Bear
River Mercantile Your Bowron Lake Adventure Specialists
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Food Ideas Food never looked so good as on a
canoe trip. All that fresh air and exercise can really get the appetite
going and there's no reason to scrimp on what you bring along. The kinds and
amounts of food you bring will depend on the length of your trip, the portages,
your strength and your own personal preferences. Although you are allowed
to carry 28kg (60 lbs) of cargo in your canoe/kayak while portaging it on
wheels, you must plan to carry all the rest of your gear on your back.
The Bowron Circuit can be done in 5 to 14 days. For any canoe trip two weeks or shorter, the sky is the limit for the kind of meals that can be eaten, at least for the first week. Unfortunately the three longest portages of the Bowron circuit are found at the beginning of the trip, when your packs are their fullest. Dehydrated food is not a necessity but it is an ideal to have some, to help keep the weight down. Most fresh meats and vegetables can be safely eaten with a little planning beforehand. There are many different variables to consider when planning food for back country trips, including the number of people and number of days out on the circuit, vegetarian or non-vegetarian diets, appetites, and whether you prefer full cooked gourmet meals; or fast easy to cook meals. There are many informative books and web pages to help you plan and pack your menu, you just have to look for them.
Organize Your Menu - First write it all down on a menu planner, including each days breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks. Break each meal down to the smallest ingredient so that you will be sure not to short yourself or forget anything. Add one or two extra meals in case you get stuck in the wilderness a little longer than expected. Most people like to take two or three days of fresh foods before breaking into the dried stuff. Keep in mind that you will be eating the most perishable foods first - plan to have your fresh meat-based dinners during the first few days of the trip. You can either prepare the meals from scratch at the campsite or prepare them before hand at home. The latter is recommended with most meals, because after a long day of paddling the last thing you want to do is spend hours preparing dinner; especially since there are plenty of other chores to do - setting up camp, drying out clothes, looking for firewood, and getting the fire going. Also cooked foods generally last longer than raw foods, especially when it comes to meat and do not smell as strong (a good thing in bear country). If you keep your cooked meals frozen until you hit the trail, they will say fresh even longer. Well preserved foods such as sausage rings and spicy dishes such as beef curry will last longer then fresh foods, so plan these dishes around mid-trip. Save dried foods, such as pasta and rice mixtures and dehydrated meals for the last days of the trip.
Plan your Food Storage - The cooked and
frozen meals can be kept in either ziplock bags or tightly sealed plastic
containers. A warning about putting
mushy foods in ziplock bags, though, they may take up less room in a barrel than
bulky Tupperware type containers but they're not always leak-proof. You
can try double-bagging but this is not always fool proof.
Glass food containers like jam jars are not allowed out on the Bowron
Chain so you must repackage all glass contained foodstuffs into small Nalgene
bottles and then bag them into ziplock bags for added protection against
spills. Screw top plastic containers seem to be more leak proof than ones
with snap-on lids. If in doubt, use duct tape around the lids for that
extra seal. Avoid cans as much as
possible because you have to carry them out. And no, they won't melt in
the fire unless you've got a smelter going. Please, don't leave
cans in the fire pit - not only is it disgusting but it shows a total lack of
respect for nature and causes a real bear hazard for those who use the campsite
after you.
Breakfast foods aren't a problem. Fresh eggs can be tricky to pack but there are ways to get around this. You can put the cardboard carton into a ziplock bag and keep them at the top of the barrel or pack and they'll last a week or more. Or you can use the more rigid plastic egg cartons which can be found in camping supply stores. Another method is to crack all the eggs into a wide mouth plastic (Nalgene) bottle and seal tightly. During the first few days they will pour out whole, and during the last few days you will have scrambled eggs. This method requires that you eat them up faster though, as cracked eggs do not keep as well as uncracked eggs. If you can do without fresh for a while, powdered eggs and liquid egg substitutes are available. Powdered eggs are best with a bit of spice or ketchup to make them more flavourful. Bacon can last a week, but bring it frozen. Even yogurt lasts a while and can be frozen first, but don't forget to duct tape the yogurt container shut. Potatoes for hashbrowns should be pre-cooked at home or cooked on the fire the night before or you'll be waiting half the day to eat breakfast. Other quick, easy keeping breakfast foods include bagles, english muffins, cheese, granola, instant oatmeal and pancake mixes. Juice crystals, powder milk, hot chocolate, instant coffees and teas top off the menu and provide both energy and warmth.
Lunch foods such as loaves of uncut rye bread, salami, pepperoni, or summer sausage last forever and make great sandwiches. No problems either with crackers, cheese, jams and peanut butter. Tortillas and pita bread keep good and are great to pack, you don’t have to worry about squishing them! Beef jerky, trail mixes, rye crisp, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, power bars and dense fruit loaves are great for quick snacks that can be eaten right out of your pack and don’t require the building of a fire. If it’s a hot lunch you desire, there are multitudes of dried soups, pastas & rice mixes and quick cook noodles on the market today.
Suppers can be elaborate full course meals, or quick ‘one-pot’ affairs depending on your personal preferences. A few suggestions include;
A good look around the supermarket
can provide a multitude of combinations. Deserts are a real bonus and a
much welcome treat. Cookies and cakes are quite easy to bake on a campfire
and there are lots of instant puddings to chose from. Even hot bannock
smothered with butter and jam is something to look forward to. You can
make your own bannock mix or buy one. I like to make lots of bannock
during the evening meal so that there is some left over for the next days
breakfast and lunch. Bringing along fresh fruits and vegetables can be a little more trying. Lettuce goes bad fairly quickly, bean sprouts are easier to pack though they don’t keep much better. Tomatoes should be put in a plastic container so as not to squish them, but make sure some air gets to them or they will get mouldy fairly fast. Firm veggies such as cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes and turnips pack great but are heavy and take up alot of space. You might consider grating or slicing them before hand, though this can shorten the length of time that they will keep. Cucumbers and green peppers will last a few days, but can’t take much abuse. Apples and oranges are great and take a lot of abuse, but again take up a lot of space and are heavy. Kiwi are smaller but must be packed carefully and eaten sooner. An under ripe avocado can last until the second week and is a real treat when most of the fresh stuff is gone.
Commercially Dehydrated Meals
- Of course commercially dehydrated one-pot suppers are the easiest way to go.
They provide a quick hot meal in one pot (which makes clean-up a breeze), are
filling, and can be outright delicious (though after a days padding anything
will taste good). Unfortunately they can be quite costly, so shop around.
As mentioned before it is suggested that you plan on some dehydrated
meals for the latter part of your trip or just have some in case of unexpected
extra days out. Home Dehydrating - If
you find commercially dehydrated foods too costly, you can try your hand at
dehydrating your own. In general, any food with relatively high water
content and low fat content can be dehydrated. This includes fruits,
vegetables, lean meats and fish. Fruits and veggies should be cut in
uniform sizes and dried until they are leathery or brittle. When doing
meats, such as ground beef, sliced beef and chicken it is best to cook them
first, wash them to remove as much fat as possible, then dehydrate. Fish such as canned tuna or salmon can also be
dehydrated. To make soups and stews, dehydrate all the separate
ingredients, add some corn starch, beef
soup mix and spices and put it all together like the commercial companies
do. Look at the ingredients in the packages you buy in the stores to give
you ideas for your own soups and stews. Experiment and test
your creations at home first, so you know it will be good in the bush. An electric dehydrator is nice but not necessary, as the process can be done right in your own oven. Dry the food on food grade material such as stainless steel window screen or cheesecloth. Do no use aluminium or galvanized materials. Preheat oven to 150 F. Arrange racks with spaces around them for air circulation and leave the oven door propped open 2 - 4 inches with and electric fan at one side to blow damp air from the oven. Keep a close eye on the temperature and the food. After 1 - 2 hours drop the temp. to 140 F, and further to 120 F near the end of the drying process.
Packing
your Food
Here are a few suggestions which I
use when packing our food: - Pack all your meals
separately in ziplock bags and label them accordingly (example: Day 1 lunch -
Day 1 dinner - Day 1 snacks etc.) Make sure you include everything needed
to complete the meal in each ziplock (except your condiments - see below) and
pack the ziplocks in the opposite order of consumption into your food pack (last
meal of last day on the bottom - the first meal of the first day on top).
When it comes time to prepare a meal you only need to grab the appropriate meal
and the condiments bag. All the rest of your food can then be safely stored in
the Bear Cache so that if a bear were to come around you might lose one meal and
your condiments, but not everything. - As you re-package your meals in
the ziplock bags, think in complete meals. For instance if you are
planning Macaroni & Cheese with instant chocolate pudding for a lunch, make
sure to include the correct amount of powdered milk for both the Mac &
Cheese and the pudding mix. The key is to combine everything you need to
prepare a meal (except the water) all in a single ziplock bag. That way
you know that you are carrying just enough food stuff, like powdered milk, to
get through your trip - but no more then necessary. - In a side pocket or top of your
food pack, where it is easy to reach at all times, pack your condiments bag
which should include spices, oil, margarine, jam, coffee, tea, sugar, ketchup
etc. (the small packets you get at fast food outlets are great). That way
all the condiments you need repeatedly for each meal are always together and
close at hand. As you paddle you can also put each days allotment of juice
crystals into this pocket so that it is easy to find when you get thirsty.
We always paddle with two water bottles, one with juice and one with water, and
we make sure that they are refilled at every meal stop. - Leave all the excess packaging at
home (unless you need cardboard for fire paper). Many purchased foods come in
large boxes but are also plastic bagged inside of these boxes. Get rid of
the excess which not only takes up room, but produces garbage which has to be
either burned or packed out.
Some Recipe Ideas(That we
have tried from various cook books and websites) Bannock
- Prepare at home - 1 cup flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup
raisins (optional). Mix all together. At camp add 1 cup water. Pat
dough into a ‘pancake’, fry in pan. Or wrap dough on stick and cook
over hot coals. Back Country Scones
- Prepare at home - 2 cups flour, 2
cups oats, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup powdered milk,
1/2 cup raisins, sunflower seeds, currents or nuts. Mix all together. At camp add 1 cup water and 1/2 cup
oil. Pat dough into well greased fry pan and score into wedges.
Cover and cook over coals approx. 20 mins. Sunny Oatmeal
- Prepare at home - 3/4 cup
oatmeal, 1/4 cup assorted dried fruits (such as apples, pineapple, bananas) and
nuts, pinch cinnamon and nutmeg, 2 Tbsp powdered milk. Mix all together. At camp add 1 cup water. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat and cook til thick and serve. Serves one. Easy Campfire Stew
- Prepare at home - fry 2 lbs hamburger with diced onion, garlic, salt
& pepper. Boil diced potatoes and carrots then drain. Add meat,
potatoes, carrots, and some frozen peas and corn all together. Freeze in a
ziplock. At camp, add pre-cooked, frozen
meat-veggi mixture and 1 can concentrated Vegetable soup in a big pot, add
enough water to prevent sticking. Heat through and serve with biscuits. Tuna Mushroom Buns
- Pack 2 cans tuna, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or better yet, powdered soup
and tuna in a pouch), 6 hamburger buns. At camp, mix tuna and soup
together, heat though, serve over buns. Couscous and Veggies
- Pack 1/2 cup couscous, 1/2
cup dried veggies, vegetable soup base to taste. At camp boil 1 1/4 cup water add
seasoning, cook dried veggies for 2 to 3 mins. Add couscous
and remove from heat, cover and
let sit for 5 mins. Makes 2 cups. Curried Chicken & Rice
- At home add 1/2 cup instant rice to
1/4 cup raisins and bag. In separate bag add 1 pack chicken noodle soup to
2 Tbsp curry. Also pack 1 small can of chicken & margarine. At camp saute rice and raisins in 4
Tbsp margarine. Add 4 cups water, chicken soup and curry. Bring to a
boil, simmer for 15 mins. When almost done stir in chicken, heat through
and serve. Campfire Pita Pizzas
- At home add together 1/2 tsp Italian
seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp dried onion, 2 Tbsp dried chives, 2
Tbsp dried mushrooms, 2 Tbsp dried green peppers, and bag.
Also pack pita bread, 1- 6 oz. can tomato paste, 1/2 cup grated cheese,
salami or pepperoni sausage & margarine. At camp, combine tomato paste, 1/2
cup water, spice and dried veggi mix and heat over low to reconstitute.
Put Pita in fry pan, spread tomato sauce over, arrange sausage slices, and
sprinkle with cheese. Cover and heat until warmed through and cheese
melts. Quick Berry Cake -
At home bag together 2 cups Bisquick Mix, 1/4 cup powdered milk, 2 Tbsp
sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Plan to pick wild blueberries at camp or pack
store bought dried berries. At camp, if using dehy. berries,
reconstitute in a bit of water first. Heat berries in bottom of pan with
water to make a sauce. Mix Bisquick mixture with enough water to make a
thick batter. Drop large spoonfuls of batter over berries. Bake over low
heat.
A Sample Menu
An Easy Campfire Oven
To bake a cake or even make cookies,
a campfire oven can be made from a large pot & lid, three round rocks, and a
small cake pan which fits inside the pot. Place the three round rocks
inside the pot near its outside edges to form a triangle base. Put the
cake pan (containing a cake mix) on top of the rocks inside the pot so that the
cake pan is raised up off the bottom of the pot. Cover with a lid and you
have a mini-oven. Baking over the coals of an almost burned out campfire
produces great results. An Instant Camp Table
Camp tables are hard to pack in a canoe, though now a days you can find roll up tables in specialty camp stores, but you need not go to such expense. A handy camp table can be made from your canoe, which, if you are canoeing the Bowron Chain,.... you already have! Just find two (or more) rounds of firewood and place them sufficiently far enough apart, then turn your canoe over and place it on top of the rounds so that it sits bottom up. You now have a nice, fairly flat table to work on. You might need to do a little shimming to make sure the rounds do not roll away and upset your table. Just remember, do not do any cutting, or place your camp stove, directly on top of your canoe table...use a round of firewood tipped on end, for these activities.
Let me know
if you find this Info sheet informative and helpful. I always look forward to
any of your suggestions, ideals and paddling stories. Copyright © 1999-2005 Sandra Phillips For More Information Contact:
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Send mail to
sandy@bowronlake.com with
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