes can be eaten as either lunch or dinner meals., I would pair these with a pre-meal soup (see information below) for a hearty and satisfying meal. 

Beef Chow Mein:

Easy mince chow mein......

Recipe: 2 person
1 cup freeze dried mince
1T dehydrate onions flakes
1 pkt 2 minute noodles
1 cup sliced cabbage or 1/2 cup dehydrated cabbage
1 cup freeze-dried mixed vegetables (carrot/peas/corn/green beans)
1/2 pkt Maggi Mince Chow Mein base
1/2t salt
Salt/Pepper/Soya Sauce to taste

Place all the dry ingredients in a sandwich zip lock bag. Carry sliced cabbage separately if fresh. In a pot boil 2 cups hot water and add dried ingredients then simmer for 3 minutes. Add sliced cabbage to pot and simmer additional 2 minutes. Take from heat and leave for 5 minutes before eating. Add soya sauce as required..I use those small fish shaped measures you get with sushi.

Beef & noodle curry:

Backcountry Beef Curry...better with noodles added!!!

Recipe: One person
1 serve pkt of Backcountry Classic Beef Curry
1 pkt Oriental flavor 2 minute noodles
Soya Sauce to taste
Salt/pepper to taste

Prepare the Backcountry Beef Curry as per instructions. Cook the 2 minute noodles as per instructions, drain excess water and combine in the pot with Beef Curry. Add soya sauce as required. A light, quick and tasty meal for one person...the Beef Curry is much better with the noodles added.



Cous Cous & Tuna Salad:

Recipe: One person

1/2 cup instant cous-cous per person
1/4 cup mixed freeze dried vegetables
1 crumbled chicken stock cube
1/2t dried garlic granules
1/2t dried parsley
1T chopped sun dried tomatoes
1T chopped olives
A handful of salted peanuts/cashews/almonds
1T olive oil
Salt to taste
1 pkt Sealord Tuna, Lemon, sesame and ginger or Kaffir lime and coconut

Place all dried ingredients in a zip-lock bag. Pre-chop the olives/sun-dried tomatoes and place in a small zip-lock bag. To prepare add hot water to dried ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes to hydrate, add the olive oil and fluff cous-cous. Add the nuts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and tuna. Mix well then eat. For a North African taste finely chop some apricots/dates/prunes and mix into the meal.

Loaded Mac n' Cheese:

A tramping food icon...Loaded Mac 'n Cheese!!!

Recipe: One person

2 pkt Kraft/Begg 3 minute Mac 'n Cheese (for 2 people use a box of Diamond Macaroni Cheese)
1T dried onion flakes
1/4t garlic granules
1/4 cup freeze dried mixed vegetables (optional)
1/4t curry powder (optional)
1 Baby Bell cheese cut into small pieces or 1/4 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup cubed salami/luncheon/smoked chicken
Salt/Pepper to taste

Mac 'n Cheese is a classic trampers meal. Place the packets of Mac n' Cheese in a sandwich sized zip lock bag, place the other dried ingredients in a small zip-lock bag, carry meat and cheese separately. To prepare: add hot water to  vegetables to hydrate and leave for 10 minutes. Prepare Mac 'n Cheese by boiling macaroni until al-dente, drain excess water and add cheese powder sachet. Combine with meat, grated cheese and vegetables and enjoy.

Asian Style Chicken Lhaksa:

Any commercial curry paste can be adapted into a tramping meal...

Recipe: One person

1 cup rice noodles (Vermicelli)
1/4 cup dehydrated beans (or dehydrated mixed vegetables)
1T dried coconut milk powder
2T Asian Home Gourmet Singapore Laksa paste
1/2 chicken stock cube, crumbled
1/2t dried coriander
1/4t ginger powder
1/4t garlic granules
1/4 cup cubed smoked chicken or small tin of chicken
Salt/pepper to taste

Place all dried ingredients into a zip lock bag, except noodles which have their own bag. To prepare: soak noodles in warm water to soften, drain after 3 minutes. Cube chicken. Add dried ingredients to one cup hot water and simmer for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add cubed chicken and noodles once vegetables are soft and enjoy.

(Lhaksa or Laksa....the term is interchangeable....)

Trail Thanksgiving Dinner:

On trail Thanksgiving dinner...beautiful!!!

Recipe:One person

1/2 cup flavored stuffing mixture (Sage is good...)
1/2 cup dried potato flakes
1T dried onion flakes
1/4 cup dehydrated mixed vegetables (optional)
1T Craisins (optional)
1/2t garlic granules
2-3T gravy powder
1T olive oil
A small tin of chicken or 1/2 cup cubed smoked chicken breast

Place the stuffing mix, potato flakes and gravy in a sandwich size zip lock bag. Place all the dried vegetables into a second small zip-lock bag. To prepare add hot water to the second bag and let the vegetables sit 10 minutes then drain. Just cover the potato/stuffing mix with very hot water and stir well. Leave for a couple of minutes then add the oil, vegetables & chicken and stir again. Can be eaten from the bag. 

Herbed Tomato Rice

Recipe: One person

1 Cup instant rice (freeze dried rice or a bag of pre-cooked rice)

1/4 Cup freeze dried corn or mixed vegetables

1/4 Cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1T dried onion flakes

1 pkt tomato flavor Cup-O-Soup

1/2 beef stock cube

1t garlic granules

1/4t dried oregano

1T olive oil

1/4 Cup grated cheese (optional)
1/4 Cup cubed salami/luncheon/bacon etc. (optional)

Salt/pepper to taste

Pack the rice, sun dried tomatoes and other dried ingredients into a zip lock bag. To prepare: Add dry ingredients to 1& 1/2 Cups boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minute.  Add the oil, stir well and then let rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate. Sprinkle over cheese and enjoy. Add some cubed bacon bits/salami/luncheon etc. for protein. 

A special note about soup...

I love soup as a appetizer before dinner or with my lunch on a cold day if I have time and water available. I usually use instant Cup-O-Soup varieties but I will also take packets of simmer soup as well.

Continental and Maggi are the instant Cup-O-Soup leaders in New Zealand with a wide range of flavors to choose from. 

Continental Cup-0-Soup...Spicy Asian Laksa....

A tasty Cup-O-Soup at Whawharangi Hut on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

There are a number of dried packet soups from Knorr, Maggi and Continental which you can find at supermarkets and Asian food stores. All have a longer simmer time (3-10 minutes) but are more flavorsome than Cup-O-Soup so this is what I use at dinner time. There is no need to simmer them for 10 minutes as per the instruction. I just simmer these for 3-4 minutes and then leave them covered for another 5 minutes to fully hydrate. It works.....

The Knorr range of simmer soups found in New Zealand

These simmer soups will serve two people and always go down a treat...Chicken Noodle, Crab and Corn, French Onion and Rich Tomato are my favorites.

Continental also sell a range of simmer soups....

I have also taken freeze dried soups from Backcountry Cuisine on tramping trips, these just need hot water added to the packet to reconstitute and are an excellent lunch option. Currently they have three flavors (Chicken and Corn, Mushroom & Potato and Spicy Malaysian Chicken) all of which are delicious. 

Soup for lunch on the Queen Charlotte Track

Keep an eye out for Asian style noodle soup packets the next time you are shopping. My local supermarket has a soup range from Trident which includes a delicious Tom Yum Goong and three other spicy Thai style soups. Asian supermarkets will also have a range of these soups.

Trident Tom Yum soup...light, tasty and easy to prepare

I usually have my soup in the mid afternoon and then wait for a couple of hours before making my main meal. It takes those hunger pangs away when you have finished walking for the day and replaces a lot of the salt you will have lost in your sweat. I really recommend you get in the habit of having a soup with your evening meal when out on trail...

Soup makes a filling appetizer before diner.....

So there are a couple of my most popular tramping meals..feel free to give any of them a go the next time you head out. 

Bon-appetit...

Tramping food: The self heating Omeal range

Omeals....no cook tramping food...

Karen and I tried something new on our tramp on the Rakuira Track, the new range of self heating meals called Omeals. Omeals are a product new to the New Zealand market and are basically like a military MRE...you have the pouch of wet food, a water activated heating element and an outer bag to contain the meal.

Using them requires no external heating or even hot water as you simply add about a cup of cold water to the pack, add the food & unwrapped heater pack and wait as it chemically heats the food. This means you can potentially eat in the back-country without carrying the extra weight of cooker, gas canister and cooking pot....usually a saving of 500-700gms. 

No cook tramping...forgo the cooker, gas canister and cook pot!!!

There are a variety of meals available for both breakfast and main meals including gluten free and vegetarian versions. These meals are currently only available from Hunting and Fishing stores ($15 per meal) but I could see more shops carrying them as an option if the demand was high enough. 

Review of the meals I have tried from the Omeal range...

We tried a couple of different varieties of these meals including a breakfast option and two of the main meal options. Here is a list of all of the options currently available from Hunting and Fishing stores:

Hashbrown Potato, Oatmeal, Vegetable Stew with Beef, Chicken Creole, South West Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, Red Lentils with Beef, Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Sauce and Pasta Fagioli...

Another option: vegetarian Pasta Fagioli

There are a number of other meals but they are not yet available in this country, have a look at my comments on the meals we have tried below..... 

Southwest Style Chicken

We tried these meals as an experiment on the second night of our Rakuira Track walk...I thought it would be a good option after a tiring seven hour day. Karen chose one meal for herself and I chose one for me. My choice was the Southwest Style Chicken....stewed chicken, rice, beans, corn and other vegetables. 

It was well cooked without being over soft and you could clearly make out all of the flavor profiles of his very popular SW American style dish. The sauce is tomato based but was rich and dark with the slightest touch of chilli flavor to it. It was very nice and I would have no problems eating this one again...

Hashbrown Potatoes

We had the Hashbrown Potatoes for breakfast and unlike other all day breakfast options I have tried (Back Country and Mountain House) this one is bloody good. This hashbrown mix has distinct flavors of potato, onion, green peppers (capsicum) and bacon. It is absolutely beautiful and I have subsequently used it on two further tramping trips.

It is grated and cooked potato with additions and while intended as a main meal or meal accompaniment but it is at breakfast where it excels. I have always had problems with breakfast meals..I like porridge and muesli but it does get boring after a couple of days. I have so far paired this with salami sticks, spam and cold sausages and it is awesome with all of them. 

While this would not totally supplement the usual morning staples it is certainly another excellent no mess breakfast option when planning meals for your tramps. I will be using this into the future.....

Lentils with Beef

Karen had this for dinner as she enjoys lentils and it has a mixture of beef pieces, lentils, cubed carrots and a tomato based sauce in a thick curry like meal. It has a rich savory flavor and smells and tastes really delicious. 

The carrots and lentils were well cooked without being mush and there were plenty of chunky pieces of slow simmered beef which flaked to the fork. The flavor was strongly of tomato but with a deep beef essence, coriander, onion and garlic. It was really nice...probably better than the South West Chicken but not by far..I would buy this one again.

Are there down sides to Omeals?

There is not a lot wrong with these..generally they tick all the right boxes for nutrition, ease of use and general weight savings. They do have a number of down points mainly the waste associated with them, cost and weight of the packs. 

There is a lot of waste packaging with these meals but then there is with all food and dehydrated meals in particular. They weigh 227 gms which is heavy for a single meal but this can be partially addressed by removing the enclosed spoon, napkin, wet napkin and salt and pepper pack. They cost $15 which seems a lot though any dehydrated meal will currently set you back for $12-$19 anyway.

All of the commercial freeze dried meal ranges available in New Zealand

It is all about choice really....you get to choose what you will carry..this is just another option. 

These are another option when meal planning for your outdoor adventures and you should give them a try at least once to see if they fit into your tramping style and dietary requirements. I am really pleased to see these meals as another tool in the outdoor cookery chest.  I will add a review for any other meals I use from this range so make sure you check back in the future to see what other options I have sampled.

Tramping Food: Go Native: 24 hour ration packs and sundries

Go Native: all in one food packs

There is a new outdoor food company in the market in New Zealand, the brand is called Go Native. Go Native sell a number of items, they have both 24 hour rations and assorted pre packed retort meals. The mains are in thermo stabilised retort pouches so they can be reheated in a pot of hot water or by using one of the Backcountry Flameless Ration Heaters.

The Go Native Vegetable Curry being served...

So far there are only three 24 hour rations available, hopefully this number will be added to as time goes on. They also sell a range of retort pouch main meals which I will discus below...

One of the Go Native retort pouch meals

The advantage of this type of meal is taste....they taste a lot better than freeze dried meals which lose a lot of their flavor in processing. The downside is weight...because they are 'wet' meals they are heavier, still at 700 odd gms for 24 hours worth of food the weight is not excessive. 

Go Native: Beef Casserole

First up is the Beef Casserole, this is the main in this 24 hour ration and is accompanied with items for both breakfast and lunch. 

Go Native 24 hour ration pack: Beef Casserole

As you can see these packs provide food for all three daily meals, including two snacks for during the day.  All three varieties of ration pack have muesli with milk powder, coffee, sugar and creamer (a milk substitute).

For lunch they all have tuna and crackers and a fruit bar and jerky style steak bar for snacks as and when required. They also have sachets of salt and pepper, tea, creamer and sugar.

Go Native 24 hour ration pack:contents of the Beef Casserole

The real difference is in the main meals: they each contain the stated main meal (Beef Casserole, Italiano Chicken or Vegetable Curry) and a suitable side dish (potato's or rice). 

Side view of the Go Native 24 hour ration packs...all have the same dimensions

The 24 hour rations weigh approximately 700gms each and are in a pack roughly the size of a A4 sheet of paper. The bags are waterproof and made of tear resistant plastic so you could just chuck a couple of these in your pack and away you go.

I have had one of these beef meals and the beef casserole was very nice....a well seasoned sauce with big chunks of beef and vegetables. I would certainly eat it again...

Go Native Chicken Italiano

The only difference with the Chicken Italiano meal is the main...this one is chicken not beef but all the other contents are exactly the same. Again, these weigh approximately 700gms and the dimensions of the meals are exactly the same as the beef and vegetable curry (vegetarian or vegan???? I'm not sure about that..) meals.

Go Native 24 hour ration pack:Chicken Italiano

You get mashed potato as the side dish with the chicken stew this is probably a fair choice as rice would not suit a European inspired main meal. 

Go Native 24 hour ration pack: contents of the Chicken Italiano

I have yet to eat one of these Chicken mains so I cannot yet provide feed back on the quality of the product. 

Go Native: Vegetable Curry 

There is a vegetarian option in this range which has a west Asian inspired vegetable curry as the main meal (with a side of rice to accompany it). Ive had one of these curries and it was really nice..good level of spice, creamy and nice big chunks of vegetable. 

Go Native 24 hour ration pack:Vegetable Curry

Again all of the other contents are exactly the same: muesli for breakfast and crackers and tuna for lunch. 

Contents of the Go Native 24 hour ration pack: Vegetable Curry

My main problem with these 24 hour rations are two fold: Firstly, I don't think they would provide enough nutrition for your average tramper, they would need a degree of assistance to provide all the calories you need. Secondly the monotony of the same breakfast and lunch items would quickly get boring. I love muesli and tuna and crackers but eating them every day would really irritate me and I'm sure you as well. 

Miscellaneous menu food items

Go Native also make a series of other main meals in the retort pouches without all the accompanying items you get in the 24 hour ration packs. So far they have Butter Chicken, Chilli Con Carne, Spaghetti Bologanese and Vegetable Curry. 

Go Native MRE: Chilli con Carne

Go Native MRE: Butter Chicken

Its possible that they intend adding these to the 24 hour range at some future point although they are perfectly useful as they are. Using these you could make your own 24 hour ration with suitable store brought items or you could buy one of the pre-packed rations and add this as your main.

Go Native MRE: Spaghetti Bolognese

Go Native MRE: Vegetable Curry

  

You would need a side dish to go with these as they are the sauce/main meal only and have no potato/rice/noodles to go with them. This is not a problem in my opinion. There are commercially produced heat in the bag versions of rice and pasta and also freeze dried and air dried potato flakes in most supermarkets.

Diamond make these pre-cooked and packaged boil in bag pasta varieties

Go Native also make the muesli bars included in the ration packs, I have seen them at outdoor shops but also many local supermarkets. You can buy them in various quantities from singles to packs of 40, so far they have only one flavour: Raspberry and Apple.

A Go Native Raspberry Apple Bar

Hey....they look like New Zealand Army Ration Packs..

Yes, they do look like a New Zealand Army Ration Pack (...or Operational Ration Pack...as they are known!) with that brown packaging. I don't know if they are one of the ration pack suppliers to the New Zealand military or maybe they just buy some of their items from a supplier who does.

NZ Operational Ration Pack

As you can see the military believe you need to give troops in the field a lot more variety and calories to remain operationally fit. Beside the retort main meals (two per pack) you get things like chocolate, two minute noodles, biscuits, vegemite, condensed milk, canned cheese, jam, peanut butter and a lot more drinks.

The contents of a New Zealand Operational Ration Pack

Army life is hard at times but not much more difficult than a 6-7 hour tramp.....way to much food!!! When I was in the NZ Army we would strip these down to the bare minimum and loose about half the contents. 

Using a home dehydrator for tramping food...

Home dehydrating your tramping meals...

I haven't posted for awhile as I have not been for any tramping trips over the last couple of weeks. The weather combined with study, the kids school camps and work have curtailed my tramping considerably. 

Jon out walking for fitness in mid May

I am still walking to maintain my fitness, on a Saturday, as weather permits.  I usually walk along the beach from Waimariri to Spencer Park (2-3 hours) as well as trips along the Port Hills. 

Longer term, I am planning an overnight trip to Nina Hut towards the end of the month as well as a few day trips over the next couple of weeks to Mt Grey, Lewis Pass and sections of the Christchurch 360 Trail. I have also arranged to walk the Abel Tasman Coastal Track the last week of August, something I am really looking forward to (NB: I had to cancel this trip due to unforeseen circumstances but it is just as well as there was some bad weather that week anyway...).

Anyway enough of that, here are a couple of tramping meal recipes I have made before and enjoyed....

Dehydrator heaven

My tramping food style is to eat from the bag or prepare simple home-made tramping meals. While there are a lot of commercially made ingredients available there are some significant omissions notably vegetables other than peas, carrots and corn and meat other than beef mince.

  I got a food dehydrator for Christmas last year and have started furiously dehydrating meat and vegetables to use in my tramping meals.

Sunbeam home food dehydrator

  Mine is a  Sunbeam DT5600 model which cost  $200 NZD, it sounds like a lot but some models retail for over $500.

So Jon, what can I dehydrate?

The world is your oyster really, you can literally dehydrate just about everything.

Things that dehydrate well are; any kind of fruit, onions, celery, mushrooms (all available commercially), capsicum, courgettes, pumpkin, beans, corn and cabbage. I was surprised how well cabbage and sauerkraut dehydrate. I have a nice recipe for sauerkraut and sausages.....mmmmmmm!

Dehydrated Sauerkraut - delicious!

This is 500gms of Sauerkraut after dehydration

Meat does not dehydrate easily, it takes a long time and has a limited shelf life outside of the freezer. Better to use freeze dried or commercially produced versions if you can. Eggplant, it is tough and leathery with an off putting colour when dried. Parsnip...not good! Tofu....just don't do it...styrofoam is the closest thing I can think of...yeeruucckkk!

Do try this at home...

I am an inveterate collector of trail cooking books and recipes. I currently have 11 books on backpacking food as well as numerous recipe files from a variety of web pages, books etc.

The Backpacking Chef website...an awesome source of meal ideas!

Both of the following recipes are from the BackpackingChef website, adapted for my personal preferences.

Backpacking Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a traditional French dish of stewed vegetables including eggplant, onions, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes—seasoned with garlic and herbs. Zucchini and capsicum dehydrate and rehydrate well,  my version dispenses with the eggplant.

Easy cook ratatouille anyone?

I like this with some tuna as the fish and vegetables have very complimentary flavours.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

 

·         1 cup dried zucchini

·         2 Tbsp. dried onions

·         3 Tbsp. assorted dried capsicum

·         3 Tbsp. sun dried tomato’s

·         1 garlic clove, smashed, finely diced

·         1 Tbsp. tomato concentrate or 1 pkt tomato Cup o’ Soup

·         Pinch fennel seeds

·         Pinch mixed herbs or dried thyme

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1 tsp. olive oil

At Home:

Pack all dried vegetables, herbs and soup in a sandwich sized zip-lock bag.

In a separate snack size bag add the sun dried tomato, tomato concentrate if using and peeled/diced garlic clove.

On the Trail:

Combine dried vegetable mix with 1½ cups water in your pot and rehydrate for five to ten minutes. For larger servings, just add equal parts of dry Ratatouille ingredients and water. Add extra water as required. 

Light stove, add olive oil, tomato paste (if using) and garlic to vegetables and heat until nice and warm. It is not necessary to maintain a boil. 

Transfer pot to an insulating cosy for another ten minutes where your meal will continue to rehydrate. 

To enjoy this meal with rice or macaroni, combine ½ cup Ratatouille dry mix, ½ cup instant or dried rice or macaroni, and one cup water. If using macaroni, add a quarter cup more water. Bring to a boil for one minute. Turn off stove and wait ten minutes with lid on pot. 

Unstuffed Peppers

This recipe is awesome, I've made it a couple of times now and it is totally delicious, a great combination of rice, beef and vegetables. Try it- you will like it!

Delicious un-stuffed peppers!

Ingredients:

·         ½ Cup dried or instant rice

·         ¼ Cup ground beef, dried

·         ¼ Cup bell peppers, dried

·         1 Tbsp. dried onions

·         2 Tbsp. sundried tomato, diced

·         1 pkt. Tomato Cup o’ Soup

·         2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

·         1¼ cups water

At Home:

Pack Parmesan cheese, sundried tomato and tomato soup separately in small plastic bags. Enclose in a larger plastic bag with rice, ground beef, onions and peppers. 

On the Trail:

Combine all ingredients except Parmesan cheese in pot with water and soak for five minutes.

Light stove, bring to a boil, and continue cooking with the lid on for one minute.

Remove pot from stove place in cosy and wait ten minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese before serving.

Curried mince with cabbage and rice



Curried mince with cabbage and rice

This recipe is my interpretation of a Countdown supermarket recipe in their feed four for $15 recipe range. This uses commercially available and home dried ingredients to make a really delicious tramping meal. Cabbage is one of the main ingredients and dehydrates surprisingly well. 

Use Ramen noodles instead of rice and add some soya sauce and you have made Mince Chow Mein aka Chop Suey!

Servings: 1

·         ½ Cup Instant or Dried Rice or 1 pkt. Ramen, crushed, without flavour packet

·         ¼ Cup F/D mince or dried mince

·         ¼ Cup dried cabbage or sauerkraut

·         1pkt. chicken noodle Cup o’ Soup

·         2 Tbsp. dried peas

·         1 Tbsp. dried onion

·         1 tsp. Curry Powder

·         1 Tbsp. soya sauce (for Chow Mein)

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1¼ Cups water

At Home:

Place all dry items in sandwich size zip-lock bag. For freezer bag variant place dried vegetables in snack sized bag, add to main bag with other dry ingredients. 

On the Trail:

Cook variant: Boil 1¼ Cups water. Combine all ingredients with water in pot and cook for 3 minutes. Insulate pot and wait ten minutes. 

Freezer bag variant: Rehydrate dried vegetables for 5 minutes in separate bag. Add hot water to main bag, drain vegetables and add to rice mixture. Place in cosy, wait 10 minutes and enjoy.

 

So there you have just three of my ever expanding repertoire of tramping meals, if any take your fancy I would encourage you to give them a go. I thoroughly recommend you go and buy a dehydrator, it is an extremely useful piece of kit for the outdoor enthusiast.