What's for dinner mom?
Another thing I obsess about with the hike is food. Food should be savored and enjoyed; it should nourish the soul and the body... tell that to any person who has hiked for several days at a time without civilization! When you are doing a long thru-hike you want tolerable, filling, and light weight food. It needs to be easy to prepare, reliable in flavor (no new recipes!) and preferably should not leak or become damaged in our packs.
There are some easy backpack meal items that are light weight and inexpensive, such as oatmeal, instant rice, instant potatoes, and ramen noodles. Mountain House products are easy and light weight but they can be expensive when you add up three meals a day for several days! Ultimately, the lighter the food the lighter the pack and this is very important for a small girl like Owee.
Our goal is to only carry sporks and a light-weight kettle. All of our food should be able to be eaten raw or cooked with water... this has challenged me as someone who enjoys eating and cooking! It is important to know that everything will be cooked in freezer Ziploc baggies; freezer baggies can take boiling water without melting!
I have been testing out some recipes I have found online and I have been experimenting with some dried products I have found at Winco, Trader Joe's, and other random locations. For example, at an Asian grocery store in SE Portland I found dried coconut milk, this immediately prompted me to consider making some kind of curry! Some green curry paste, dried coconut milk, and a package of Oriental flavored Ramen later: I have green curry ramen noodles. At the same grocery store I found some dried shitake mushrooms; Owee hates mushrooms so these will just be for some stew or something for myself. With sun dried tomatoes from Trader Joe's, bacon bits, Parmesan cheese, and instant grits I have created a savory breakfast "polenta." I'd love to get some of the fabled instant polenta but have been unable to find it! Today at work I have tried out a version of mac&cheese ramen with mushrooms... It is edible but I did not use enough of the cheese powder I bought from Winco... maybe three scoops next time; of concern is that my bag had a hole in it, this made me think we should bring a couple extra bags just in case.
I was just noticing the length of this post... I have barely touched on the subject of food and I have already made a huge post! I am dismayed! I have probably spent 20 hours per week thinking about, shopping for, planning for, and preparing food for an upcoming 40 mile hike for three people. But I worry, as a mom, about Owee. I will not rest until I know that her tummy is filled and her body is nourished so she has the strength and energy to complete her goals... I dread those two words... "I'm starving!"
If I can't master this or come close during this short hike, how will I do when we are going hundreds of miles! I have to break this post into two parts... stay tuned! In the next post I discuss more recipes, my inventive multipurpose insulated food warmer, and fuel for my fire! The next hike is soon and I am running out of time!
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