The other man decided he was going to drain his pasta water in the wooden privy—a practice with which I have huge issues. One issue is how unsanitary the practice is and the other is critter related. The pasta started to slip from the pot, and as he tried to stop it from happening, he dropped the towel and burned both his hand and his leg. The pasta went down the privy hole and their dinner was lost. Luckily it was a mild scald and I had something in my emergency kit to help. They would have gone hungry had I not packed extra rations for the trip.
Bring Extra Fuel
It’s always a good idea to bring a little extra fuel. I generally try to bring at least enough for one extra day. Why? Well, if you were to have a meal disaster like some of those I just mentioned, you may need the extra fuel. There may also be a situation where you use more fuel then you plan due to weather. Weather conditions can cause the stove to use more fuel or may affect your decision to have extra-hot drinks to take the chill off. It is also a good idea in case your water filter fails or you run out of chemical treatment, as you may need to boil water to make it safe to drink.
Chapter 2
DEHYDRATION BASICS, COMMERCIALLY DRIED FOODS, AND GROCERY STORE FINDS
About Dehydrating Foods
Drying has been a reliable and simple method of food preservation for centuries, and it is ideal for those of us who love to travel in the backcountry. While you can use fresh foods, there is the issue of pack weight and spoilage over the long term.
There are several ways to dehydrate your own foods; however, some are more accurate and cost effective than others. Because you are using air circulation with very low heat to dry the foods, it requires a bit of time, and the length of time will depend on how you decide to dry your foods, the humidity of the air, and the foods and the size of the food pieces. Drying times, with these variables in mind, can range 5–20 hours.
Types of Dehydrators
Homemade dehydrators vary in style and construction. One method is to make a wooden box with trays and use a lightbulb as a heat source. These homemade versions tend to be bulky and lack the ability to control the temperature, which can cause problems with some foods. Another version of the homemade dehydrator uses solar energy. While a novel idea, these don’t work particularly well for some foods, and you are at the mercy of the weather. Because these are used outside, bugs may also get on the food. You can find instructions for creating homemade dehydrators on the Internet.
Using your oven is another method. Some modern convection ovens have a dehydration setting, and because convection ovens use a fan, you’ll achieve better results in these compared to standard ovens. You’ll want to set your oven between 140° and 165°. The food goes on a lined cookie sheet and the oven door is left ajar. With some ovens, you may have to use something like a wooden spoon to keep the door open. While an oven can be an effective tool for food dehydration, there are drawbacks. First of all, many modern ovens only have a lowest temperature setting of 170°, and that is too high for proper drying. That high of a temperature will cause your food to continue cooking and can also cause casing on certain fruits and vegetables. Casing is where the outside dries too quickly, creating a seal that prevents the inside from drying properly. You are also limited to drying two trays of food at a time, and you must rotate them frequently to make the drying even. If using the oven, you’ll have to check your foods quite often to ensure proper drying. It is also not the most energy-efficient method of food dehydration.
I prefer to use a retail dehydrator that fits nicely on my countertop. The one I have used the most is a relatively inexpensive unit that can accommodate numerous trays and has a thermostat. Recently, because of my work and high level of usage, I upgraded to a more expensive and feature-laden model with a timer. Because these types of appliances have a fan, the drying is more uniform and that, coupled with the size, makes them more energy efficient. You generally don’t need to rotate the trays because of the airflow and can often turn on the dehydrator in the evening and turn it off when you get up in the morning. Models with a timer are very helpful but not entirely necessary.
Advanced Dehydration
While you may be apprehensive at first when it comes to using a food dehydrator, once you have dried your first few meals, you will greet the task with less trepidation and may even start to experiment with your own recipes using some of the ones in this book as a guide. The following tips will help you succeed.
It is a good idea to line your dehydrator trays with baker’s parchment paper or to buy fruit leather trays that are made for your unit. Some models use a nonstick liner and others a plastic tray. You’ll need to line the trays when you are drying foods that contain more liquid, such as sauces, soups, stews, fruit leathers, and whole meals such as chili. Small pieces of fruits and vegetables will fall through the tray’s grid if you don’t use a liner. Larger pieces of fruits and vegetables can be dried on trays that are lined with a plastic mesh screen purchased from the dehydrator manufacturer. Plastic wrap that is rated for use in microwave ovens also works well. I prefer the liners made for my dehydrator primarily because they are reusable. Using a liner makes cleanup much easier as well.
When drying soups that have more liquid, you can use the vegetables as a dam to keep the liquid from running off the lined tray. Then, as the liquidity of the food has been reduced, just spread the vegetables out a little more for even drying.
Most fruits for use in fruit leather can be used without cooking first. Sauces such as traditional spaghetti sauce should be cooked before drying. When you are ready to dry your sauce, soup, stew, fruit leather, or whole meal, measure it and then write that measurement on a sticky note. Place a liner on the food dehydrator tray and then pour the food on the liner. If your dehydrator has trays with a hole in the center, leave about an inch of space without food at the inner and outer edges of the tray. For square or rectangular models without a center hole, just leave the inch of space around the outer edge. Spread the food out so that it is about ¼-inch thick. On some dehydrators ingredients pool toward the center of the unit, and spreading the food a little thinner in the center of the tray will make drying more even. Set the temperature on your dehydrator according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Fresh vegetables such as potatoes, corn, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower need a quick blanch before dehydrating. To blanch them, merely put them in a metal or silicone strainer and put the entire strainer in a pot of boiling water for a few moments. Then put the strainer with the vegetables still in it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. You can also use your microwave to blanch vegetables. Simply add the vegetables and a little water in a microwavable bowl or steamer bag. Cook them on high for about 2 minutes in a 750-watt microwave. Reduce the time for higher wattage units. Frozen and canned vegetables can be put directly on the dehydrator because they are blanched before freezing. Use either a solid liner or a mesh one depending on the size of the pieces.
Be sure to measure the food before you dry it and write this measurement down so you will know how much liquid to add back when you rehydrate the food. To this note you may want to add the name of the meal or food, the number of servings, and the date you dried it. Pack this with the food in a freezer-grade ziplock bag.
If dried properly and packaged well, these items will last for up to eight months in your freezer before flavor loss occurs. Unfrozen, the shelf life is several months, as long as the package remains tightly sealed and is stored in a cool, dry place.
Rehydration Basics
One of the benefits of vegetarian and vegan foods on the trail is the ease of rehydration when compared to meals that contain meat. Tofu is the only exception to this. It does not rehydrate well at all. You can rehydrate foods
