OUTDOOR FOODS

That foods for outdoor men should differ from those eaten by people

who work indoors may appear strange to some of us, but it is a fact

that foods of the same class are not, as a rule, practical for both

outdoor and indoor consumption. The requirements of people who work

in the open air differ but little from those of the indoor workers,

but it is mainly the source of supply that necessitates a different

class of foods.

The indoor man lives in the midst of plenty. Almost anything his

appetite demands he may have. The telephone makes it unnecessary for

him to go to the store to place his order and the delivery man brings

the goods to his back door. His better half or perhaps a hired cook,

prepares the food for him and he need not even worry about the time

required for cooking or the work necessary to prepare and place the

viands before him.

But with the outdoor man, by which I mean woodsman and others who are

employed outdoors and do their own cooking far from a base of

supplies, the conditions are altogether different. Perhaps the outer

has carried his food a long distance on his back or it may have been

brought to his camp in a boat or canoe, or by team over a long and

rough road, or even packed on horseback from 50 to 100 miles into the

rough mountains. In either case it was necessary for him to select

foods having certain qualities. In order to keep the bulk and weight

down to a reasonable level all bulky, heavy, watery foods had to be

eliminated. Such foods as would freeze in cold weather, decay, become

rancid, or otherwise spoil if kept a long time without special care,

had to be kept out of the list. Also such articles as do not contain

much nutriment must be avoided, as well as those which are apt to

prove harmful when used regularly. Not only that, but the entire

outfit of food must be "well balanced," that is, it must have about

the right proportions of the various food elements required by the

human body. Too much salt pork and other preserved foods, with too

little fresh food, may cause scurvy; various articles which are known

to be difficult of digestion may cause chronic dyspepsia, while many

constipating foods may in a different way lead to the same trouble.

In addition nothing should be taken which is difficult to transport

or apt to get broken and cause trouble while en route.

To sum it all up, the requirements in outdoor foods that are to be

taken some distance to camp are as follows: First, reasonably light

weight and small bulk; second, good keeping qualities; third, a high

per cent. of nutrition; fourth, balance and total absence of

injurious properties; fifth, adaptability to packing and

transportation requirements. We might add to this the quality of

being quickly and easily prepared, for, while this is not required in

all of the food, it is necessary for all outdoor men to have a number

of articles which may be prepared on short notice.

Breakfast in the woods is usually an early meal, in winter being

invariably eaten before daylight, and this requires either quickly

prepared foods or very early rising. Often, too, the woodsman comes

in from a tramp long after dark. He has had a long, hard journey,

perhaps having had only a lunch since daybreak, maybe not even that,

and the cold, along with the exertion, has given him a marvelous

appetite. On such occasions every minute that can be gained in

cooking a nourishing meal is that much to the good. But short-order

meals are not the thing for regular fare, for in time they will ruin

any stomach.

Considering the first requisite, light weight and little bulk, we may

include in our list as meeting these requirements, all kinds of dried

fruits, vegetables, and meats, tea, coffee and condensed foods. Fresh

vegetables and fruits are excluded from the list, for they are heavy

and bulky and fail also in the second requirement, for they freeze

easily in cold weather and sometimes do not keep well when it is

warm. To make up for the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables we must

take plenty of the dry kind, and it is also a good plan to have in

the outfit a bottle of vinegar or fruit juice--lime juice is an

excellent tonic for use in the woods and is a sure preventative of

scurvy. Vegetables and fruit in tin or glass are also prohibitive

except in a small way, as, for instance, the fruit juice, vinegar,

pickles and condensed milk, all of which may be taken in small

quantities. In general, however, canned goods should be avoided

unless the trip is made by wagon or other means that does not

prohibit taking heavy goods, in which case a quantity of food in tins

may be taken. Eggs and other ultra-perishable goods are strictly

prohibited. The taking of eggs and food in glass also violates

requisite number five, for all such articles require far more care in

handling than is practical on the bush trail.

Not only does the woodsman have to consider cooking and eating in

camp but he must think as well of the many days that he will spend on

the trail and there his food must be of the most condensed, light,

nutritious and otherwise perfect form. He must therefore take with

him to his home camp sufficient of this quality of food to fill his

needs when he makes his long trips away from camp over the trap line

or elsewhere, but always carrying with him his equipment and food for

the trip.

A man can depend to some extent on game and fish, but if he is going

far back into the wilderness where he cannot retreat in a day or two

to civilization and a source of food supply he should be very sure

that the game and fish are actually found in the place where he is

going, that such game and fish will be available at all seasons, and

that there will be no uncommon difficulty in securing it. Some kinds

of big game animals migrate periodically or spasmodically; fish are

sometimes hard to find in winter, and the hunting equipment may for

one reason or another go wrong. For instance, the capsizing of a

canoe may mean the loss of the only gun or all the ammunition in the

party, and even a broken gun mainspring may cause great hardship. Of

course a resourceful and expert woodsman would not starve even if

turned adrift in the forest without food or gun, but few care to make

the experiment or to risk going hungry. Therefore I advise taking

enough food, so that it will not be necessary to depend on game. If

there is game to be had it should, of course, be secured, for fresh

meat is a great relief from the everlasting bacon and bannock and it

tends to neutralize the constipating properties of such food. It is

possible for one to live indefinitely on fresh meat and fish alone if

forced to it; but the civilized appetite does not accept gracefully

any such radical departures from what has now become the natural line

of food. Moreover, the man who elects to live on game and fish alone

must of necessity go hungry for long periods, in fact may be forced

to face starvation when game is scarce and for one reason or another

difficult to secure. Therefore the woodsman should not attempt to

live wholly on fresh meat or to make so much allowance for game that

he will suffer from hunger if the game is not procurable. No such

sacrifice should be made merely to reduce the weight of the outfit.

Coming now to the matter of keeping qualities we find that any of the

evaporated, dried or condensed foods on the market meet all

requirements. Bacon, cured for winter use, may not remain in a

perfectly sweet condition, and it is well to make sure before

purchasing that the meat is well salted and smoked. Butter may become

strong unless the weather is cold, but I have found that first-class

creamery butter will keep nicely for a period of two and a half

months in fairly cold weather. For a longer trip canned butter should

be procured. It may be purchased in Canada from almost any grocer

located in an outfitting point. While potatoes and other fresh

vegetables are prohibited because of weight and bulk they are also

eliminated from the list because they freeze in cold weather. A

trapper must often be away from camp for a period of time varying

from a few days to a week or more and anything that can freeze will

surely do so in one night of "40 below" weather. As an exception to

this rule I advise taking a few onions, for in spite of their weight

they are a food worth considering. They freeze as readily as

potatoes, but if they are kept frozen until time for use it will not

hurt them in the least. There are many dishes that are greatly

improved by an onion flavor and I am very fond of this evil-smelling

vegetable when sliced and fried with steak. Ordinary canned goods

containing water are tabooed in cold weather, for they freeze and

burst the cans, besides falling short in the first requirement of

camp foods, namely, light weight.

Nutrition in foods is a quality which needs but little expenditure of

gray matter if one does not attempt to live a long period on an

unvaried line. By taking a variety of foods and changing the menu

frequently danger from lack of nutriment is reduced to the minimum.

Condensed and dried foods are invariably very nutritious. With fresh

meat occasionally the foods which I recommend will meet all

requirements in this particular.

What has been said on the subject of nutrition in camp foods will

suffice for the fourth requisite--perfect balance and lack of

injurious elements. While I would not advise the use of one or two

articles of food as a steady diet the kind I name in the lists given

herewith, if used in the proportions given and a little fresh meat or

fish can be sandwiched in here and there, no bad results will follow.

On the other hand, if any of the articles, or especially a line of

articles like the dried fruits, are omitted, I would not be

responsible for the good health of the user.

Within the borders of civilization, and especially with those people

doing office work or following any indoor occupation which does not

require plenty of bodily exertion, constipation is a serious menace,

in fact I think it is the cause of many ills which are generally

attributed to other sources. In the woods it is somewhat different,

for the long tramps and other violent exercises tend to keep the

bowels open, but it is not so with all men, and especially with those

who hail from the city. Even the seasoned woodsman should not trifle

with anything of so serious a nature, for even to him chronic

constipation may come as the result of a steady diet of white flour

and other constipating foods. In the lists which I give the foods

most harmful in this way are wheat flour, especially when used in

baking powder bread, cheese, rice, beans and peas. The foods most

valuable for offsetting the bad effects of the above are the dried

fruits, especially prunes, and cornmeal. Fresh meat and onions act as

laxatives also, but too much of any of these foods may cause the

system to fortify itself against them and their good effects are

reduced greatly. Many kinds of food are difficult to digest; but it

should be remembered that all stomachs are not alike and what is

indigestible for one man is easily assimilated by another. The only

way to learn what foods are harmful and which ones are not is by

trying them, but this should be done and the results known before

going into the woods.

Tea and coffee are used extensively in the woods because they are

very refreshing to tired travelers. Tea is especially invigorating.

But both of these drinks, if used in excess, are harmful. Coffee

injures the nervous system directly, while indirectly it works on

other organs, and tea is injurious to the stomach, also the nerves.

Taken in reasonable amount these drinks will do no harm, but they

should never be used to the exclusion of water. The latter is the

natural drink and we cannot use too much.

The fifth requirement in camp foods is one that must not be

forgotten. On a long trip into the bush the outfit is sure to get a

certain amount of rough usage; a pack strap may give way or the

packer may stumble or slip and down goes the pack. With but few

exceptions, then, everything which will not stand a reasonable amount

of rough handling has no right to a place on the outer's list. The

exceptions are a few articles which when taken in small quantities

must be put up in glass and these few foods are pickles, vinegar and

others of similar nature. If any other less breakable container can

be found for these it is better to use it, but if these foods are in

bottle same must be carefully packed to prevent breakage. Eggs are

the most unsatisfactory of all foods for transportation into the

wilds, for they are easily broken, cannot be kept during cold weather

and spoil quickly when the weather is mild.

This is not an article on packing or otherwise transporting outfits

into the bush, but I wish to say this in regard to packing foods,

that all packages and containers should be as light as possible

consistent with strength and durability. Paper sacks are not the

proper thing, for they are so easily torn. It is by far the better

plan to have small duck or muslin bags for all dry foods. Nothing

should be taken if put up in wooden boxes or other containers having

sharp edges or corners, but all such articles should be removed and

placed in the cloth sacks. If this is impossible it is better to

eliminate such goods from the list.

To give a list of foods which are suitable for steady diet in the

wilds is easy, and it may be a perfect list, well balanced,

nourishing and having all the other desirable qualities, yet it may

not be satisfactory for general use. Individual tastes do not all

follow the same channels and there are no end of people who could

pick from any list of foods that I might give a number of articles

which they cannot eat or which are not received kindly by their

respective systems. Another thing is the difference in quantity of

food consumed by different men. While a life in the open air with

continuous physical exercise from before daylight until after dark

develops an appetite in any man, with some men their appetites seem

absolutely insatiable and they consume enormous quantities of food.

It is therefore difficult to give a list which may be taken as an

accurate guide and approximate quantities only can be given, these

being in the present time based on what I consider a normal

woodsman's appetite. Note in the following lists quantities intended

for one man one month's use and if the lists look good they may be

used for a basis on which to figure the amounts of food required for

the length of time.

List No. 1.--Twenty pounds wheat flour and ten pounds cornmeal, or 25

pounds wheat flour and five pounds cornmeal; one and a half pounds

best baking powder, free of alum; three pounds table salt (this is

more than necessary for food, but allows for preserving game); ten

pounds bacon or five pounds bacon and five pounds salt pork; one

pound lard or "Crisco" (this is seldom needed if all bacon grease is

saved and used for cooking); three pounds creamery or canned butter;

10 pounds beans, small or large, as preferred; four pounds split

peas; five pounds evaporated fruit, either apples, apricots or

peaches, assorted if desired; four pounds prunes; six pounds sugar

(seven pounds if used in tea and coffee); two pounds tea (black,

green or mixed) or three pounds ground coffee in airtight tins; one

bottle, about two pounds, sour pickles; four pounds evaporated,

unsweetened milk in small size tins; two pounds cheese; one ounce

black pepper. Eighty-seven and a half to 89 1/2 pounds total weight.

The foregoing is my standard list on which I have based many a

purchase of supplies, and while I vary quantities sometimes, and add

luxuries now and then, the list alone, just as given, makes an

excellent one for real woods trips.

In the following I have cut down the quantities of some articles and

added the equivalent in other goods, thus giving greater variety and

making a ration that is less apt to grow tiresome in time.

List No. 2.--Eighteen pounds wheat flour and five pounds cornmeal;

two pounds crackers or soda biscuits; one pound of best baking

powder; three pounds table salt; six pounds bacon and four pounds

salt pork; three and a half pounds creamery or canned butter; seven

pounds beans; three pounds split peas; five pounds evaporated fruits,

assorted as desired; four pounds prunes; eight pounds sugar; two

pounds tea or three pounds coffee, ground and in airtight tins;

two-pound bottle sour pickles; five pounds evaporated milk in small

tins; four pounds rice; one pound seeded raisins; two ounces

cinnamon; one ounce black pepper; two pounds cheese; five pounds

Bermuda onions. Ninety and a half pounds to 91 1/2 pounds total

weight.

I think the above list will be more generally satisfactory than the

first, but if the camper has preferences in regard to the kind of

food selected he may use these lists only as a basis on which to

figure. The weights given are net and do not include extra

containers. It will be noted that the total weight is nearly the same

in both; but the second allows for a more varied menu. I have added

to this one four pounds of rice. The raisins, with the additional

sugar and milk, are mainly for this dish. I have also added an extra

half-pound of butter, for it will be needed to make rice pudding. The

cinnamon is for use in apple sauce and on rice. By eliminating the

crackers and half the salt a couple of pounds of oatmeal and a brick

of maple sugar may be added, thereby again increasing the number of

items without additional weight and making a good wholesome breakfast

dish (oatmeal porridge), or one that can be prepared quickly, also

providing syrup for the pancakes--"white hopes," as one of my camping

companions called them.

Some of the above-named foods can be cooked satisfactorily only in

the permanent camp, while others are suitable for use in camp or on

the trail. When making long tramps away from my cabin and camping out

at night by the side of a fire I like to travel as lightly equipped

as possible without sacrificing comfort, therefore I carry very

little camp equipment and especially few cooking utensils. This

necessitates the use of very simple, easily prepared dishes.

Ordinarily I carry only the following foods: Flour mixed with the

proper amount of baking powder and salt; bacon, sliced and with the

rind removed; oatmeal, sugar, butter, tea, and a small sack

containing a few ounces of salt. The latter is for use in cooking

game killed during the day. It will be obvious then that if the

camper follows my plan he must base his quantities of these articles

on the proportion of time which he believes will be spent on the

trail or camping out. If the time so spent will be limited he can cut

down slightly on the amounts of these foods and add others more to

his liking if he wishes, but, on the other hand, if he expects to do

much camping out he must increase the quantity of such foods as can

be used on the trail.

Judging from my own experience it is easier to choose good camp foods

than to know which to use from the list for a meal and how to prepare

them. On stormy days, or when for any other reason the camper is

spending sufficient time at the main cabin, he can cook such foods as

beans, split peas, rice, game, salt pork and dried fruits, also can

make good use of the maple syrup and other luxuries. For short order

meals, as, for instance, when returning to camp long past meal time

and in a half famished condition, oatmeal porridge, bannock (baking

powder bread), bacon and tea or coffee will generally satisfy. Here,

for instance, is a good menu for a day when the hunter or trapper

wants to make a journey away from the main camp, returning late in

the afternoon. He rises early in the morning and prepares breakfast

of coffee, pancakes, maple syrup and bacon, or, perhaps, has fried

venison, moose or caribou steak. Immediately after breakfast he

places over the fire a kettle of beans with a piece of salt pork and

he boils this until he is ready to leave camp, which may be an hour

later. While the beans are cooking and he is waiting for daylight he

prepares the outfit which he will take with him for the day. His

lunch will be crackers, or if not too cold a piece of bannock, a few

slices of bacon, a small piece of cheese and tea. The bushman always

carries a small tea pail with him, if only a tin can fitted with a

wire bail. He returns about sunset and as soon as he has made a fire

he places over it the partly cooked pork and beans. By the time they

have finished cooking he has baked a bannock, stewed some fruit or

prunes, or made rice pudding. Thus he goes on day after day, varying

his menu as far as possible, as well as his methods of preparing the

foods.

In the lists which I have given I have purposely refrained from

naming the many prepared and condensed camp foods, because my

experience with most of them has been limited and many of them I have

never even tasted. I refer to such articles as desiccated vegetables,

dried eggs, milk powder, erbswurst, pemmican, saccarine, tea tablets,

soup tablets, etc.

Before closing I would like to say a few words in regard to game and

fish as food. While I do not advise making much allowance for them

when purchasing supplies the man who goes into the wilds to camp

should avail himself of any opportunity which offers to secure game

and fish for his use, but he should, of course, never kill more than

is needed, and unless driven to it by hunger should not kill

protected game out of season. If he kills more than he can use at the

time and the weather is too warm to keep it without curing he should

dry the meat and he will find it an excellent article for lunches and

when camping out. But what I wanted to get at is this, that many

animals which are seldom considered as fit for food and are generally

thrown away or used for bait are really fine food and by using them

there will be less need of violating the game laws. Among the animals

which are trapped and may be used for food are bears (when killed in

fall or winter), muskrats, raccoons, opossums and beavers. Woodchucks

are not bad eating if properly cooked, but they can only be secured

in summer. The porcupine is another animal which may be eaten,

although I cannot say that the meat is palatable. Many people in

Canada eat the flesh of lynx, but I draw the line on carnivorous

animals. I have tried it, in fact, I have eaten all the animals named

above.

My parting advice is to practice economy. The food which has been

transported over so many miles of rough trail by the hardest kind of

toil should never be wasted. The saving habit is a good one to grow

into and it can be practiced as well in the woods as in our own

homes.