THE BWCA COOKBOOK
by Ken E. Brown
INTRODUCTION
Canoe Country Cooking
You may have heard of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). It is over one million acres of prime canoe country federally designated as wilderness within the Superior National Forest of Northern Minnesota. When you go to the BWCA, you'll find you need the same canoe camping skills needed almost anywhere: paddle a canoe, read a map and compass, set up a tent, unroll a sleeping bag, start a fire, and cook a meal. However, when meal planning for the BWCA, there are some additional things you need to think about and some strategies to consider. I would like to share some with you in hopes that you might glean something useful for your next trip regardless of where you paddle.
Food Considerations for the BWCA:
There are many strategies to address the above considerations. One is to go through an outfitter or a backpacking supplier for "camping food". Although the taste of freeze dried camp foods have really improved over recent years, I still see them as having two main problems -- cost and portion size. It is my opinion that, generally, camp food packets serve half as many as it says it will -- a "serves two" feeds one, a "serves four" feeds two. If you know that before the trip, you can ensure you won't go hungry by taking twice as much, which, of course, doubles the cost of food that is already expensive. That might be okay if it is a once in a lifetime trip, or a rich aunt left you a bundle.
I use a system that is a lot more fun, gives you a lot more variety and flexibility, and is one heck of a lot cheaper (I mean more inexpensive) than the "freeze-dried-camping-food" route. Simply -- I go to the supermarket. There is a lot of "camp food" found there. You just have to try to be aware of it while shopping. I provision our trips entirely from the supermarket and food CoOp (or health food section) with a little help from my Food Dehydrator. Here are, what I think, some useful ideas:
· Repackage and label food for each meal adding powdered milk, powdered egg, etc. in advance to make preparation "add water only". Do away with as much bulk (i.e. packaging) as possible. Empty the contents of boxes and repackage in zip-top bags. However, don't forget to save the cooking instructions. Snip them off and pack with the ingredients. When preparing, be sure to increase the amount of water appropriately, taking into consideration the rehydration of the added powdered items.
· Use more water than called for in rice, noodles, sauces, and most dishes. This will help keep them from scorching and make pots easier to clean. Serving spaghetti sauce that is a little thinner than at home won't even be noticed. The exception is baking where the amount of water should be decreased slightly.
· Make use of your food dehydrator. Dehydrate ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey) or tuna to use in casseroles, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc. Make beef or venison jerky. Dry zucchini, eggplant and other veggies. Dry tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, salsa, etc.
· Use spices liberally!! Experiment!! Make up a spice kit -- 35mm film canisters with spices stored in a zip-top bag. I take garlic powder, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, commercial fish seasoning, cinnamon /sugar mix, and camp spice (made of seasoned salt, oregano, marjoram, celery flakes, thyme, onion powder, and whatever else you fancy).
· Use different color nylon stuff sacks to keep things organized and to find items faster. For instance, I put all supper items in a black sack, breakfast in orange, lunch & snacks in a red, drinks in green, and miscellaneous items (spice kit, extra Bisquick, Minute Rice, etc.) in the camo "Pantry Bag".
· Always make lunch a cold smorgasbord. Great on the trail or in camp. Pull out the lunch stuff sack and set out tortillas, pita bread, crackers, peanut butter & jelly, cheese & salami, jerky, leftovers, and whatever else is on hand. Then let folks fend for themselves. It offers plenty of variety and allows picky eaters to take what they like and not go hungry. I also throw in a few packages of cup-o-soup for times when you are in camp and want something warm - just heat up some water.
· Look for supermarket items that are vacuumed sealed in plastic and not refrigerated -- summer sausage, pizza crust, pepperoni, dried beef, etc. These will last on the trail without refrigeration, too. Keep them sealed until used, then pop them into a zip lock bag after opening the seal. I also look for cheese, steaks, tortillas, and other refrigerated items that are vacuumed sealed to be assured of maximum "trail life" without refrigeration, though you still have to use them sooner than later.
· Bagels and pita bread taste great, are firm enough not to be crushed, and can be used instead of bread for sandwiches, etc.. Look for bagels and pita bread that ARE vacuumed sealed and NOT refrigerated. These are probably loaded with preservatives which you may not want at home, but is just what you want on the trail without refrigeration. They should last up to a week before molding.
· Condiments. Save ketchup, mustard, mayo, honey, sugar, soy sauce, and salsa packets from your visits to fast food restaurants. Simply pack them into a small zip-top bag and stash them in your "Pantry Bag". Keep an eye out for other useful fast food packet condiments. Some people use this strategy for their salt and pepper, too. Be sure to pack out non-burnable (foil) empty packets.
Here are some ready-to-pack (or repackage-and-pack) supermarket suggestions: cooking oil, flour, corn meal, fish breading, powdered milk, flavored noodle and rice side dishes (like Lipton), Hamburger Helper Dinners, Ramen and other dried soups, Instant Mashed Potatoes, dried potato side dishes (hash browns, au gratin, scalloped, etc.), Gravy Packets, Add-water-only pancake mixes, muffin mixes, Bisquick or Jolly Mix, instant oatmeal, granola bars, dried fruit, gorp (peanuts, M&Ms, raisins), nuts, & seeds, coffee & tea (instant or regular), candies, pre-sweetened Kool-Aid & other drink mixes, Instant Apple Cider (A Must !!), dried (chipped) beef ("Armor" brand packages in plastic instead of glass), no-bake cheesecake (Excellent!), hot cocoa mix, squeeze bottle margarine (very handy), Soup/Stew Starter, Slim Jims, Summer Sausage, Pepperoni, & other vacuum sealed meats, Cheese (particularly "hard" cheese, vacuum sealed), Bagels & Pita Bread.
Additionally, my local Food CoOp has many foods that can be used as camp foods at a fraction of the cost of those commercially packaged and sold as "camp food" such as : dried mushroom soup, dried mushrooms, dried bell peppers, dehydrated refried beans, bulk herbs, dried tortalini, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), powdered eggs, dehydrated chili, and others.
Fresh food can and probably should be taken. Here are some things to keep in mind if you are traveling without an ice chest:
· Have fresh meat only on the first night. Meat should be solidly frozen, wrapped in newspaper, then put in a plastic bag. It should keep till meal time.
· Store eggs in a camper's plastic egg carton or, better yet, in its original cardboard (not foam) carton with additional cardboard duct-taped around it. Then put in a plastic bag. Try to get farm fresh eggs rather than store bought (they last longer). Eggs should last for 5 days or more without refrigeration. Medium eggs have a thicker shell than Large eggs and so transport better. NEVER crack open eggs into another container to transport -- to do so is inviting salmonella!!
· Hard cheese will last longer than soft cheese. Buy it vacuumed sealed in plastic or wax. Store in a zip-top bag after breaking the seal.
· Bacon or hard salami will last a few days. Bacon can be par cooked in a microwave until half done and then frozen in a zip-top bag. This will reduce it's weight and help it to keep longer. It also reduces the amount of hot grease you have to deal with, which can be dangerous around open flames.
· Margarine keeps better than butter.
· Oil will keep indefinitely. Store in leak proof plastic camper bottle. Same with syrup, etc. But still put the bottle in a plastic bag -- just to be sure.
· Before packing fresh veggies like tomatoes and green peppers, wipe them off with a very weak mixture of water and chlorine bleach. DON'T RINSE. This increases their shelf life without refrigeration. Wrap the veggies in paper towels and transport in a protective container -- inside the coffee pot works well. Potatoes, onions, and carrots can be carried "as is". Carrots will last about 5 days.