Folks are always asking me, ‘What do you eat on the trail?’ I have posted about this again and again, but I just thought I would bring all my posts about this together as one ‘compendium’. When you get tired of eating all these you could just quit life or hiking/hunting I guess. These are mostly our own recipes (tried and true). I have freshened this post up a lot (04/06/2020)
A couple of these are to enjoy at home, but most are from dry ingredients which make the meal as light as possible (calories per gram is all!) and use supermarket bought rather than specialty hiking meals as they are both cheaper and tastier in my opinion. I will be adding to it from time to time. I have a couple of new ones: a Tuna Mornay and a Cowboy Beans, I haven’t posted yet, for example. I am still editing this. Check back. BTW The headings are links. I can’t get a couple of them the right colour for some reason.
Enjoy:
I have often written about this. You should refer to the post A Hiking Food Compendium but here are a few we have been gnawing on lately. I long ago suggested you should just buy from the supermarket instead of the expensive (and largely inedible) specialist hiking meals from camping shops which even our dogs won’t eat!
You should also try out some of my own recipes put together from dry (supermarket) ingredients – particularly the dahl soups. I have also suggested before you should ‘mix and match’. Some of the (eg Contintental) dehydrated meal packs (rice, pasta etc) are a bit bland, but can be ‘spiced up’ a bit by adding some ingredients eg sachets of tuna, or salami and cheese, etc – and by adding actual spices eg simple curry powder to make them more appetising. I always carry a small snap-lock bag with some curry powder – likewise some salt and pepper similarly.
Here are some ‘for examples’ we have been eating on recent trips. None of them uses any more than approximately 20 mls of alcohol (meths) to cook (& simmer). I also think this is important. Of course they use no (weight of) fuel at all if you use a simple (DIY) twig stove like my Ultralight Titanium Hobo Stove which weighs around 20 grams and costs around $5 and ten minutes (max) to make….
A couple of new (to me) things I have been trying out which are delicious and super-simple. Continental Soup Sensations ‘Moroccan Vegetable Medley’ and Uncle Toby’s ‘Breakfast Bakes’…
A Hobo’s Breakfast
It costs nothing at all (and only a couple of minutes) to create your own safe wood burning hiking stove which will cook you up a wonderful breakfast (below) in just a few minutes without having to carry any fuel at all (or any other stove) with you into the wilderness. A big saving.
You only need a few simple hand tools such as those pictured (or similar) which I’m sure you have in your kitchen or workshop. A can opener which will cut out the side of the can (not the top). A ‘church key’ such as used to be used for opening beer cans (Remember?) and a pair of super-tough scissors (or tin snips) for completing the stove ‘door’ opening:
Johnny Cakes
(or ‘journey cakes‘ as they once were known) also fried scones and maybe ‘bannock’ (from the Latin, ‘panis’ or ‘bread) if you hailed from Scotland. You can see that their (European) origin is quite ancient. They were once a basic food item. Folks took little else into the bush (by way of food) except for the main ingredients to make them – flour and some salt. They supplemented them with things caught or killed (fish and game)
Della’s Way Bread
or Biscotti. You may or may not have tried Hard Tack which is what unfortunates such as British sailors used to have to subsist upon. Italian sailors were better chefs so they came up with Biscotti. Della has tweaked their recipes for this wonderful food until it is just perfect. It is as good as the ‘Elvish Waybread’ that Frodo and Sam enjoyed for many days in ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
Lentil and Bacon Soup
Here is a simple tasty lentil soup (for those who don’t like curry) made entirely from dry ingredients. I made some up for my lunch today and found it pleasant but perhaps a bit strong tasting. Next time i will go easier on some of the stronger ingredients such as the onion and garlic powder and the tomato puree. Still, it makes a meals big enough for two for just a few cents and is very light to carry.
A Simple Backpacking Dahl
This simple delicious dahl uses only dry ingredients you can buy very cheaply from any supermarket and store in a snaplock bag for preparation on the trail. It will make a litre of tasty nutritious dahl which will probably be more than you can eat. You should try this at home tonight before you head out to the backcountry. Simply delicious!
Hiking Makhani Dal
You can make a delicious Makhani Dal for the trail very simply and inexpensively. The recipe below will make over a litre of dal which is more than Della and I can eat for a meal between us. If you want to halve the cooking time you can put the lentils in a zip lock bag in the morning with some water to soften for the evening meal. Otherwise just carry the ingredients in a single ziplock bag and put them together in your pot, bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and simmer uncovered for approx 20 minutes
Hiking Tarka Dal
This continues a series of recipes on simple Dals which you can make quickly from dried ingredients for hiking. Each of these dals has its own unique taste so that you will not tire of them (at least so long as you intersperse them with some of my other recipes).
Trail Pea and Ham Soup
I am always thinking about ways to avoid depending on simple carbs on the trail (and get some veggies in there too) yet also have recipes which can be made up from products readily and cheaply available in supermarkets such as you might be able to put together eg into snap-lock bags at resupply points. This one uses just four ingredients. I thought it was quite tasty
Della’s Coconut Rice
Here is our recipe for ‘Coconut Rice’ which works well as a lunch mixed eg with a Sweet Chilli Tuna or as an accompaniment to the evening meal. (We add the boiling water at breakfast to a snap lock bag and eat it cold for lunch). As you can see from the picture Della vacuum seals the rice (you need to double bag it eg with a freezer bag to prevent it from piercing the outer bag)
Lunch on the Trail
Arnotts VitaWeat Biscuits 9 Grains are one of our standbys. Each biscuit is approx 8 grams and 100 kj or 25 calories (3 per gram) so that about 6 biscuits (150 calories) plus some nutritious topping makes an adequate lunch. We store them in lightweight plastic freezer portion containers to prevent breakage.
I have already mentioned peanut butter as an excellent topping (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/peanut-butter-toast-soldiers/) Another favourite topping is D’Orsogna Traditional Romano Italian Salami (which does not require refrigeration until opening – and we find keeps fine for the three days it takes us to eat in @ 20C temperatures – ditto the following cheese) and Mainland Noble Cheddar or Colby.
Fish for Lunch
We have just discovered this excellent product which no doubt had been hiding for years at our local supermarket (in with other spreads such as jam – which we hardly ever eat, and not the canned fish): John West’s Tuna Spread.
Steve’s Nepali Dahl Soup
I made this dahl entirely with dried ingredients so I could make it on the trail. It made over a litre. I had trouble eating half. Very filling, tasty and nutritious. Do try it at home first. I would put the lentils in one small snap-lock bag and all the other dried ingredients in another. This soup will make a welcome change from whatever you are eating now, and is very light and cheap to make. Now with Della’s ‘seal of approval’!
Hiking Food
We are always working on this: one thing is pretty certain: those dehydrated meals sold in hiking shops & etc are almost universally inedible. We did a survey of them, cooking them up and sampling them at lunchtime at home, rating them: edible, palatable, inedible, disgusting etc. Then we fed them to our dogs. It was incredible how many were considered inedible by dogs – which will heartily eat their own vomit
Ultralight Fish Chowder
Following my post about Hand Line Fly Fishing I have had several requests for the Hiking Fish Chowder recipe so that I had to make it for lunch, and it was excellent. I doubt you have had a better hiking meal. Try it at home, then make sure you take the ingredients when you next head out to the hills (and streams) with your handy new hand line! http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/
He Hiked With a Falafel in His Hand
I already mentioned cooking falafel in the leftover fat from Chinese Sausages http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-protein/ (the first for dinner, the second for breakfast), but you can carry a pack of falafel mix and approx 60 ml of eg olive oil in a small plastic bottle. A fry up will make about a dozen falafels from a 200 mg packet.
Hiking Crayfish Bisque
First catch your crayfish…Once again here’s a delicious soup to cook in the wild after you have been doing a spot of fishing. Naturally it uses only dried, concentrated and lightweight ingredients. I based it on a traditional bisque recipe we have eaten for years but with ultralight ingredients. My tastes run to peppery and my wife is a lover of tomato flavour, so at just these proportions the dish may be a little intense for you (or not enough), so you can play with the proportions a bit until you get it just right. I hope you enjoy it.
Coconut Fish Curry
We found this soup to be just about the most delicious we have ever eaten at home – and we eat a lot of soup, so just imagine how delicious it will be on the trail. Again it uses Continental French Onion Soup as a base and makes use only of dehydrated ingredients (or ingredients which will not leak, or which can be ‘caught’ on the trail).
Ultralight Fish Chowder
Following my post about Hand Line Fly Fishing I have had several requests for the Hiking Fish Chowder recipe so that I had to make it for lunch, and it was excellent. I doubt you have had a better hiking meal. Try it at home, then make sure you take the ingredients when you next head out to the hills (and streams) with your handy new hand line! http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/
Porridge
Is undoubtedly the most compact energy dense and sustaining breakfast to eat on the trail. Unfortunately the ‘instant’ versions of this staple have been so adulterated and laden with diabetes promoting nasties as to be almost downright dangerous. Here is Della’s ‘traditional’ porridge recipe. It is astonishing that it needs only one level teaspoon of brown sugar (equivalent to ½ teaspoon of white sugar) to make it quite sweet enough. The ‘serving size here (quite enough for us though less than 2/3 of the recommended ‘serving size) weighs 43 grams (and would require approx 12 grams of metho to cook. Rinse it down with a cup of hot coffee and you are quite ready for the trail.
Out of the Frying Pan
Dripping or Tallow (Beef or Mutton Fat) 40C & Lard (Pig Fat) 30C have the highest melting temperatures of all the edible lipids (fats and oils). Cofa or Cocoa Butter has the highest melting point 34C of the vegetable fats, but will still melt on a hot day, as will butter. I know you could take some kind of vegetable oil (such as olive) to do your frying with, but you would have the extra weight of the bottle as compared with a small ziplock bag for the tallow and there is always the danger that the oil will leak out creating a dreadful mess
Hearty Italian Minestrone
The nutritional info on the Minestrone (& etc) packets is very handy. The current Minestrone (75 grams = 147 calories) recommendation is as follows: add 3 large teaspoons full of Hormel Real Bacon Pieces (20 grams = 75 calories) and a slightly larger quantity of Continental Deb Instant Mashed Potato (great for thickening and adding nutrition – 20 grams = 15 calories). In total we have 110 grams and 237 calories and 2.15 calories per gram. One serve would be fine for breakfast/lunch; two would make a reasonable, tasty meal!
French Onion Soup Plus
Mixing dehydrated ingredients can make an interesting and nutritious meal. You should try this at home before heading out. Here is an example: McKenzie’s Superblend Fibre ‘Freekah, Lentils & Beans’ (350 grams) plus Continental French Onion Soup (49 grams) plus Continental Classic Tomato CupaSoup (24 grams) . I also added a pinch of Masterfoods (dehdrated) Ground Chillies (Hot) and about a teaspoonful of Masterfoods Middle Eastern Spice Blend (Harissa). These three ingredients weigh 423 grams and deliver 1468 calories.
Spring Vegetable Simmer Soup
Making (delicious use) of everyday supermarket dehydrated food instead of those awful backpacking meals: Continental Spring Vegetable Simmer Soup + 500 ml water (1/2 quantity) + I Tablespoon (approx) Surprise Garden Peas + 8 Teaspoons Continental Deb Instant Mashed Potato. Try it.
First Bag Your Omelet
It’s a bit like noticing that dehydrated French Onion Soup ought to be a great resource and meal base but then never getting around to inventing a meal which uses it. Well I did with the onion soup, see for example: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-crayfish-bisque/
Now it is the powdered eggs’ turn. Of course I have already tried them out as reconstituted scrambled eggs and they make a fine breakfast, particularly if you fry some Chinese sausage with them
Super Simple Trail Meal
Take one packet of Ainsley Harriot’s Spice Sensation Cous Cous (100 grams) (352 calories) plus ½ packet (65 grams) Craisins Fruit & Nut Trail Mix (332 calories) Totals (165 grams) (684 calories) = 4.14 calories per gram.
Tasty Hiking Meals
Things you can just buy from the supermarket are just so much preferable to those expensive, unpalatable hiking meals. Here’s two we tried tonight in preparation for an upcoming trip: Continental Roast Chicken and Leek Risotto with Sirena Lemon & Black Pepper or Chilli Flavour Tuna Fillet. Della and I shared the 115 gram Risotto and each ate 100 grams of tuna….
Hiking Yoghurt
You can make your own yoghurt on the trail. I have tried this and it works fine with the ‘Easiyo’ sachets you buy from supermarkets and some powdered milk.This is from a CDT thru-hiker:
‘Yoghurt can be made on the trail in a zip lock or a more durable plastic jar. It’s very simple to make:
Hormel Real Bacon Pieces
This dehydrated food is quite delicious. If it seems pricey at >$4 for 85 grams it represents nearly half a kg of bacon, but it keeps without any refrigeration and will add some zap to an otherwise fairly bland pasta meal for example (particularly if you add some Kraft Cheddar cheese as well – which also keeps without refrigeration indefinitely). It is not at all salty – unlike the Kraft cheese. Available Coles.
Bulgur Wheat
There are quite a few suggestions and recipes below. I admit I hadn’t thought of using bulgur as an alternative to rice, pasta, couscous, etc, but it does have a different taste.
Backcountry Meat
If you worry about whether salami might/will spoil (some is marked as not requiring refrigeration – technically all should as this was the purpose of the preservation method, but …) Simmenthal Jelly With Sliced Beef 140 grams net (can 12 g) 413 kj (99 calories).
Food Dehydration
As mentioned before we have a food dehydrator, so Della often dries some of her superb meals for our later delectation on the trail (her Shepherd’s Pie, for example). I know some of you are not so lucky (as to have either a dehydrator or a Della!). You will just have to do without the latter, and if you can’t afford a dehydrator, you can, very carefully – perhaps with the oven slightly open, and on the lowest setting, and checking and stirring very regularly, dry food on a dish/tray in the oven. See: Google. I have just dried some Campbell’s Spaghetti sauce and Edgell’s Aussie Super Kernels. The 410 gram Sauce came down to 85.5 grams, the 420 grams corn to 50!
Protein
If you are an omnivore like me, you probably have at least occasional lusts for venal delights (hiking food, folks!) The trick to satisfying these is to do so without spoilage/food poisoning…’
Hardtack
A recipe for folks who want to experience just how hard life was in the past. I think you should try it. I used to eat it with relish when I was a kid, but back then kids were always hungry and would eat just about anything. You only have to notice how much taller youths are today than the average height of folks over 60 to see that this was true!Try Della’s Way Bread instead.
Peasant Bread
Peasant Bread Is The Best and Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make.
Some other ideas in the links below:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-cup-a-soup/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-customs-gestapo/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mckenzies-quick-cook-minestrone-soup/http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wintulichs-beer-sticks-on-the-trail-animal-protein-is-a-must/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-hiking-food-dorsogna-mild-twiggy-sticks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-mckenzie-quick-cook-soups-180-grams-per-packet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mckenzies-country-chicken-soup-with-lemon-black-pepper-tuna/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/soylent/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-recipes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-hiking-food-low-gi/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/carmens-great-hiking-food/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/miso-soup/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-soup/
These are some of my ‘home recipes. They are delicious. You should try them. I will try to convert them for hiking some time.
Steve’s Pasta E Fagioli
Della was off being crafty again, leaving me a temporary widower – so I had to shift for myself. I made THIS excellent soup. I think it is very nearly the best meal I have ever made, so I will share it with you
Steve’s Lamb Stew
This is a family favourite. Nothing special maybe (certainly not Ultralight Hiking tucker – I guess you could dehydrate it), but try it anyway. It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day before you make some…Cheers.
Steve’s Mulligatawny
Again, not a hiking meal but a family favourite. It may sound like a curious blend of flavors (it is not actually an Indian recipe -as you would think) but quite delicious nonetheless. Your taste might dictate a little more curry perhaps but these ingredients keep my family happy. Enjoy:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cauliflower-rice/
Originally Posted July 29 2017
