The recent ice storm has me stuck inside, so that means recipe testing! I have a few new backpacking meal ideas that I want to get tested before the summer, and this is the first: Trail Thanksgiving!
This one is a bit of a departure from my standard ‘make real food then dehydrate it’ approach, using significant amounts of pre-packaged products, but it is significantly different than my go-to rotation of meals. I get bored with my food quickly and so this provides a much needed break from variations on noodles-and-sauce.
This came together very quickly, just a matter of weighing everything out and pouring it into a bag. I did have to dehydrate some vegetables and canned turkey, but I normally do those in bulk before a big trip so they are easily at hand.
Given how carb heavy this is, I was concerned at the calorie density for larger trips where I really start to work on optimizing food weight. However with a dollop of butter (or oil), it turns out pretty reasonable.
| Ingredients | Weight (oz) | Calories |
| Boxed Stuffing | 2.14 | 220 |
| Potato Flakes | 1.07 | 104 |
| Gravy Powder | 0.2 | 5 |
| Dried Veg | 0.75 | 34 |
| Dried Cranberries | 0.75 | 46 |
| Can of Turkey, dried | 1.2 | 210 |
| Butter | 0.5 | 102 |
| Totals | 6.61 | 721 |
| Water to prepare | 1.33 cups |
Finally, testing! It rehydrated well, and quickly when the boiling water was added. The veggies usually take about 10 minutes to loose their jerky-like chewiness, and they were the component that needed the longest soak. The stuffing and potatoes rehydrate pretty much instantly.
The taste was quite good! Definitely reminiscent of a holiday meal! The veggies add some texture and the cranberries a tart/sweetness. Overall, a winner that will certainly be in my summer rotation!
Mountain Dog Adventures 