Fabulous Foods for Backpacking
Watch Here: How to Prepare Sweet Potatoes for the Trail
” Regina, I found your sweet potato video to be VERY helpful, thank you so much for providing! The step-by-step instructions, including what to look for/tips is exactly what I needed – I just bought a dehydrator and want to do some food prep before I start mid next month to mix things up with grocery store buys. One question as I’m completely new to rehydrating my own foods – how long do you let it rehydrate? Does it depend on the food, or just a set amount of time? Thanks again!!” Renee Slembarski
Regina’s backpack foods are so tasty and unique!
Make YOURS a “Light T.E.N.” bag with foods
that are Light, Tasty, Economical, and Nutritious!
Regina shares and demonstrates how to make some of her favorite backpacking foods like:
- Flax Flatbread,
- Tomato Sauce,
- Pumpkin Pie,
- Fresh Pineapple,
- and more!
Use these recipes and enjoy trail life!
Click on the Photo to join!
Regina is getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail! With her video series, you can watch over her shoulder as she prepares her Fabulous Foods for Backpacking. Click on the pot of soup below to get the “Georgia” Series! $27 value
Fabulous Foods for Backpacking
Dehydrating foods for a Light T.E.N. Pack
Regina Reiter
Regina’s Favorite Dehydrated Foods
Sunflower-Flax Flatbread |
Beets |
Strawberries |
Sweet Potatoes |
Cabbage-Carrot Slaw |
Pineapple |
Pumpkin Pie |
Sweet corn |
Red Bell Peppers |
Tomato Sauce |
Peas |
Class Recipes
Sunflower-Flax Flat Bread
Ingredients for 10 – 12 dehydrator sheets (approx. 40 servings)
1 – 1.5 lbs golden or brown flax seeds
.75 – 1 lb chopped or whole dates (pitted)
1 – 1.5 lbs raw sunflower seed kernels
Sea salt
Herbs optional: rosemary, dill, oregano, basil, etc.
Preparation:
1. Soak the flax, sunflower seeds, and dates all together in a big bowl completely covered with water for 2 – 8 hours. Check the water level once or twice to make sure the seeds are still covered. The flax really soaks up the water!
2. In batches of 1 cup, blend the mixture into a batter in a high-powered blender like a Vita-Mix. The goal is to break up the seeds. Some flax will remain whole and that’s ok.
3.Add salt and herbs to taste
4. Spread the batter onto dehydrator trays covered with Teflon sheets. You want the batter to be less than ¼” thick, even, and consistent.
5. Dehydrate at a temperature UNDER 115⁰F to sustain enzyme activity until the bread can be peeled off the Teflon sheets in a whole piece.
6. Finish dehydrating until the breads are flexible or crunchy, whichever you prefer. 12 – 24 hours.
Softer, flexible bread can be used like tortillas. Crunchy bread is like crackers.
Red Bell Peppers
Cut peppers into strips and dehydrate on mesh trays. 8 – 10 hours should do it for peppers.
Beets
Cut finely with a Spiral Cutter and dry on Teflon sheets so the tiny bits don’t fall through the mesh. Fresh beets cut in this way can dehydrate overnight, 6 – 8 hours.
Pineapple
Peel and core fresh pineapple and cut into 3/16 – ¼” slices. Arrange on mesh sheets and dry for 6 – 8 hours before turning over, if desired. Dehydrate another 6 – 8 hours until all the pieces are leathery but not soft.
Tomato Basil Sauce
Recipe from Brenda Cobb, Director, Living Foods Institute, Atlanta, GA
Ingredients for approx. 2 sheets, 6 – 8 servings
3 C Fresh Tomatoes chopped (Roma are a good choice)
3 C Sun-dried tomatoes soaked 2 hours
1 ½ C fresh basil or 2 Tablespoons dried
2 – 3 cloves fresh garlic crushed
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice optional
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
9 Medjool Dates or 1 cup soaked 2 hours
Blend all ingredients in a food processor, adding water as needed for thick sauces. Spread evenly on Teflon dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate 6 – 8 hours UNDER 115⁰F to preserve enzymes, until sauce leather can be peeled off the Teflon in one piece. Continue drying on the mesh covered trays until fully dry and pliable.
Alternate Quick Tomato Sauce: Spread prepared spaghetti sauce of your choice on Teflon sheets and dehydrate it as above for 6 – 8 hours on the sheets, then finished on mesh. This is a cooked food, so use higher temperature, 150⁰F for safe handling.
Pumpkin Pie
One 29 oz. can prepared pumpkin
One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 – 2 Tablespoons Garam Masala spice blend or Pumpkin Pie spice or equivalent
Blend all ingredients together and spread evenly up to ¼” thick on Teflon sheets. Dehydrate at 145 – 150⁰F since this is a cooked food that requires heat for safe preparation. Lower temperature would encourage mold and bacteria. Dehydrate Cooked foods separate from raw foods.
Regina Reiter, April, 2012 https://www.forgivenesswalks.com
Article for Comparing Dehydrators
http://www.backpackingchef.com/food-dehydrator.html
Regina’s favorite dehydrator is the Excalibur
http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/
Commercial Sources for Dehydrated Foods
The best bars and breads http://www.loveforce.net/about.htm
Many companies sell veggies and fruits. Google “Dehydrated Veggies”
NEW! Fabulous Foods DONE FOR YOU!
- You’re Too busy getting ready!
- Menu planning is overwhelming!
- Food Prep is NO FUN!
CONTACT REGINA AT <regina@forgivnesswalks.com> for DONE FOR YOU FABULOUS FOODS! Limited availability, so contact Regina at least two months before your hike.
“Thanks so much for helping me with food for my hike. Now that I’m not trying to figure out food, I am amazed at how much I accomplished today. All my food for the 2 weeks of hiking is packed (except for what you are sending). And I organized what Al and I will need for our week in Millinocket. It always amazes me how easy it is to get overwhelmed by things. Then, you let someone do something to help you and everything falls into place. Thank you for being that friend to me.”
~Debbie W.
CONTACT REGINA AT <regina@forgivenesswalks.com> to get DONE FOR YOU FABULOUS FOODS. Limited availability, so plan ahead!