Simple Trail Foods

by Gerald Rowan

There is always an ongoing quest for better food for hikers, backpackers or trekkers. Two of the simplest and most universal of trail foods are soups or stews, simple to make, nutritious and one pot meals. There are a number of good quality prepared freeze dried soups, stews and meals available from commercial manufacturers. Most are of excellent quality but are generally expensive. You’re paying for the convenience and they’re difficult to ‘customize’. Soup and stew mixes you make at home can be designed to meet your needs, be convenient, and less costly than the commercial brands. 

Several other issues that affect the choice of trail foods are: 

Weight: Fresh milk would be a luxury on the trail. The problem is milk weighs eight pounds a gallon and doesn’t keep well without refrigeration.  

Refrigeration: which we know doesn’t exist on the trail. 

Preparation time: When hikers break for meals they’re really hungry. This means taking an hour to prepare a meal is out of the question.  

​Convenience: With the limited gear required for backpacking, convenience is a necessity.  

Let's take a look at the components of a typical soup and then translate it into a made-at-home, trail friendly version. 
Most soups are made from the same types of components: a base, meat, vegetables, fillers, spices and seasonings. Of course, not all soups or stews use all of these components. 

Now let’s look at the trail friendly components that are available in each area. 

Base: Chicken, beef, or vegetable bouillon cubes. Powdered milk or powdered whole milk, evaporated milk, or even non-dairy coffee creamer are good replacements for liquid milk.

Meat: Freeze dried chicken, turkey or beef, foil packed Spam, tuna, salmon or chicken; even hard salami, double smoked bacon or summer sausage. 

Vegetables: Freeze dried or air dried vegetables: corn, peas, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, beans, bell pepper or mixed vegetables. Vegetables are easily dried at home. 

Fillers (ingredients that add body to a soup): Freeze dried or instant mashed potatoes, any small sized pasta, quick cooking rice, couscous, polenta, grits or even oatmeal. 

Seasonings and spices: Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion or garlic powder, parsley flakes, oregano flakes, thyme, hot sauce, hot pepper flakes or even soy sauce. Parmesan cheese or cheese powders can also be added as flavoring agents. 

Let’s make this easy and start with a packaged soup mix. Brands like Knorr, Mrs. Grass, Lipton, Heinz, and Bob’s Red Mill all make packaged soup bases that are a good starting point. 
 
Soups and stews have similar ingredients with two differences: thickness and size of the ingredients. In soups, the meat chunks, vegetables and pasta are generally larger. Stews are generally thicker than soups. 

DIRECTIONS: add the additional ingredients to a sandwich-sized zip lock bag. Tuck in the soup mix packet, press out any air then seal. Cook on the trail.

CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP MIX                                                                                                  
1 C.                          Dry whole milk powder                                                                              
¼ C.                         Non-dairy coffee creamer                                                                          
6 tablespoons        Cornstarch or potato starch                                                                        
¼ C.                         Dried shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped                                                          
2 tablespoons        Vegetable or chicken bouillon granules                                                            
1 tablespoon          Parsley flakes                                                                                    
1 teaspoon             Dried onion powder                                                                                
½ teaspoon            Dried thyme                                                                                        
1 teaspoon             Dried basil                                                                                        
1 teaspoon             Kosher salt                                                                                      
 ½ teaspoon           Freshly ground black pepper                                                                              

Combine and mix well. Store in an air tight container (a zip lock bag works well). To make: add 5 tablespoons of the mix to each cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. The soup is done when the mushroom chunks are tender.    Use 1 qt. water for the whole recipe.                                                                

SUBSTITUTIONS: AP flour for the cornstarch. Chicken bouillon for the vegetable bouillon. 

ADDITIONS: 1-2 tablespoons butter. ¼ C. Orzo pasta or broken thin spaghetti. 1-4 oz. foil pack tuna, salmon, Spam or chicken.                                                                                                       

TRY: sautéing 1 onion in 2 tablespoons of butter and then add the water and make the mushroom soup. Reduce the amount of water used and create a mushroom sauce. Sautee chicken or turkey then add ½ C. mushroom soup mix and 1 ½ C. water. Simmer until the meat is tender and a sauce is formed.  

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP                                                                                                      
1-1.4 oz. package                        Leek soup                                                                  
2 tablespoons                             Freeze dried chives                                                        
1-4-1/3 C.                                     Instant mashed potatoes                                                    
2/3 C.                                            Powdered whole milk                                                        
1 qt.                                              Water

Add the water to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add the leek soup mix and chives then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the instant mashed potatoes and powdered milk then bring back to a simmer. Cook for an additional few minutes.                                                                        

ADDITIONS: 1-4 oz. foil pack tune, salmon, Spam or chicken. 

ONION AND BEAN SOUP                                                                                                        
1-1.4 oz. package                Onion soup mix                                                            
¼-1/3 C.                                Dehydrated refried beans                                                  
¼-1/3 C.                                Orzo or other small pasta                                                  
4 C.                                        Water

Add the water to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add the refried beans and onion soup mix then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and bring back to a simmer. Cook until the pasta is tender and serve.                                                                                                                            

ADDITIONS: 1-4 oz. foil pack tune, salmon, Spam or chicken.

TRAIL STEW                                                                                                                
1-1.4 oz. package                Onion soup mix                                                            
¼-1/3 C. (2 or 3 oz.)             Dehydrated beef, chicken or turkey                                      
¼-1/3 C.                                Freeze dried mixed vegetables                                              
¼-1/3 C.                                Orzo or other small pasta                                                  
4 C.                                       Water

Add the water to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add the meat, vegetables and onion soup mix then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta and bring back to a simmer. Cook until the pasta is tender and serve. The thickness of the stew can be adjusted by the amount of water added. 

CREAMY OATMEAL SOUP                                                                                                    
1 1/4 C.                  Rolled oats                                                                
¼ C.                        Freeze dried celery                                                        
1 C.                        Powdered whole milk                                                        
1 teaspoon           Garlic salt                                                                
4 C.                        Water                                                                                       

In a medium saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add celery and garlic salt; boil for 1 minute. Stir in oats and powdered milk, simmer for at least 5 minutes, or until thick. Serve hot.      

ADDITIONS: 1/4 C. non-dairy coffee creamer. 4-6 slices bacon, fried crispy and crumbled. 4 oz. Spam or cooked ham. 3-4 tablespoons dehydrated mushrooms, chopped. ½ teaspoon garlic granules. 1 teaspoon onion granules.                                                                                                         

AT HOME: Add the powdered milk to a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag, press any air out, then seal. Add the remaining ingredients to a second bag, tuck in the powdered milk bag, press out any air, and seal.                                                                                                                                                   
IN CAMP: Add the oatmeal to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the powdered milk. Simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes. 

Have fun and experiment with your own recipes. Always test drive a recipe before you take it on the trail.