Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling

by Alan S. Kesselheim

" . . . a book that will appeal to everyone who has ever choked down the pre-packaged, bargain-basement camp food (or gone bankrupt buying the good stuff)." -- Canoe & Kayak . . . if you're on the lookout for a way to bring real meals to the field, [this book] might have the answer." -- Field & Stream Life in the outdoors revolves around food--cooking it, eating it, packing it, carrying it. We even fantasize about it, especially after a week of eating store-bought provisions. This book is all about fulfulling those food fantasies and avoiding those expensive disappointments. Trail Food tells you how to remove water from food, to make it lighter and longer-lasting, without removing its taste. Learn to plan menus and prepare meals just like the ones you left behind, using fresh foods from your garden or market, prepared and seasoned the way you like them. Why fantasize when you can have the real thing?

Genres: Food, Outdoors, Cooking, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Recreation, Reference

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, useful, but could definitely have been far more informative & included more recipes. Instead, this book more or less is making a case that you CAN use dehydrated food on the trail. I would have liked a lot more information on HOW to use dehydrated food

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointing. Possibly just okay for anyone who has never prepped their own hiking meals, however, I found this absolutely useless. Hardly any recipes. Too much fluff.

[John Shrek Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my goto guide for my dehydrator, he lists more fruits, vegetables, meats, and miscellaneous than other books I ve read on the subject. Also included are tips for setting up for whichever type of trip you re planning for. Some of the recipes can basically be made ahead and used as needed on the trail. The book even includes tips for unexpected events that can occur on the trails. The size of the book makes it really easy to pack.

The only suggestion I have for the author is: you CAN dehydrate onions. He s right that if the onions can make you tear for use in the regular ways, they will drive you out of your home dehydrating these onions. So if you need to dehydrate these onions, make sure that your windows are open, you have at least one window fan set to exhaust mode, and you go on an overnight excursion (P.S.: AVOID the neighbors for a while 😉). HOWEVER, any of the Sweet onions can be dehydrated at your home! The only possible problem is the smell makes me hungry while they re dehydrating.

[Barrette Plett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, practical recipe and technique ideas.

[Amber Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provided a lot of information for an inexperienced hiker! I think the recipes and tips will be very helpful on the trail!