The Seattle Times - IT MIGHT BE TRUE that everything tastes better in the woods, but some foods are arguably better than others.
Last summer, when my family was preparing for a backpacking trip in the Sawtooths, I had a last-minute change of heart as I was standing in front of a row of packaged freeze-dried meals, contemplating a $15 pouch of beef stroganoff. One brand packed a whopping 1,710 milligrams of sodium per serving. There must be a better way, I thought.
I had read online comments from backpackers who freeze a homemade stew to eat the first night, reasoning it should stay cold enough not to spoil but thaw in time for dinner. So I passed on the beef stroganoff, made a beef stew and froze it flat in a gallon plastic bag. The next morning, I placed it in the pack, along with some good wine in a water bottle. The pack was heavy on the way in, but a long hike provided ample time for the stew to thaw, and after heating it on our camp stove, we had a fantastic meal lakeside at 8,000 feet. The rest of the nights, we resorted to sodium-laden packages.
Last summer, when my family was preparing for a backpacking trip in the Sawtooths, I had a last-minute change of heart as I was standing in front of a row of packaged freeze-dried meals, contemplating a $15 pouch of beef stroganoff. One brand packed a whopping 1,710 milligrams of sodium per serving. There must be a better way, I thought.
I had read online comments from backpackers who freeze a homemade stew to eat the first night, reasoning it should stay cold enough not to spoil but thaw in time for dinner. So I passed on the beef stroganoff, made a beef stew and froze it flat in a gallon plastic bag. The next morning, I placed it in the pack, along with some good wine in a water bottle. The pack was heavy on the way in, but a long hike provided ample time for the stew to thaw, and after heating it on our camp stove, we had a fantastic meal lakeside at 8,000 feet. The rest of the nights, we resorted to sodium-laden packages.