8 tubs to a box, each tub is 1.5 ounces, giving a generous serving of peanut butter. Personally I would avoid the chocolate as it contains fully hydrogenated fat, the Natural though gives an alternative to the expensive pouches of PB on the market (and honestly the tubs are easier to get all the butter out of!).

Find in grocery stores and big box stores for $2 to 3 a pack.

~Sarah

The theme was warm and nourishing soups, perfect for cold weather hiking/backpacking/snowshoeing trips.

Clam and Bacon Chowder

In a sandwich bag:
1 cup instant plain mashed potatoes
¼ cup shelf stable bacon
4 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon
1 tsp dill weed
¼ tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp black pepper

In a second bag:
¼ cup dry milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Also take:
1 Tbsp or 1 packet olive oil
6.5 ounce can minced clams
¼ cup shelf stable Parmesan cheese with 1 tsp dried chives mixed in

Add 1 cup cold water to the milk bag, seal tightly and shake up till dissolved.
Add 3 cups water, oil and contents of potato bag to your pot. Bring to a boil and stir the milk mixture into the soup. Bring back to a gentle bubble and let thicken.
Turn to a low flame and add in the clams with broth and cheese, let heat through but don’t boil.

Impress your eating partner tips: Sprinkle the top of the soup with additional bacon and dill weed, pick up 2 sourdough “bread bowls” at the bakery on the way out of town. Carve and serve the soup in them.

Serves 2

Notes: Oysters (smoked or not) can be used instead. Find lightweight tins in the canned fish aisle. Find olive oil packets at www.minimus.biz

Chicken Stew & Dumplings

In a sandwich bag:
1 cup biscuit mix
1 Tbsp dry milk
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried parsley

Mark on bag “Add 1/3 cup water”.

In a sandwich bag:
3/4 cup freeze-dried vegetable mix
1 Tbsp diced dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp diced instant hash-browns

In a small bag:
4 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp diced dried garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Also take:
7 ounce pouch of chicken

Cover the vegetables with cold water and let soak for 5 minutes in a 2 Liter pot (or bigger).
Add 4 cups water, both the broth and vegetable bags and the chicken with any broth to your pot. Bring to a boil, taste the broth and salt to taste. Lower the heat a bit on your stove and keep simmering at a low boil. Meanwhile mix up the biscuit mix in its bag. Add the water, push out any air, seal the bag and knead till mixed. Snip a corner on the bag and start squeezing out dumplings. Let them simmer on the soup, with lid on for 5 minutes or till the dumplings are steamed and done (poke a spoon in one to check for being doughy), lowering the flame as needed to prevent boil-overs.

Serves 2 large bowls or 3 small bowls.

Notes: Instant hash browns are sold with the instant mashed potatoes and Costco. Look for Just Veggies brand dried veggies at Whole Foods, REI and other stores. Dried onions find in the spice aisle and Costco.

Slide Mt. Bean Chowder

In a quart freezer bag:
1/2 cup instant rice
1/3 cup instant black refried beans
1/4 cup freeze-dried corn
1 Tbsp shelf stable Parmesan cheese
1 tsp diced dried bell peppers
2 Tbsp dried salsa

Freezer Bag method (FBC): Add 2 cups near boiling water. Stir well, seal tightly and put in a cozy for 15 minutes. Stir again well.

Mug method: Add 2 cups boiling water to the dry ingredients in a large mug. Stir well, cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes.

One pot method: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in your pot. Add in the dry ingredients; stir well and let sit for 15 minutes tightly covered, in cold weather wrap your pot in a pot cozy to retain heat.

Serves 1 as a meal, 2 as a side cup of soup

Notes: Instant black refried beans are sold in natural food sections of grocery stores, look for bulk or Fantastic Foods brand or use black bean dry soup mix. Freeze-dried corn is sold at many natural food stores and REI, look for Just Veggies brand. Find dried bell peppers in bulk sections of natural food stores. On cold weather trips carry fresh salsa in a tightly sealed snack bag instead of drying it. Salsa is easily dried at home, for more info check our dehydrating pages out. To add more calories in winter add a stick of Pepper-jack cheese diced up (find with the string cheese) at the end.

Want more recipes for hiking? Check out our website, Trailcooking!

~Sarah

Being a Washington State native I grew up on Liberty Orchard’s Aplets and Cotlets – and their extensive candy collection. I love the mix of gummy candy and chopped nuts. Yum!

This week we had samples of a newer line, The Orchard Bar, show up for review. Imagine if I had my favorite fruit and berry candies made over into a tasty energy bar? Well, this is it. The bars come in three flavors:

Orchard Bars Pineapple, Coconut & Macadamia Bars – sweet and tropical.

Orchard Bars Strwberry, Raspberry & Walnut Bars – summery berries.

Orchard Bars Blueberry, Pomegranate & Almond Bars – fall harvest.

Unlike their candy counterparts, the Orchard Bars are full of nuts, seeds (even my favorite flax seeds!) and soy protein nuggets. The Pineapple bar has 200 calories, 8 grams fat, 100 mg sodium, 5 grams protein and 2 grams fiber – making the bars a great snack when out hiking or well, doing anything that works up hunger! The bars are sweet, unlike so many energy bars that taste more of flours, these you get the thrill of a candy experience with a boost of energy. And as a bonus the bars are also high in Omega 3, giving one a heart healthy choice. The bars are vegan, kosher, non-GMO, Gluten-free, made in the US and all natural.

Keep an eye out for the bars and if you like sweets, give them a try! And PS: Check out their website for 2 new flavors, available through their online store. Yum indeed!

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received product samples for review consideration.

So want a few of the weirder and odder recipes we have done? Just realize that they might contain questionable ingredients. And the food police has already called me so you can fan yourself out of the vapors before emailing me

The Salt Bowl

Possibly the worst for you and nastiest recipe I have made. It was a hoot to make it though. Thing is…back in like 1979 this was the height of eating for outdoorsmen. Seriously. You will find this salt bomb in many vintage trail cookbooks. The smell of salt/chemicals/preservatives was so intense I couldn’t touch the meal.

Bangers n’ Mash

Who wouldn’t want a scrumptious plate o’ Vienna Sausages? Mmmmmmmm (OK, maybe not….)

Spam-Tastic Lo Mein

This recipe is actually good. I mean really good. The smell when it cooks will make the most ardent Spam-Hater come begging. Maybe even convert a vegan who isn’t very grounded. Dogs will beg. So will thru-hikers.

Bacon Sushi

If there was one recipe that generated SO much hate-mail, this is it. I did this back in 2007 or so on the original blog and you would have thought every hiker out there was a certified food snob. That is only because they were all jealous they didn’t have this salty/sweet treat from the Gods. You know you want it.

Nettle Pesto

Lets just say that I needed an idea for a foraging article. It prevents scurvy. Cause you know how in 2010 scurvy is a menace to Americans. Lol…..

Blackberry Green Beans

This one is actually very tasty. Just be sure to remove all little green bugs/worms off the berries before serving your lady friend. Otherwise she might swear off backpacking and you will be “camping” at Marriott for the next 20 years. Just sayin’.

Spam-Tastic Fried Rice

OK, fine I won’t lie. I like Spam. In small amounts when fried up it is amazing. You just have to put on blinders about what it is even made of. Spam in fried rice is a treat. And I am serious about that. And this is coming from a 90% vegan. My guilty pleasure is a shiny packet of reduced sodium Spam. And I am not ashamed, no matter what the food snobs and food police think

~Sarah

The Omega bars are in the 250-ish calorie range (some more than others) and come in 5 varieties to choose from:

The bars are hefty, moist and with my favorite..lots of filling:

The Attack Snack are truly snack size at 150 calories each and come in two flavors:

The snack bars are nice and compact, soft and with plenty of fruit filling:

The bars are a good source of Omega-3, fiber and protein and are made naturally with no preservatives.The Marionberry bar was a treat, outside of the PNW one rarely sees Marionberries used. The Peanut butter & Strawberry Jam tastes like fresh natural style PB, a treat for me as I don’t eat partially hydrogenated peanut butter and many energy bars don’t spring for the good stuff. Toddler recommended as well – the baby enjoyed nibbling on the Marionberry and the Attack Strawberry bars.

For best results the bakery does recommend eating them within 2 weeks when stored in normal temperatures or storing in the refrigerator (due to the Omega) for up to 6 months. So while not easy to take say on a long trip or a thru-hike, for the average hiker out for a day or a weekend they are a new choice to add to the snack bag.

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We were provided with samples for potential review.

And even better? It is in single serving tubs of 1 ounce each. The chain updated their dipping sauces recently and added it to the line (they have 6 dips now).

It is a thick and smooth sauce with a close taste to many bottled versions – some heat, some sweetness.

The ingredient list isn’t particularly horrid either – not much different than a bottle at the grocery store (although it does contain sodium benzoate).

These little single serving tubs are perfect for drizzling on rice, pasta, adding to chicken wraps. Take a peanut sauce recipe and add one or two tubs for even better recipe….

So how does one get these tubs? Most McDonald’s will sell the tubs, usually for 10 cents or so. Ask nicely and if you are ordering other items often they will just toss 1 or 2 in.

~Sarah

They have two options, Velcro closure and drawstring. Both work great but I found that the Velcro one would be superior for using in hiking.

The sandwich bags have a pleat on the bottom.

If anyone has looked for a reusable and washable bag for carrying food items (obviously not wet food, dry only) take a look. The interior is lined with a nylon material, cotton on the outside. There is a tiny gap on the closure that would allow small items to fall through  (the drawstring bag would work better in that way) but used for bars, nuts, candy, etc this is a nice option for the food bag.

I don’t have a weight for the bags – my office is packed up currently as we are remodeling and my scale is tucked away – the bags are feather weight though, no heavier than a shy ounce for the larger bag.

~Sarah

The JetBoil systems (of which there are a number of) are either rabidly loved or hated on. Just depends on which camp you are in. What they do well is boil water quickly and efficiently.  The downside of the JetBoil is its bulkiness, due to being tall, although one can make this a lot less bulky by breaking down the kit before stowing it in their pack. It can also be a pain to clean if you have big hands and you fry food on the inside (note – broth based meals work best if cooking in).

The other issue was that the JetBoil performed amazing in 3 season weather but had issues in cold, particularly in altitude. In the SOL version they have worked on this issue:

“True 4-season upright canister cooking system, Jetboil introduces advanced Jetboil Thermo-Regulate™ Burner Technology to deliver consistent heat output down to 20˚ F (-6˚ C).”

Well, it comes close enough to solving it for most users. For those of us who backpack/camp in minus temps…well, suck it up and carry a traditional liquid fuel stove designed for mountaineering! Those clunky old fireballs do have a place – and deep cold is one of them.

The details:

JetBoil SOL Advanced Cooking System
- Price $119.95

Set includes stove/pot/bottom cup for covering stove bottom (turns into mug and measuring cup)/fuel canister stabilizer/pot support.

The pot support is for if you wish to use the stove with a traditional pot – one that isn’t a JetBoil. It turns the JetBoil stove into a normal canister stove.

- Insulating cozy for pot with heat indicating strip
- Lid with drinking spout/strainer
- Stove cover doubles as drinking and measuring cup
- Pot stabilizer for use with other pots

- Push button igniter (although always carry back up matches or lighter with any stove!)

- .8 liter FluxRing® cup (pot)

Weights from manufacturer:

10.5 ounces – which includes everything but the pot stabilizer and pot support. (So pot/lid/stove/bottom cup)

Dimensions:
4.1″ x 6.5″ (compacted), 11.5″ when fully assembled.
Pot size: 0.8 Liter/27 ounces

Our weights:

Stove/Pot/Lid: 10.5 ounces (Notice our weight doesn’t include the bottom cup, which weighs in at 1.1 ounces)

Stove/Pot/Bottom Cup/Lid/Fuel Stabilizer: 14 ounces

Stove/Pot/Bottom Cup/Lid/Fuel Stabilizer/full 100 gram fuel canister: 1 lb. 3.7 ounces (This is the ‘ready to use’ weight, with everything you need)
Full (new) 100 gram fuel canister: 6.9 ounces

Pot support: 1.3 ounces. (Not normally needed)

Claimed boil time:
16 ounces water in 2 minutes, 15 seconds, averaged over life of canister.

Can boil 12 Liters water with one 100 gram canister of fuel (small canister) as claimed by JetBoil.

Our boil time:

16 ounces water in 2 minutes 10 seconds on a new canister – meaning the averaged out time by the manufacturer holds true.

Photos in use -

Set up with 2 cups (16 ounces) cold water:

With the Sol is the strip on the side of the cozy that reacts to heat. When the pot is cold it is black:

As it starts heating:

Halfway there:

Nearly there:

Full boil:

Of the entire stove setup I liked the heat strip the best – it was easy to watch it climb up. No need to peak in the top.

As a water boiler and occasional meal cooker it is a tremendous stove – if one can get over the bulk and and hard cleaning.

On a side note – is the fuel stabilizer needed? It depends. If you are klutzy I would suggest it, otherwise it really isn’t “needed” for supporting 2 cups of water. Stabilizers work better when one is using wide pots (say 2L or bigger). So do keep that stabilizer, it will fit most brands of fuel!

~Sarah

So what showed up today?

A Primus AluTech 1.2 Liter pot – with screw on lid (with pasta strainer holes), fold-able insulated handles and a stuff sack. Big enough to cook one pot meals for 1-2 people, plenty of hot water for 1-2 people and its lightweight styling makes for easy carrying in a pack (it is just shy over 8 ounces). The pot is HAA (Hard Anodized Aluminum) – which as our readers know is my preferred choice o’ metal for cooking. Durable and naturally non-stick (although it isn’t true non-stick, if you do fry food on you can soak the pot or scrape it off). And did I mention this pot retails for a measly $32? It is a refreshing oddity in the current mindset of many manufacturers – just the pot and lid. Nothing else. No plates, bowls, cups, mugs, spoons, sporks. And $32 is a lot easier for a hiker to afford than $50 to $120. And more so, you get only what you need – just that one pot not a multiple of pots.

Being used on a typical canister stove:

It boils 4 cups water easily:

More to come!

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received this cookware for potential review from the manufacturer.

Does it work? Yes. It works very well. But….and a big but….the towelettes have a VERY strong perfume. If you don’t wear heavily scented products at home this will be eye watering strong. And it isn’t a natural herb scent either – it is a cloying perfume scent. And the scent hangs on – hours after using. This makes it a pretty bad choice for the backcountry – strong scent in animal territory? No thanks. And while some women may like the scent I cannot fathom men liking it.

Good product, good idea….but how about a version not so scented? For now I cannot say I would use them again. If the scent was a lot less I would.

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received product samples for potential review.