Portland Observer, August 24, 1983 Page 7
Econo-eating:
If this sauce doesn't send you,
you have nowhere to go . . .
Light, easy foods for hiking
by M onin» Stebbins
O SU Extension Service
There I waa on top o f the world.
At least it teemed that way to me be
cause the mountain was straight
down on both tides o f the trail. I
had my husband take a picture o f
me in my hiking boots and back
pack with the mountains below me.
I figured my kids would never be
lieve that their somewhat sedentary
mother would be able to walk that
far.
I ’ m sure my husband hasn't any
idea how much my lifestyle has
changed. About the only walking I
used to do was around the neighbor
hood to walk the dog. This walk
usually featured an ice cream cone
and was a leisurely stroll on flat
ground done only in the summer on
good weather days. But, I'm just
loving it — the flowers and the out
doors and the hikes and even some
backpacking. It's been great fun.
There are very special needs as
you backpack. I'm just amazed by
my husband’s ingenuity with the
foods we eat. O f course, he’s been
doing this all his life and he looks on
it as a challenge.
You need to carry things that re
quire no refrigeration. Since every
thing must be carried on your back,
you need to conserve weight. You
also need to pack your cans and
containers back out, so you don't
want to take many. Foods need to
be cooked using one or two pots for
ihe whole meal. You need to save
time and fuel so you can't cook
things for very long. And you need
io be aware o f your nutritional
needs, including your energy needs,
because you can get very hungry
doing all that hiking. Food tastes
good out there in the wild, too, so
appetites seem to increase.
There are many freeze dried foods
available in recreation stores that
are made specifically for backpack
ing. Unfortunately, they cost quite a
bit. The special dried meat items
cost from about $3 to $6 for enough
for two or three people for one
meal. They are light though, weigh
ing just two or three ounces. I f
you’re going for a long time, you
just about have to invest in some of
these to be able to carry enough
food for the whole time. W e stretch
time, though, by combining them
with some o f the convenience foods
from the grocery store. W ith some
meals we can get by for about S2
using only items from the grocery
store.
Planning, which is important
any time you’re trying to save mon
ey, is even more important for back
pack meals. You need to write down
menus for simple meals. Remember
to plan snacks, too, otherwise you
may be tempted to raid the food
from a meal. I f you plan the meals
you can put more thought into
doing your own seasoning from
your stock at home or things pur
chased in the grocery store rather
than just buying the ready-made
packets from the recreation stores.
The commercially packed foods
are in strong pouches that make
them almost indestructible, but
some o f the plastic sacks, especially
the ones that zip shut are handy to
pack your own combination foods
and with some careful loading into a
stuff bag can be quite well protect
ed.
Since you have no refrigeration
and must conserve weight, you can
use foods such as small cans o f
tuna, chicken or sardines for the
meat group. Cheese is also a good
choice on the trail because it’s so
versatile. I f you're going for a long
time, you can even cut it into meal
amounts, wrap the chunks in cheese
cloth and dip in paraffin, though
this isn't necessary for a few days.
Eggs will also keep well for three or
four days and can be kept from
breaking by packing in a special
plastic container.
Dried foods are available in the
grocery store, too. Dried beef,
jerky, soups, sauce and gravy mixes,
instant mashed potatoes, instant
rice, pancake and biscuit mixes and
instant oatmeal are readily available
and they are lighter than taking the
fresh fruits or vegetables. O ur de
lightful Oregon prunes are easy to
carry and provide a good source o f
Vitam in A — they’re much better
than raisins. It's kind o f hard to
find a good source o f Vitam in A , so
that's a real bonus on the trail.
Dried apricots are good for Vitam in
A , but are more expensive.
As far as I have been able to tell,
about the easiest source for Vitam in
C is the powdered orange drink,
which I like to drink hot for break
B A C K P A C K E K S S P A N IS H B IC E
fast — it goes well w ith the instant
oatmeal for a quick, hot breakfast
just made by adding hot water.
W hole grain crackers, such as
wheat or rye, that are packaged in
lubes or boxes are easy to take for
your breads and cereals You can
also take oriental noodles Other
longer cooking pastas arc quite easy
to take, but will usually require an
extra pot for cooking — a great
spaghetti can be made using spag
hetti seasoning mix, tom ato paste
and freeze-dried hamburger
I 14 cups instant rice
1 teaspoon taco flavoring mix
2 packets instant tomato soup mix
(the kind made for one cup
serving)
2 to 3 ounces o f cheese
A t home, put the rice, seasoning
mix and soup mix together in a
heavy plastic bag. In camp, boil
water, measure 114 cups water into
a container with a tight fitting lid.
Add the mix and the cheese cut into
cubes. Put the lid on and keep near
the fire but not on it. It's ready to
eat in 7 minutes. Generous amount
Here are a couple o f recipes that
are tasty and fit the needs of the
backpacker.
M y brother's Bar-BQ Ribs
and Bar-BQ Chicken can
ba purchased at thasa
locations.
for two, a nice side dish for three.
This basic recipe can be varied
using other soup mixes and small
cans o f meat. For instance, use the
rice, cream o f chiekcn soup and a
small can o f chicken.
Broadway b Flint
BOB S PA P O fi/T E N O O D L E S
Tuesday Friday
10am
2 to 3 ounces flat noodles
Tuna (small can. packed in oil)
Freeze-dried peas
Margarine, butter, or substitute
Bp m
The Portland
Saturday Markat
Saturday b Sunday
In camp, cook noodles in water.
Drain, add tuna, including oil, re
constituted peas and enough marga
rine to make it a moist casserole.
10 a m B p m
Excellent on Pork Chops, Steaks, and Chicken.
Purchase this sauce at your local supermarket.
sale!
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BÂT*****
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S1”
Scale» lay
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Assorted
1 -Liter Cragmont Pop
Mrs. Wright’s Flour
Frozen Lemonade
Asst flavors
Heq Diet 4 M uets
Ptus Déposa
Town House Noodles
Pork & Beans
Fabric Softener
tow n Mouse
30 o / Can
Au Pulpóse
10 lb Bay
Scotch Buy
6 or Can
SAFEW AY
No. 1 NORGOLD
Fresh Beef
Round Steak
Whole With
Bone-In. Limit
3 Steaks
Beel
Roast
Smoked
Picnics
I
I
Boneless Round Tip,
Rump or Round
Roast, Delicious
Enjoy This
Flavorful
Special Treat
Blade Cut, Quality
Safeway Pork
Great Pan Fried
Pork
Steaks
Sw eet
C asaba
M e lo n s
S w eet R ed
N e c ta rin e s
O r Peaches
Ex. L a rg e
B e ll
P e p p e rs
T o m a to e s B sk t
Prices Good 8/24 Thru 8/30/83
At Safeway In The Portland Area.
B a c k -T o -S c h o o l S a le !
l ’w»1
Scotch Buy
Men & Boys Socks
AM ERICA’S FAVORITE
FOOD STORE
.15'
6 1
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©
3-SahKct
Sakai
Natakoak
SAFEWAY
$J19
limar »
Clu*
M
59c
Sales Limited To Retail Quantities
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