Cooking Basics
Backpacking Food
Dutch Oven
Planning Camp Menus
Breakfast
Jank
Mountain Man
Breakfast
Lunch
Poulet L'Onion
Dinner
Backcountry
Chili
Beef Bangkok
Ham DeLeek
Chicken
Diablo
Trail Snacks
Fruit Leathers
Gorp
Desserts
Apple Delight
Dutch Oven Doughnuts
Pineapple Upside Down
Cake
Specialties
Beverages
Special Diets
Vegetarian Recipes
Gorp
Long before there were those fancy trail mixes you see in the supermarket, there was gorp. Trail mix or gorp is something every camper puts on the food supply list. But why buy when gorp is so easy to make?
Putting together your own gorp lets you include your favorite ingredients and allows you to vary the recipe. Does variety matter? Emphatically, yes. A couple I know (no names, please) made 10 pounds of gorp for a backpacking trip and managed to eat 1 1/2 pounds between them before they hit the boredom barrier. They carried the rest home.
Gorp consisting of just raisins and peanuts won't pass muster on the trail these days. Almost everyone wants chocolate (chocolate chips melt, M&Ms; don't), and interesting flavors (almonds, cashews, dates, dried pineapple, whatever appeals). If you make several kinds of gorp and alternate, your taste buds always have something new on the horizon.
Actually, gorp can be a mixture of pretty much anything you like. Here are some ideas: Tropical Mix - Combine equal parts dried pineapple, dried papaya, coconut, and cashews; add a less-than-equal portion of candied ginger. Desert Mix - Combine equal parts chopped dates, shredded coconut, toasted sliced almonds, and pistachios; add a pinch of ground cardamom. Garden Mix - Combine equal parts dried pineapple, dried papaya, coconut, and cashews; add a less-than-equal portion of candied ginger. Granola Mix - Combine 4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal and 1 cup each of dried fruit like pitted dates, prunes, raisins etc., then pine nuts or walnuts, then shredded coconut, and then wheat germ. Add 1/3 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup oil. Snip fruit into small pieces and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a sauce pan, stir together honey and oil and heat to boil. Pour over dry ingredients, and mix. Spread onto two 10"x15" baking sheets. Bake 25 minutes at 325o F, stirring occasionally. Add fruit once the granola is cool.