the rinds aside. Put 1 cup of water into the pot with 2 cups of fine granulated sugar over medium heat. Heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Then bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the citrus rinds. Simmer 10–20 minutes or until the rinds become translucent. Drain and let cool. Once cool, toss the pieces in fine granulated sugar. Tap off any excess sugar and store in an airtight container for up to one month.
Candied Lemon, Lime, or Orange Powder
Take candied citrus fruit as made in the recipe above and dehydrate it 7–10 hours at 105° or until completely dry. It will be hard, brittle, and sugary. Place the dried peels in a spice grinder and grind until you have a fine powder. This powder can be used in a variety of way, such as a flavoring to breakfast grains or baked goods or sprinkled on pancakes.
Ginger
When buying ginger, look for pieces with a firm and smooth texture. Older ginger will be more fibrous, and young ginger will have a sweeter flavor. Freezing gingerroot is a great way to store it and helps it grate more finely. An easy way to peel ginger is by scraping it with the edge of a metal spoon.
Candied or Crystallized Ginger
Just like the candied citrus fruit, this is often available in the baking section of larger grocery chains. It is a great addition to sweet breakfasts, trail snacks, and desserts. Even dipping half of each slice in chocolate makes a delicious treat. If you can’t find candied or crystallized ginger, then you can make your own. However, it is best to use very young ginger for this recipe, as older ginger can be fibrous.
Peel the ginger and slice it very thinly. Use the tines of a fork to poke numerous holes in each slice and set aside. In a heavy-bottomed pot combine 1 cup of water with 2 cups of fine granulated sugar over medium heat. Heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Then bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the ginger slices. Simmer for 30 minutes until the ginger is translucent. Drain and let cool. Once cool, toss the pieces in fine granulated sugar. Tap off any excess sugar and store in an airtight container for up to three months.
Vanilla Sugar
To make vanilla sugar, place a vanilla bean in a ziplock freezer bag of fine sugar and let it sit for a few days.
Physical Needs and Nutrition
When you travel in the backcountry, whether you are backpacking or paddling, you burn more calories than you would in your day-to-day activities at home. Terrain, distance, climate, and pack weight come into play. You will use more calories when you are trying to keep warm. For paddlers this caloric burn depends on the difficulty of the trip, length of the paddling day, roughness of the water, and the number of portages. It is important that your body gets the fuel it needs.
You will require a good balance of nutrients to ensure proper nutrition in the wilderness, and that should include carbohydrates, proteins, and fiber. The carbohydrates help satisfy the need for immediate energy and the protein will help with the rebuilding of muscle and long-term energy.
Sometimes people lack understanding of the vegetarian lifestyle and think that lack of protein is an issue; that is not the case. There are great ways to get protein in the diet, including foods such as quinoa or combinations of grains and legumes. Having enough fiber in the diet isn’t generally an issue for vegetarians and vegans either. Pickier eaters may consider supplementing with a multivitamin.
How you eat depends on the trip and your needs. There are days on the trail where munching frequently throughout the day is necessary to keep your body properly fueled. This is very important for breakfast skippers. Foods such as nuts, seeds, homemade energy bars, dried fruit, and the like will provide energy as you snack along the trail and will keep you from hitting the wall because you ran out of fuel.
Safe drinking water is another important component that is often overlooked, and if you are hiking at a higher altitude, you need to consume more than you would at sea level. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve traveled with people or met people on the trail who were starting to show the signs of dehydration. Symptoms include weakness, lack of coordination, excessive thirst, nausea, and headache. Dehydration can become a serious issue—one that could be potentially deadly. Be sure to drink frequently.
Food Storage: Safe Practices at Home and Camp
One topic that comes up during my workshops is food storage. Air and moisture can be the enemy when it comes to storing dehydrated foods. With that in mind, it’s very important that you compress as much air out of the storage bags as possible. If you aren’t using the meals you’ve dehydrated within the first month or two, then place the meals in the freezer. Here they will keep for six to eight months without taste or quality being compromised. Sweet potatoes are the exception to the rule and should only be stored for two to three months because they will lose flavor.
After the food has thawed completely, open the bag a little to let out any condensation that might occur. You might even have to put the food in a new bag. Then squeeze out the air and close again. If you aren’t freezing the meals, keep them in a cool, dark place or in your refrigerator. Check meals carefully a few weeks before you leave on your trip—if there is even the slightest sign of mold, throw the meal out. It means that the meal didn’t dry properly or became contaminated. This has only happened to me once, and it was because the bag wasn’t sealed or stored properly.
Storing Fresh Ingredients
While I usually try to avoid taking a lot of fresh foods because of weight considerations, you have a few options. Some require the use of a small cooler and ice and others require some creative packing. On weekend hiking and paddling trips, fresh food can be a nice alternative if you don’t mind the extra bulk and weight.
Vegetables
I’ve discovered that organic produce stays fresher for longer. Fresh potatoes, especially baby new potatoes, will travel well and are nice wrapped in aluminum foil and baked in hot coals. Fresh yellow onions last a week or more in a pack. If the skins show signs of wrinkling, use them right away. On a short trip where weight is not so much of a consideration, you can bring eggplants or zucchini and grill them over a fire or panfry them with herbs, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. I have had fresh, organic green peppers last a week in my pack. They are generally smaller than nonorganic peppers and fit nicely into a plastic container, which prevents them from being crushed. I also have been known to carry avocado in the same manner, but I generally buy one that is underripe and let it ripen in my pack. When I put veggies in a plastic container, I open the container every day for a few minutes to let the humidity escape and allow the contents to breathe. Vegetables such as fresh carrots, celery, and green peppers are delicious dipped in hummus. You can even grow sprouts on the trail to add a fresh crunch to wraps and trail salads. A fresh cucumber can be a nice addition to lunch or dinner especially if kicked up with a dressing.
Always store fresh mushrooms in a paper bag, or they will spoil quickly. If I take fresh fruits or vegetables in my pack, I wrap them in a paper towel to reduce bruising and then in a plastic bag that isn’t airtight. Every day at camp I unwrap and check them and allow the air to dry any condensation. If something is ripening faster than I expected, I will juggle the menu to use the item before it spoils.
Fruits
Fruits such as oranges are sturdy, so they carry well and will last a week or more. If you wrap an apple in some paper towels and place it in the center of your pack, it will last more than a week. More delicate stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and cherries bruise easily; they travel better in a hard-sided container. Avocados, tomatoes, and other very fragile produce can be carried in a Froot Guard, and bananas can by placed in a Banana Guard. Both products are available from
