MENU PLANNING FOR ALL OCCASIONS Herb Haake University of Scouting March, 2014

Basic Course Outline Backpacking and Campground Cooking Types of Foods Cooking Equipment Food quantity & Calorie count Menus Food Storage & Protection

Backpacking Foods Use Foods and Menus which have: Short cooking times (ie- 5 to 10 minutes) Little water content (dehydrated or freeze-dried) Minimal number of cans High ‘concentration of protein & calorie content No refrigeration requirements

Backpacking Cooking Equipment Use lightweight stoves Need pot capacity of 1 pint per person Two persons – 2 qt pot Four persons – 3 qt pot Ideal cooking group size = 4 or less Leather gloves for hand protection For ‘do it yourself’ preparation, use food dehydrator

Typical Calorie Requirements Average Scout 2500 Calories Age 14, Weight 150, Height 70” Active Young Adult 2800 Calories Age 25, Weight 190, Height 72” Very Active Sr Citizen 1800 Calories Age 72, Weight 170, Height 70” Sedentary

Backpacking Breakfast Keep it simple Use ‘Hot Water’ approach 4 oz mix of walnuts, almonds, oats, sugar 600 calories Add hot water to the oat mixture Beverage – tea, tang, cocoa 100 calories (mostly from the sugar)

Backpacking Lunch Keep it simple Use High Calorie foods, such as Gorp (nuts, raisins, M&M’s) Peanut butter & pita bread Cheese or summer sausage Energy bars / chocolate bars Apples or dried fruits (ie- apricots, prunes) Bagels / hard crackers Lunch and trail snacks = 1000 calories

Backpacking Supper Keep it simple Use ‘hot water’ approach with: Commercial freeze-dried packages Meals created from your own dehydrator Commercial beans (lentils) with a “filler” Dehydrated vegetables & canned meat w/ “filler”

Backpacking Supper (con’t) “Fillers”: Potato powder or instant rice Stovetop stuffing Couscous Ramen noodles ‘Simply Sides’ packages (ie- wheat & spinach pasta) Supper = 1100 calories

Water Considerations in the Backcountry Purification only needed for drinking water Water used for cooking does not require separate treatment – it’s being boiled while you cook ! Obtain drinking water from clean sources at highest elevation possible Chemical treatment (Iodine and Ascorbic acid clarifier) is usually most convenient for small groups If filtering, first let water impurities settle out in a pot

Leave No Trace Plan ahead and prepare Repackage food to minimize trash Avoid us of foil for packaging Travel and camp on durable surfaces Find rocky site for cooking Dispose of waste properly Human waste at least 200 ft from campsite Carry out what you carry in

Leave No Trace (con’t) Leave what you find Minimize campfire impacts Do not dig trenches or build structures Minimize campfire impacts Use lightweight stove for cooking Respect wildlife Never feed animals, or leave food around Be considerate of other visitors Camp away from trails

Food Protection in the Backcountry Animal habituation Avoid easy access to food Methods Bear bags Hang from trees or cables Bear canisters

Food Protection – Bear Canisters Easier / more effective than bear bags Now required in many backcountry areas One canister can hold up to 7-10 days food for one person / 5 days of food for two people Use plastic bags for repackaging for maximum fit Store canister on ground / 100’ from tent Avoid placing canister near heat, plastic can melt Store ALL scented items inside canister Includes food, toiletries, garbage Therefore, avoid bringing scented foods like fresh fruits, raw meats, and items like cosmetics

“Stealth” Camping Objective Methods Keep cooking area / odors SEPARATE from tent site Camp away from others Methods Cook main meal in early afternoon, or before reaching your final destination Finish your evening meal well before sunset Select camping site away from water sources

Campground Cooking - Menus Follow Cooking Merit Badge objectives USDA “MyPlate” criteria

Campground Cooking - Menus Learn and use cooking techniques from the Cooking Merit Badge: Boiling Simmering Steaming Pan Frying Grilling Baking

Campground Cooking - Menus Make use of fresh and canned Fruits Vegetables Include appropriate beverages Use cooler (or camp refrigerator, if available) to protect food

Campground Cooking - Equipment Campground fireplace or Camp stove (ie- Coleman double burner) Griddle, dutch oven, and handling tongs Patrol cookset, including 8 quart pot Dishes / cups for each patrol member Safety considerations Leather gloves for hand protection Filled water pails for fire protection

Campground Cooking - Breakfast Fruit juice or fruit cup snack Orange juice Fresh fruit – bananas, apples, oranges, etc Hot cereal or a grilled entrée Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar Egg, ham, and cheese grilled sandwich Beverage Cocoa, tea, tang Aim for 700 calories

Campground Cooking – Lunch Keep it simple Soup and sandwich or other cooked meal Beverage / water Hydration Aim for 800 calories

Campground Cooking – Supper Keep it simple Remember the ‘MyPlate ‘allocations Fruits Vegetables Grains Proteins Dairy Beverage / water Hydration Aim for 1000 calories

Campground Cooking – Supper (con’t) Dutch oven entrees Beef stew Roast chicken Shish kabobs Dutch oven desserts Fruit cobbler

References WHFoods.com Nutritiondata.self.com Provides ‘healthiest’ foods list Click on specific food See Nutrition chart and Health benefits, Cooking tips, Food ratings Nutritiondata.self.com Click on Search – “All Food Catagories” Click on “Food Name” See data for glycemic load & inflamation factor Kitchenchatters.com/food-dehydrator-reviews/ See cost and comments for top dehydrators

Dried Fruits / Vegetables Calorie Content Dried Fruits / Vegetables Calories / oz Green beans 80 Raisins 92 Craisins 100 Apricots 40 Figs 20 Prunes 70 Dried potato powder 110

Calorie Content Candy & Snacks Calories/oz Dark chocolate 155 Good sense spicy pub mix 150 Ferris cherries/berries/nuts 140 M&M candy Dove almond chocolate bar Hershey candy kiss dark 125

Calorie Content Walnuts 185 Smoke House almonds 170 Peanuts 180 PROTEIN FOODS Nuts / Seeds Calories / oz Walnuts 185 Smoke House almonds 170 Peanuts 180 Pistachios (No shell) 150 Sunflower seeds 186

Calorie Content Bacon 140 Bologna 80 Pork chop 65 Ham 45 PROTEIN FOODS Meat Calories / oz Bacon 140 Bologna 80 Pork chop 65 Ham 45 Chicken breast 30 Turkey breast 40 Steak 50

Calorie Content PROTEIN FOODS Meat Calories / oz Ground beef (lean) 66 Ground beef reg 80 Canned Chicken 30 Liverwurst 95 Spam 90 Beef kielbasa 85 Frankfurters

Calorie Content Protein Foods Fish Calories / oz Canned tuna (oil) 60 Canned tuna (water) 30 Atlantic salmon 50 Smoked salmon 35 Halibut 31

Calorie Content Protein Foods Beans Calories /oz Lentils 100 Black eyed peas Dehydrated String beans 80 Chick peas 70 Split peas 30

Calorie Content Dairy Foods Calories /oz Milk 1% 14 Milk 2% 16 Milk whole 20 Half & Half 40 Butter 200 Cheese 100 Ice Cream 60 - 80 Eggs

Calorie Content Grain Foods Calories /oz Most dry cereals (Cheerios) 100 Sugar 110 Stove top stuffing 150 Instant rice Brown rice Couscous/pasta Corn syrup 120 Oats