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| Http://www.outdoorwire.com/outdoor/trailbites/driedfruit/ | Short Cuts | ||||
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By: Mark M. De Nittis - March, 2001 |
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Dried and Canned Fruits and Vegetables for the Trails!
A perfect wintertime activity, besides shoveling snow of course, is drying and canning fruits. I recall, years ago, my Grampy (grandfather) drying and canning at the end of the summer garden harvest, and his garden was HUGE. Grampy has long since left us but the drying and canning memories live on. I think there are still full mason jars from over a decade ago still down in the basement at Grammy's house. Many of us these days do not have the time to tend to full gardens like our parents or even grandparents had. The reasons for drying and canning are many and two primary reasons are: spoilage of product on the trail, and ease of carrying. Whether you're trying to save space in a backpack or in a Jeep, dried or canned products carry well. Canned products can be heavy you say, so place them in Ziploc bags or if you own one of those sealing machines portion out only what you'll need. Many of us know optimizing the space you have is a crucial element to a successful trip. The kinds of fruits and vegetables you can dry or can is numerous and of course available at your local grocery store. I will give you some ideas on how to do a variety of styles and techniques that will provide most joyous spring and summer trail snacks, ingredients for future recipes as well as supply adequate nutrients.
Oven Dried Tomatoes:
One pound of Cherry or Roma tomatoes washed and cut in half.
Toss with enough olive oil to coat.
Season with granulated garlic, fresh or dry basil, and salt and pepper, and mix well.
Place on a wire rack or on lightly oiled pan and put in a 180 degree oven until dry.
Store in Zip-Loc bags as is or in jars with olive oil.
If you like tomatoes these make great snacking on some fresh rustic style bread with some olives, or use them to toss in some pasta camp-side or even in a sandwich. I'll have some summer and spring recipes utilizing dried tomatoes in future articles.
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| Required ingredients for a Roman Feast, or awesome dried tomatoes! | The seasoned and oiled tomatoes. | Preparing the eggplant. |
Eggplant Salad:
Yield: 1 pint jar
Take one eggplant and take off the skin, and cut in to cubes or strips. Lightly salt, layer on paper towels, and press with heavy object for 1 hour. Place in a bowl and drizzle with red wine vinegar. Toss well so the eggplant absorbs the vinegar. Take 4 cloves of garlic (more if you like it - less if you don't) and cut into slices. You may want to roast or sauté the garlic before adding. (Raw garlic can take a toll on your tummy if you are not used to eating garlic raw.) Take some fresh basil or other favorite herb(s) and chop fine. In a jar layer the pieces of eggplant, garlic and herbs. Once the jar is full pour in some olive oil to cover.
There are four types/qualities of olive oil, with Extra Virgin being of the highest quality and taste although the most costly, "pomace" is of lower quality but will do the job just fine. Tupperware works just as well to store this in.
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| Red and green apples work well with this recipe. | Put the water and lemon in the bowls so the apple slices do not brown. | The apple wedges with cinnamon and sugar, ready to dry. |
Dried Cinnamon Apples:
How about some fruits you say? Apples, the best varieties to use for this are McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Cortland (a McIntosh hybrid). Before cutting into your apples the first step we would take is to take two cups of water and the juice of two lemons and place in a bowl. This is so the apples will not brown as we cut slices. Wash and trim the apples of their skin: you can skip this step if you like the skin. Slice the apple in half lengthwise and again into quarters. At this point the core should be visible, go on and cut that core out, and slice the apple into 1/8" wedges. As you cut the slices place them into the acidulated water, until the next step. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees. In the meantime, take the apples out of the water, toss them with just enough sugar and cinnamon to coat. Place on a wire rack or parchment paper. Place that rack into the oven for 8 hours until dried. Take out of the oven, cool and set aside for the trail. Note: try not to "taste test" too many - they tend to get addictive and you won't have any for the trails.
| The Drying Process |
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| Racks of tasty trail and camp treats ready for drying! |
Peaches:
Summer time yields some fabulous peaches, such as those in Colorado and Arkansas, ah yes can't forget Georgia either. Peaches can be made into a wonderful jam. Jam is a great accompaniment to peanut butter in a sandwich, a great source of easy carbohydrates, protein, and energy on the trail or at camp. During the peach off-season, you can find frozen peach slices in your local supermarket that will work very well.
Peach Ginger Jam:
Yield almost 1/2 gallon (Using frozen peaches)
1-Quart Water
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
4 Lbs. Peaches, Frozen
1/2 each Large Ginger - minced fine
10 oz. Pectin
In a pot combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Toss in the peaches, lemon juice, and the ginger. Add the peaches to the water. Let simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the pectin and let cook for 5 minutes. Set aside and pour into sterilized jars 1/8" from the top. Wipe the rims clean. Place the lid on the jar, screw on the ring. Invert jar. Let stand for 5 minutes, turn jar upright. Cool and check seals after one hour.
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| Substitute frozen peaches if fresh fruit is not available. | Cooking up some Peach Ginger Jam. |
Dried Peaches:
Yield 2 lbs. (slightly under-ripe peaches work best, the super ripe ones will yield just as much after you cut into them because they are so high in moisture)
2 Teaspoons Salt and Sugar
1/2 cup Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
8 pounds Peaches- peeled, seeded, and cut into wedges
Combine salt and lemon juice with 1 1/2 quart water. Peel and seed the peaches, slice into 1/4 inch wedges into the acidulated water. With a slotted spoon take out the peach slices and lay them on a wire rack in a single layer. Place the racks in a cold oven; turn the oven on to 130 degrees. Place something in the oven door to keep it ajar and raise the temp to 170 degrees. Let them dry for about 5 hours or until there is no moisture present. Let the fruit cool. Pack away, again do not taste test to many of these, you won't have any for camp.
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| Now you're all ready for a variety of tasty treats on the trails! |
Mixed Vegetable Salad:
Makes 1 Gallon
Stewart, Tabori & Chang Inc. "Perfect Preserves Provisions from the Kitchen", Nora Carey, 1990
4 Zucchini cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 Pound, Thin Green Beans
2 Heads Cauliflower, broken into florets
4 Red Bell Pepper, Cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Pound Asparagus, Cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Pound Small Boiling Onions, peeled
2 Bunches Small Whole Carrots
About 2 Cups Course Sea Salt
6 Cups White Wine Vinegar
4 Cups Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Pomace will work just fine
4 to 8 Dried Hot Chilies
2 Tablespoons Dill Seed
4 Bay Leaves
Reweigh all the prepared vegetables and in a bowl combine them with 1/4 cup sea salt and 2 cups water for every 1-pound of vegetables. Let the vegetables soak for at least 12 hours overnight. Drain the vegetables, rinse them in cold water, and drain them again. In a large pan bring the vinegar to a boil and add the vegetables (if the pan is not large enough, do this in batches). Bring the vinegar back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, then with a slotted spoon transfer them to a large bowl. Boil the vinegar over high heat until reduced to about 4 cups. Add the oil, boil for 2 minutes and then take off the heat to cool slightly. Arrange the vegetables in warm sterilized jars. Divide the chilies, bay leaf and dill seeds among the jars equally. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the vegetables and seal the jars. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks before eating.
A great book to see more in depth coverage of canning, pickling and preserving is: "Perfect Preserves- Provisions from the Kitchen" by Nora Carey.
When the weather is cold and the camping or trail bounding is not as easily accessible, these applications are great weekend or evening family activities that will create long lasting memories as well as great food for spring and summer trips. If you have a label making computer program, have fun designing your own family member labels.
| Important Notes on Sterilizing Jars! |
I hope these can be of use to you. Until next time, eat well and enjoy.
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