Dehydrated Trail Food

Long distance walking is our passion and good food is one of our loves.
A question we are often asked by those who have never toted a backpack is "what on earth do you eat, and don't you get hungry???" Bushwalkers wanting to get into overnight hikes are a little more understanding and they like to know "just what type of foods do you take and how do you package them?" Those who have caught the bug and want to do extended overnight treks want to know "what foods do you find the lightest, the most filling and nutritious and the easiest to prepare?"

On this page we have tried to take away the mystery and provide an uncomplicated insight into how easy it is to pack if you just prepare ahead and follow a few simple guidelines. We haven't concentrated on how many carbohydrates per day you need, or what fat content there in this meal etc. We feel most dedicated walkers just want to get out there and do it with the minimum of fuss and get the most out of their experience. We can live by the nutritional rules when we get back home and settle into mainstream!
So cook up a storm, prepare a written menu, stick to it, and get out there and enjoy the 'Great Outdoors'.

Breakfasts
Breakfast is often the most important meal of your day, so make sure to allow plenty of time to enjoy. It’s also the one meal you can rely on a set start time. It just
may not be convenient to stop at exactly 10am, 12md or 3pm for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. You may be really buggered when you get into camp, so
dinner may have to wait until you're rested.

Muesli - there are plenty of brands available if you don’t want to make your own.
Porridge - Uncle Toby's variety packs come in convenient sachets, although these are quite small. A mix of dried fruits and nuts eg, sultanas, raisins, dates, prunes, apricots, peppitos, sunflower seeds will give extra bulk and nourishment.
Powdered milk – Sunshine or Diploma brand mix quite well. The full cream variety gives extra oomph for the coming day’s walk and tastes better too.
Powdered juice – Tang comes in convenient packs that make four drinks. If you are going to be doing a lot of through walks, it is cheaper to buy it by the jar and re-package it in zip lock bags.
Dried biscuits – There are lots of varieties of crackers and crisp breads available.
Jams and Vegemite – Carry best in old film containers. Wrap jam containers in plastic wrap as well to ensure no sticky mess if the lid pops off.
Tea – count exactly how many tea bags you’re likely to need. Remember everything extra adds to the weight of your pack.
Coffee – forget the real stuff, but 'coffee bags' are almost as good as brewed coffee. If you want to use instant, measure out how much you need and carry it in film containers.
Sugar – start saving all the prepackaged sugar that comes with your cappuccinos etc. These are the lightest and most convenient for your back pack. (Same with salts and peppers.)

Morning Teas
Although a little heavy, a good slice of fruit cake is heaven and nutritious at your first break of the day. A good cup of tea at this time always rejuvenates.

Lunches
Salamis usually carry well for a couple of days. Jerkys (dried meats) or packs of tuna or salmon are better for days three on.
Cheese – The Laughing Cow or Picon variety are quite tasty and come in convenient portions that carry well.
Dried biscuits or mountain breads provide that sense of a sandwich.
A broth made from stock cubes makes a change from tea and helps top up your salt levels at this time.
Lollies – barley sugar is often a welcome sugar hit through the day.

Afternoon Teas
Dried fruits and nuts are good for this break. Keep in mind how many slices you cut from each piece of fruit before you dehydrate them. It would be quite easy to eat two or three dehydrated mangoes or several bananas at one sitting. What a belly-ache might happen when they rehydrate in your stomach!
An electrolyte supplement like Gatorade or Powerade is also good at this time of day.
Dinners
Probably the most welcomed meal because the day's hard work is over.
Dehydrated meals – boil some water and start rehydrating as soon as you reach camp if possible. The longer your meal sits in water, the better it will taste. Cooked rice and pastas dehydrate well, are light to carry and don’t take long to rehydrate and reheat. This also cuts down on your fuel use. It can be useful to carry that little bit extra curry or chili powder in some plastic wrap, just to give your meal that little bit extra zing.
Vegetables – dried potatoes are readily available at supermarkets. Surprise brand peas, beans, corn and carrots taste OK on the track.
Two minute or instant noodles make a good addition to vegetables and packaged pasts sauces, and are a good substitute for rice.
A little salt at day's end is helpful, especially if it’s been hot and you’ve lost a lot of body fluids from sweating.

Supper
Hot chocolate and coffee drinks, or packaged cup of soups if you feel you need a bit extra salt, are a great way to round off your nourishment for the day. Unfortunately no-one has come up with a reliable way to dehydrate a good bottle of red or white, but who needs it out in the bush where your only stress should be how to accurately count all the stars overhead.
Oh yes, and a little bit of chocolate is a good rewarding treaty before you turn in for the night.

Here’s a few examples of meals that dehydrate and then rehydrate well. Some herbs and spices tend to lose a lot of their flavour when dehydrated, so don’t be afraid to be a little heavy handed, or even take an extra dash wrapped in plastic wrap to add when rehydrating and heating up. To extend the shelf life of dehydrated food store in refrigerator or freezer.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Breakfast	Lake Cootapatamba	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar
Morning Tea	Fruit cake or chocolate cake Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Anzac biscuits Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Anzac biscuits Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Anzac biscuits Tea, water or electrolyte supplement
Lunch	Sandwich - cured meat such as pancetta or ham, and salad (make at home) Tea Barley sugar	Dried biscuits Jerky Swiss cheese / or any other hard cheese Tea Barley sugar	Dried biscuits Jerky Processed cheese Tea Barley sugar	Dried biscuits Jerky Processed cheese Tea Barley sugar
Afternoon Tea	Dehydrated mango	Dehydrated mango	Dehydrated mango	The Main Range Track
Dinner	Classic Tomato Pasta (below) Green salad Parmesan cheese	Classic Neapolitana (below) Spaghetti Parmesan cheese	Satay Minced Beef (see recipe below Hinchinbrook Island menu)
Supper	Hot chocolate Treaty	Hot chocolate Treaty	Hot chocolate Treaty

Classic Tomato Pasta - serves two 150g fettucinni 1 large onion, chopped 4 rashers bacon, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 chilies, chopped 2 tablespoons tomato and roasted Mediterranean Vegetables pasta sauce or pesto 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 cup tomato juice Cracked pepper to taste 1/2 cup chopped parsley
To Cook: Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Heat oil in a frypan and saute bacon, onion, garlic and chillies. Add pasta sauce and juice. Season with pepper to taste. Add pasta and stir in parsley. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about 12 hours, turning every two or three hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. (This mixture may look oily, but if the pasta is crisp, it is dry.) Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions. Serve With: Green salad and Parmesan cheese.
Classic Spaghetti Neapolitana - serves two 3 large ripe tomatoes 3 small red chillies (optional) 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Ground pepper 1 teaspoon dried basil 500g minced beef 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 250g spaghetti Parmesan cheese to serve.
To Cook: Cook pasta in boiling water and set aside. Heat half the oil in a saucepan and brown the mince. Chop the tomatoes into chunks and add with the chillies and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the basil and the rest of the olive oil and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season with pepper and continue cooking until mince is tender. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about 12 hours, turning every two or three hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Break spaghetti into pieces and dehydrate on plastic sheets. (Note: Dried spaghetti may puncture vacuum bags, so it's best packed into zip lock bags.) Serve With: Parmesan cheese.	The Main Range

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Breakfast		Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Peanut butter Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar
Morning Tea	Fruit Cake Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Fruit Cake Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Fruit Cake Tea, water or electrolyte supplement	Fruit Cake Tea, water or electrolyte supplement
Lunch	Salad Roll (make at home) Tea	Dried biscuits Boiled eggs Cheese Tea	Dried biscuits 2 x packets tuna Cheese Tea	Dried biscuits 2 x packets tuna Cheese Tea
Afternoon Tea	Dehydrated mango	Dehydrated mango	Dehydrated mango	Dehydrated mango
Dinner	Spaghetti Bol Parmesan Cheese	Curried Beef Dehydrated potato	Thai Spaghetti
Supper	Cup of soup Treaty	Hot chocolate Treaty	Cup of soup Treaty

Spaghetti Bol - serves two 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 x 420g can condensed tomato soup 1 brown onion, chopped ½ cup chicken stock 2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 500g beef mince 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce ½ teaspoon dried oregano cracked pepper 2 tablespoons tomato paste 150g dried spaghetti 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
To Cook: Heat oil in a frypan and add onions and garlic and cook until transparent. Add mince and stir with a wooden spoon to break up the lumps, till the mince changes colour. Reduce heat and add oregano. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomato soup, stock, and tomato and chili sauces. Bring to the boil and reduce heat. Season with pepper and cook for ½ hour. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain, cut up and add parsley. Combine with mince. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about 12 hours, turning every two or three hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions as required. Serve With: Parmesan cheese
Curried Beef - serves two 500g minced beef 1 green apple peeled and chopped 1-2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons French onion soup mix 1 tablespoon oil 1tablespoon plain flour blended with 1 cup water
To Cook: Heat oil in a frypan and brown the beef and curry powder. Stir in the apple, soup mix and flour and water. Simmer until beef cooked. To Dehydrate: Dry for about 8½ - 9 hours, turning every three to six hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions as required. Serve With: Rice or potatoes
Thai Spaghetti - serves two 1 jar (about 190g) Thai chili jam (Asia at Home brand or something similar) 300g minced chicken 1 chicken stock cube 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 heaped teaspoons minced coriander 2 tablespoons white wine 100g dried spaghetti
To Cook: Combine chicken and jam. Heat oil in a frypan and cook chicken mixture, adding wine, stock and coriander. Cook over low to medium heat until chicken is done. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain, cut up and add to chicken dish. To Dehydrate: Dry for about 8½ - 9 hours, turning every three to six hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions as required. To Cook and Dehydrate Rice Steam or microwave 1 cup of rice with 2 cups water until cooked. (This makes about four servings) Dehydrate on plastic sheets sprayed with cooking oil for around 6 hours.

Beef, Bacon and Cabbage - serves four 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 bacon rashers, chopped finely 1 small brown onion, chopped finely 1 Thai red chili (optional) 1 clove garlic 500g lean beef mince 1 cup chopped parsley 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ½ cup beef stock 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage
To Cook: Heat oil and sauté bacon, onion, chili and garlic. Add mince, parsley, barbecue and Worcestershire sauces. Add mustard and beef stock. Add cabbage and lower heat and cook until beef is done. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about eight to 12 hours, turning every two or three hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions as required. Serve With: Rehydrated potato
Italian Mince - serves four 1 tablespoon oil 1 brown onion, chopped 1 clove garlic 500g lean minced beef 2 large tomatoes 1 cup tomato juice 410g can mushrooms in butter sauce 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon dried rosemary ½ teaspoon sugar
To Cook: Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until transparent. Add mince and brown. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat and cook until meat is tender. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about eight to 12 hours, turning every two or three hours until mixture is dried but not over dried. Package in vacuum sealed or zip lock bags in meal portions as required. Serve With: Serve with rehydrated potato or pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or Pecorino and chili cheese.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Breakfast		Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Strawberry jam Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar	Muesli or porridge Dried fruits Powdered milk Powdered juice Dried biscuits Vegemite Tea/coffee Sugar
Morning Tea	Apricot & Banana Cake Tea	Apricot & Banana Cake Tea	Apricot & Banana Cake Tea	Apricot & Banana Cake Tea
Lunch	Dried Biscuits Cheese Salami Tea	Dried Biscuits Cheese Salami Tea	Dried Biscuits Cheese Jerky Tea	Dried Biscuits Packet tuna Tea
Afternoon Tea	Almonds Dried figs Gatorade	Almonds Dried figs Gatorade	Almonds Dried figs Gatorade	Almonds Dried figs Gatorade
Dinner	Chili Beef Rice Salt	Chicken & Cabbage Cornflour Deb Potato Salt	Satay Minced Beef Rice Salt
Supper	Chocolate Drink Chocolate	Cup of Soup Chocolate	Chocolate Drink Chocolate

Chilie Beef – serves two 1 tablespoon oil pinch cinnamon 1 brown onion, chopped 500g beef mince 2 red chilies, chopped or chili powder to taste 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin
To Cook: Heat oil in a fry pan and sauté onions, chili, cumin and cinnamon until onions are transparent. Add beef and cook until brown. Add tomato paste and cook on medium/low (150°C), for 20 minutes. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about 8.5 hours, turning after about three and six hours. Package in vacuum sealed bags or zip lock bags. Serve With: Rice or rehydrated potato
Chicken and Cabbage – serves two 500g minced chicken Chicken stock cube mixed with ½ 4 shallots, chopped cup water 2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped finely 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage Cracked pepper to taste 1 tablespoon oil
To Cook: Heat oil in a fry pan (150°C) and sauté shallots and garlic until transparent. Add the chicken and brown. Season with pepper. Add cabbage and stock and cook over lowered heat until the chicken has cooked through. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about eight hours, turning after about three and six hours. Package in vacuum sealed bags or zip lock bags. To Rehydrate: Use plenty of water. You may need a tablespoon of cornflour dissolved in a little water, to make a gravy. Serve With: Rehydrated potato
Satay Minced Beef – serves two 500g minced beef 2 teaspoons minced coriander 4 tablespoons satay sauce 1 tablespoon oil
To Cook: Heat oil in a fry pan (150°C). Combine all ingredients. Stir regularly until cooked through. To Dehydrate: Spoon onto plastic dehydrator sheets and dry for about eight hours, turning after about three and six hours. Package in vacuum sealed bags or zip lock bags. Serve With: Rice or two minute noodles
Apricot Cake 200g dried apricots 100g butter 100g caster sugar 2 eggs 75g almond meal 75g self raising flour blanched almonds to decorate
To Cook: Put the apricots in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and heat for another five minutes. Remove from heat and let the apricots cool in the liquid. Drain. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Use electric beaters to cream butter and sugar, then add the eggs. Stir in the almond meal and flour, but don't over mix. Stir in the apricots and pour the mixture into a greased and lined 26cm x 14cm loaf pan. Decorate with the blanched almonds and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn on to a cake rack