Category: Cooking and Recipes

The Drink You Can’t Get Anywhere Else in the World

While relaxing in front of the campfire at the end of a beautiful day, a nice warm drink is the perfect companion as the temperature begins to drop. The Boundary Waters, and any other pristine fresh bodies of water, offer a drink that you are unable to get anywhere else in the world.

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Designate a single water bottle for the trip, or make sure to clean it thoroughly afterwards with boiling water and soap. While out in the middle of the lake, where there is usually less sediment, dip your bottle in and fill it up.

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Later, when you get to shore and are winding down, pour the water into a pot on your camp stove and bring to a rolling boil. According to the EPA, as long as you are under 5,000 feet in elevation, the water only needs to boil for a full minute to kill any microorganisms; to be on the safe side, I usually boil for about 5 minutes.
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water
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Pour your water into a glass, mixing half and half with either whiskey or bourbon and enjoy.

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Due to the variations in mineral content, your exclusive beverage will taste different on every lake you go to; and as every lake is uniquely named, so too is your drink. The drink partly shares the name of lake. For example, if you took pristine spring fed water from Lake Alton it becomes a Whiskey Alton, if from Birch Lake it becomes a Birch Whiskey.

Cheers!

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Easy Trail Ham and Squash Soup

sliced squash
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

This is a hearty soup that is great to prepare and enjoy at home, then dehydrate to be enjoyed again on the trail or around the campfire.  After cooking, place in dehydrator at 155 degrees Fahrenheit until completely dehydrated, then place in vacuum seal bags.  I usually divide the bags into 2 cup (pre-dehydrated) quantities. 

 

Ingredients

·         64 oz chicken broth

·         *Optional: Ham bone simmered with broth for one hour

·         2 Butternut squash chopped

·         2 medium sized sweet potatoes chopped

·         ½ pound ham  finely chopped

·         1 large onion finely chopped

·         1 stalk celery finely chopped

·         1 large carrot finely chopped

·         2 cloves garlic finely chopped

·         1-2 tbs creole seasoning

·         1 tsp black pepper

·         1 tsp cinnamon 

·         *Optional: 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped

 

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Directions

·         Simmer squash and sweet potatoes in broth until tender

·         Mash until smooth

·         Add the remaining ingredients and slow cook until vegetables are tender

 

 

After dehydrating and vacuum sealing, store your trail soup in the freezer until your trip. 

 

When it comes time to rehydrate, add bag contents to 2 cups of water on camp stove and heat while stirring occasionally until desired consistency is reached.  Be careful not to scorch.

stainless steel pot on brown wood stove outside during night time
Photo by Lum3n.com on Pexels.com

 

For a fuel conserving variation, add 2 cups of water to the vacuum sealed bag and roll closed.  Gently rock or mix for 20 minutes to bring your soup back to life, then heat on camp stove.

 

Enjoy!