The Hungry Spork Trail Recipes: Quick Gourmet Meals for the Backcountry

Book Synopsis: Looking for gourmet alternatives to packaged trail food? These “just-add-water” recipes put tasty, wholesome, nutritious meals in the hands of wilderness backpackers and other explorers. In this book, you’ll find flavors from the world’s major cuisines that can be adapted to your needs, whether you just prefer whole foods with minimal additives or even follow a special diet.

Trail-tested by a dedicated group of backpackers, this collection of recipes relies on freeze-dried or home-dehydrated ingredients that can be rehydrated in warm water. This is known as the freezer-bag method, though the food can be soaked in water in any type of vessel, including a pot. No simmering is needed. Just add warm water and wait a few minutes for a warm, flavorful meal.

Vegetarian and vegan options have been expanded for each recipe and suggestions are provided for special diets, including dairy-free, gluten-free and others. Designed for the short- or long-distance adventurer, these recipes are ideal for those far from civilization who prepare meals with minimal gear and have limited space, including backpackers, campers, hikers, paddlers or road-trippers.

You’ll find more than 30 new recipes for soups, stews, trail salads, breakfasts and dinner meals, along with updated recipes from the author’s earlier book, “The Hungry Spork: A Long Distance Hiker’s Guide to Meal Planning.” Detailed nutrition information is provided for each. Spice blends, homemade bone broth, bouillon, vegetarian bouillon, gravy powders and sauces are included in a separate chapter. A chapter on beverages includes everything from smoothies to a homemade hydration mix and some spiked drinks for festive occasions.

Comprehensive appendices provide suggestions for sourcing specialty ingredients, lists of foods for certain special diets, nutrition information and resources for dehydrating foods.

What this is not: This is not a recipe book for those who cook with an array of pots, pans and trail ovens, people seeking recipes for dehydrating whole meals or front-country recreationalists who can bring large amounts of fresh food. It does not contain detailed instructions about how to dehydrate foods. It is also not a cookbook for those who specifically use the cold-soak method of meal rehydration. Many of the recipes could be rehydrated by soaking in cold water if given enough time, but these recipes were tested with warm water.

If you’re looking for healthier gourmet options for quick and easy backcountry meals, you’ll find an assortment of tasty, globally-inspired recipes here that will make you look forward to mealtime as much as you look forward to adventuring.

The author, who wrote “Highs and Lows on the John Muir Trail,” has hiked long trails in the Sierra Nevada (California), Coast Mountains (Alaska and British Columbia), Cordillera Blanca (Peru) and Alps (Europe). Her interest in trail food grew from her first multi-week backpacking trip, described in her book, “Highs and Lows on the John Muir Trail,” and a paddling trip covering 500 miles of the Yukon River. Even in those early days, she had a sense that there was a better way to feast on healthy, nutritious foods with the vibrant flavors she was used to at home. This book is the result of that journey.