Food for Winter

[Jake Simon]

I am planning a winter hiking trip in December in PA and I was wondering if anyone had any great winter recipes.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

For an easy one pot meal this is a favorite veg friendly recipe:
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/harvest-pasta

Harvest Pasta

Yield 2

Ingredients

* 8 oz small pasta shapes (less than 7 min. cooking time)
* 1⁄3 c diced sun-dried tomatoes
* 1⁄4 c crumbled dried mushrooms
* 1 t Italian herb seasoning
* 1⁄4 t ground black pepper
* 1⁄4 t red pepper flakes
* 1⁄2 c shelf stable Parmesan cheese
* 1⁄2 c diced toasted walnuts
* 1 T olive oil (1 packet)
* 4 c water

At home:
Pack the pasta and dried vegetables in a sandwich bag. In a second bag pack the seasonings through walnuts. Tuck the oil in.

In camp:
Bring the water to a boil in your pot, add in the pasta package. Cook for time on the pasta package. Take off the stove, drain off most of the remaining water, leaving a Tablespoon or so behind.
Toss the pasta with the olive oil and seasoning bag. Season to taste with extra salt and ground black pepper if desired.

Another easy favorite:
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/garden-veggie-couscous

Garden Veggie Couscous

Yield 1

Ingredients

* 1⁄3 c couscous
* 1⁄4 c freeze-dried green peas
* 1⁄4 c freeze-dried sweet corn
* 1 T diced dried carrots
* 2 T shelf stable Parmesan cheese
* 1 T dry milk
* 1 1⁄4 t low sodium vegetable bouillon
* 1⁄4 t granulated garlic
* 1⁄4 t dry parsley
* 1⁄4 t ground black pepper
* 1⁄4 t dried onion
* 1⁄4 t turmeric powder
* 1⁄4 t kosher salt
* 1 T olive oil (1 packet)
* 1 1⁄4 c water

Instructions

At home pack the dry ingredients in a quart freezer bag or a sandwich bag depending on method used.

FBC-
Add the oil and 1 1/4 cups near boiling water to the bag. Stir well, seal tightly and put in a cozy for 15 minutes. Stir before eating.

Insulated mug-
Add the dry ingredients to a large mug along with the oil and 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Stir well, cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes. Stir before eating.

One pot-
Bring the water and oil to a boil in your pot. Take off the stove, add in the couscous bag, stirring well. Cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes. In cooler weather use a pot cozy to retain heat.

[Gary Dunckel]

Way go go, Sarah! Just when I was getting bored with my usual fare, you come through with a couple of new ideas. I'll try them both–sounds like pretty good stuff. Now, how to incorporate marmot flambe into this…

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Well first you massage in duck oil into the marmot's skin, then slowly spit roast over a fire – ti kabob sticks work well.

Serve with a reduction of duck and marmot grease and whiskey.

Hehheh!!

[Gary Dunckel]

You're my kind of girl, Sarah. I especially like the whiskey part. I suppose you'll be selling concentrated fat-free duck oil on your web site soon? Or do I have to pack in my own duck? Not really lightweight, until the last night out, when we…

[Bob Gross]

"concentrated fat-free duck oil"

I think that is a contradiction in terms.

–B.G.–

[James holden]

if you sold marmot jerky … id buy it in a heartbeat …

[Bob Gross]

Sarah has the food connections.

–B.G.–

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I have eaten a lot of jerky in my day but never marmot. Lol….why do I have to assume it is pretty tough meat, like squirrel?

[Bob Gross]

I guess it could be marinated to soften it up. Maybe that is what the whisky is for.

–B.G.–

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

The whiskey is to make you forget about the experience of eating it ;-)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Winter is the time when you can take normally perishable foods with you. Meats like sausage, butter, certain cheeses, etc. will keep just fine. And you need their fats in winter.

Also, if your hauling a pulk a little added weight of the perishable foods won't be too noticable. Can you smell the sage sausage cookin'? :)

P.S. I realize this is a LIGHT packing site but winter is a different story on many lavels. Safety comes to the forefront much more in winter and it can't be sacrificed at the altar of light packing.

[James holden]

hmmmm … how about marmot in a bottle .. like the worm in tequila ..

drink they whiskey then eat the marmot … and get even more drunk …

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Yep, fatty foods are good choices for winter. Having snacks (small meals) before bed and midnight are great.
Winter is also time when to leave the hard bars at home – they only get more tooth cracking!

[Laurie Ann March]

A good way to avoid the hard bar issue is to put the bar inside your coat (in an odor proof bag like the ones from Losak.com) in the morning and it's perfect when you go to eat it. We do a lot of winter stuff so we find that helpful. We also pack things like hot smoothies, nogs, and cocoas to boost the warmth factor and add extra calories in the winter.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

In bear country even in an odor barrier bag I would NEVER sleep with food. Not worth the risk IMO.

Now in non bear country not as big of an issue. When I backpack in winter in areas where the biggest predator is coyote I sleep with my Ursack next to me. But in the rest of the area my Ursack is still tied off or the canister stashed.

But on a side note: if one backpacks in areas with raccoons do NOT ever sleep with food, even in deep winter.

[Laurie Ann March]

Who said anything about sleeping with food? I certainly didn't and would never recommend doing so. I said to put the bar in the OP sack and inside your coat in the morning. It's no different than cooking or eating in your clothes. In fact, spilling food on your clothes would be more of an issue than an energy bar in an odor proof sack during the day.

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