[pct-l] trail food, making and drying 2 sauses

["Joanne Lennox" <goforth@cio.net>]

Over the years I have done a lot of experimentation to try to find trail
food that I could make and that added variety.  I could never afford those
mountain house meal packages or freeze dried meats, so I did a lot of
drying experimentation.  

One of the things that I start to crave after a few days on the trail are
things that have a vineagar tang - mustard, salad dressings, salsa, lemon
marinades, pickles.   I have dried sauerkrat, and pickles and would not
reccommend it (the former disintegrates into an unpleasant powder, and the
latter is very tough and "inert").  Pickles beets out of a can, can be
sliced and dried, but they don't taste the same.You can also take Dijon
Mustard and spread it thin on tin foil and dry it.

The other thing is that I am always trying to find some other "sauses "
that can add variety to the cheese, Ramen, spagetti, chili, curry sauses
that predominate in trail meals.  The two that I have been most happy with
are a "green Salsa" and a peanut sause.  Both are slightly hot and have the
requisite tangy flavor. I dry both on aluminium foil greased with butter
(we are talking very,very little butter - use a cold cube of butter streak
it around the periphery of the 12x6 inch sheet and a few streaks down the
middle, and then use your finger to smear it very thin all over the
aluminum).  I have dried both sauses in a regular oven.  It takes about a
day, and you heat the oven up about four times during that period (Take
what you are drying OUT of the oven, turn the oven on to 350 for about 3
minutes, then TURN THE OVEN OFF, wait a minute or so to even the heat, and
then put your drying items back in the oven.  The residual heat will last
for about 3-4 hours.  All ovens are different you will have to fiddle to
find out when yours gets up to a drying heat and not a cooking-browning
heat, before switching it off).  I usually use my homemade dryer.

The green salsa you can get in the refrigerated case (comes in a cottage
cheese container) at most food coops, or specialty stores.  It looks like
red salsa, but it is green and tastes entirely different ( lots of
tomatillos, and cilantro).  I've only used the fresh stuff.   spread the
contents of a 14 oz. carton on about 2-3 pieces of aluminum foil.  It is
very important that the contents are even and thick enough.  If the salsa
is too thin, and/or not dry enough, you will never get it off the al. foiL.
 When the salsa has dried to the point of brittleness, you peal it off the
aluminum foil by folding the edge back and pushing the front edge down the
back side of the foil with your thumb. if you reach a glued piece, reverse
directions a few times.  As soon as its off the foil, crumple it up into
small pieces, and seal it into a glass jar.  I do this with everything I
dry.  I also try to freeze the jars if I have space in the freezer (It is
very important that when you take the jars out of the freezer that you
allow at least a couple of hours for them to come up to room temperature;
otherwise they will regain moisture and may began to mold).  My favorite
combination is the green salsa with dried cubes of potatoes and chicken.

Peanut sause is as follows:
	1/2 cup peanut butter (not chunky, pour off the oil	
		from the jar, don't mix it in, I use Adams)
	(1/2 cup hot water)
	2Tbs. tamari sause (health food store)
	2 Tbs. molasses
	1/4 cup cider vineagar
	garlic, about 3 large cloves minced
	fresh ginger, about 1/2 tsp. minced very fine
	1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

         The last three ingredients should be according to taste, be
careful with the cayenne, it can become hot very quickly.  I usually add
some and then keep adding a little more until it is just right.   If I am
eating this at home, I  add the hot water, and it blends the flavors and
integrates and mixes the sause.  If I am going to dry the sause, I leave
the water out and heat the sause in a microwave in order to mix and blend
the flavors.  Be forewarmed that this only takes about a minute or so and
that it boils over very fast.  I warm it, mix it, warm it, and mix it
again.  Spread on  buttered aluminum foil, and dry.  Must be thick enough,
but if it is too thick it will take for ever to dry.  I usually take it
off, when it is like a fruit leather, but i think that it can be dried to
brittleness.
I like it with vegies and Ramen or rice.  Really great with broccali at
home, I like it with asparagus(sliced about1/8 inch or less, dried) and
couscous or Ramen on the trail .

Peace,
Goforth
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