Happy Holidays

Storm Brewing, Twanoh State Park

Camping at Twanoh State Park

Camping at Twanoh State Park

Grand-daughter Adaryn at Twanoh State Park

Tolmie State Park

Mushrooms at Lake Sylvia

Morning at Sylvia Lake - Cranberry Tea

Fig Coffee Cake, Zucchini & Quail Egg Fritters

Hiking the Trail - Lake Sylvia

Bushcraft: Asian Soup, Cheezy Biscuits

Camping at Lake Sylvia

Miniature Cinnamon Swirls and Cranberry Tea

Home-made Lemon Balm-Cranberry Tea

Cranberry-Apple Fruit Roll Ups

Persimmon

A Really Good Can of Tomatoes

Dehydrating Garden Produce, Making Teas

Salmon Chowder

I D Photo for U-tube, Google Account

I set up an account on U-Tube, so I could keep track of the videos I watch, and leave comments.  I have really begun to appreciate the tutorials - how to dehydrate food, preserve jam, build pop can stoves, pack a backpack and just general Bushcraft information.  Just about anything you want to learn, you can learn on U-tube.  A favorite video, exquisite beauty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElkDsqVPmrk

Adaryn has a new tooth....and she can crawl!

A Welcoming Hearth at Shafer State Park

Hiking Shafer State Park

Picnic at Shafer Park

After our hike, I set up several different types of portable stoves for a picnic - a sterno stove that can be used with fuel or wood, and home-made 'pop can stoves'. 

Each stove has compatible pots, and a specific food that would be cooked in each pot. 

I had a menu - quail eggs and bacon, cornmeal fritters, and rice pudding.  We put pre-cooked kebabs to warm in the ashes near the fire, and I brought along dehydrated tomatoes and tomatillos for a snack.

I mixed up the dry ingredients for the cornmeal fritters at home, then placed them in a Ziplock bag.  At the Park, I added a small can of creamed corn, chopped sweet onion, a dash of red pepper, and additional milk to make the right consistency.  Once mixed in the bag (no bowl to wash), I fried the cornmeal fritters in peanut oil on my tiny, home-made alcohol stove, made out of a pop can.  Each fritter was fried, one at a time, and served with condiments - ketchup, brown mustard, watermelon pickles.  Dried tomatillos, dried tomatoes. 

I also made red Bhuton rice pudding on this little stove, using dried rice flakes, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom, coconut milk, currants and pistachios, and pre-cooked red Bhuton rice.  This kind of rice pudding, with a non-hulled rice added, is very chewy and delicious.

The tiny quail eggs were cooked on top of the bacon in a tiny Teflon-lined pan.  I have two of them, together, one on top of the other.  This way, the eggs can be poached in the steam as the bacon fries on the bottom.

All the food was cooked efficiently and served one dish at a time - while hot.

Mushroom - Schafer State Park

Dehydrating Veggies for Soup, Snacks - Tomatillos

Bushcraft Cooking: Fig Coffee Cake, with Apples & Pears

Using an alcohol 'pop can' stove can be challenging when baking a cake - it burns hot, and cannot be turned down.  Consequently, a thin layer of the outer crust can get burnt.  But, not a problem if the interior is fully baked and delicious - and this was!  I dehydrated pears and apples, placed them on top, then baked the cake in a tiny brass pot.  Once baked, I spread fig jam over the fruit, for a wonderful sweet glaze.  

The brass pot and plate are from Egypt, hand pounded and etched.  I found them at the Goodwill.  Cost me $2.00. 

Photo: KANAL YÖRÜK

Photo: KANAL YÖRÜK

Photo: KANAL YÖRÜK

Bushcraft Cooking: Bacon and Eggs

I've been building small alcohol stoves for bushcraft cooking while camping or hiking.  They require a tiny pot or pan, to fit the burner.  These are easy to find, often at the Goodwill. 

One morning last week I lit one of the small stoves, put a pan on top, partially fried the bacon, then added two eggs and some seasonings.  Covered, it steamed the eggs until done, which for me is lightly soft in the middle with a bit of runny egg.  Took five minutes, to make breakfast outside in my back yard.

 
Tutorial for making your own pop-can alcohol stove here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-35L_xdtQE