Paddle Meals: Fillup With Phillips

April-May 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Debbie Leach

"Would you like to try some date nut bread?" Marnie greets us with a plate of samplers for her 'Kayak Kitchen' presentation at the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club. She says she doesn't cook as a hobby but she does like to eat, be efficient and well organized.

"Know your paddling mates' food style and agree on what you like and don't. We take along a good coffee maker and a camp toaster to start the day off right", she advises.

Marnie and her husband John used to canoe in Ontario with their two sons. Moving to the west coast, they switched to kayaks. Over the past seven years, they've enjoyed repeat trips to Johnson Strait, Nuchatlitz Inlet and Clayoquot Sound.

From the 'evening of ideas' at the Club, came tips about dehydrating, packing and hanging food away from bears and other critters:

• You can dehydrate the ingredients for most recipes, then add water and cook at camp. Try your favorite recipes or use 'Simple foods for the Pack' and 'Moosewood Cookbook'.

• Experiment with whole grains (like quinoa, polenta and couscous) and packaged foods (like scalloped potatoes, tofu scrambler or pasta with sauce) that you might not eat at home.

• Pack cooking instructions with each meal-give others a chance to be the chef.

• Record 'what we took' and how much to pack next time e.g. margarine, sugar, coffee, peanut butter, jam, tomatoes, onions, loaves of bread etc that you use for xx days. Also note longevity-yogurt travels well if unopened.

• Group things together in 7 bags-breakfast and snacks; lunch; cans; dinner; bread; fresh produce; emergency food and extra coffee.

• Pack condiments like olive oil, Jalapeno peppers, special mustards, chutney, cilantro, sauces (Thai, salsa, soy, peanut) or liqueurs to dress up a meal.

• Pack a quick bread mix or pancake that just needs water, and maybe dried eggs.

• Bring snacks you like.

• Choose wide mouth plastic bottles with screw tops (e.g. baking powder or supplements) and check for leaks.

• Pack cans tightly together to save room in your boat.

• Pack dishes and pots in a beach bag with handles-put utensils in an outside pocket.

• Plan to hang your food at least 12-15 feet off the ground. The Phillips family uses several carbiners knotted in place a few feet apart in the middle of a long rope. Throw one end weighted with a 5 lb fish weight over a sturdy branch and secure. Loop a length of rope through each carbiner before throwing the other end over an opposing tree.

• Stash light foods in drawstring bags (e.g. dried foods); perishables in an insulated bag; heavier cans or produce in light nylon backpack. Think of hoisting each bag up a tree. Forty apples could weigh 10 lbs.!

• Take along a pack cover to kneel on to cook.

• Cluster each dinner's ingredients in a grocery bag. Use these to pack your garbage out.

DATE NUT BREAD AT HOME:

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 8-inch loaf pan.
1 c boiling water
1 c dates, cut up
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp margarine
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 c chopped nuts or raisins

Pour boiling water over the dates. Add baking soda and let cool. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into date mixture. Pour into greased 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Marnie likes to bake and freeze several loaves in May to be ready for summer paddles. She gets really hungry out on the water and "Oreos just don't cut it!". This hearty loaf is great for breakfast or snacking and travels well.

CORN PANCAKES

2 generous servings

AT HOME:

Combine in zip lock bag and mix together:
3/4 c cornmeal
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c raw wheat germ
1/2 c milk powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp oil or butter
1 tbsp honey (optional)

AT CAMP:

Ad 1 1/2 cups water. Stir lightly. Cook on hot oiled fry pan. Save leftovers for lunch. Tasty!

Deb Leach, her kayak and computer live in Victoria, BC. Between paddling trips, Deb is off to salsa and scuba in Cuba. ©