Suzanne Simmons

is a photographer who resides in Maine.  Two of her hobbies are, hiking and photography.  She’s turned photography into a side business, and is waiting to find a way to get paid for hiking too!  Check out her photos at: http://suzannesimmonsphotography.smugmug.com/

Jerky Recipe:

Cut lean meat (about 3-4 lbs.) in thin slices (1/2 – 3/4″) – with the grain makes it ‘harder to bite into, but last longer’  across the grain makes it ‘easier to bite, but it goes quicker’

Marinate in a mixture of 4 cups of soy sauce (I use a combo of low salt and regular soy sauce), 2 Teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke and a dash of pepper.

Marinate for at least 12 hours.  Mix meat occasionally, so it absorbs the marinade on all sides.  Dehydrate until dry, but meat should still be pliable.  Your dehydrator may have marked settings.  Mine is 145 F, and takes about 8-10 hrs., depending on amount of meat in dehydrator, and the humidity level.  The taste improves after the meat has cooled completely.

Next time:  How to use the jerky in backpacking meals.

What do YOU like to eat while enjoying the outdoors?   Do you cook over a campfire, camp stove or tiny backpacking stove?  Whatever your preference, share your recipes here, along with other tips for great food.

Do you have directions for building a soda can stove?  Great dehydrating tips?

Post your suggestions here, or email to: leesaj@4alloutdoors.org

Resources:

Delicious: If you use Del.icio.us (bookmarking site, plus so much more) check out these resources for:

Camp Cooking

Backpacking Foods

Yahoo Group dedicated to food for the trail.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lighttrailfood/

Geocaching – The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site.

The first place to go for geocaching information.  Maps,  caches, search function and forums.

For more geocaching resources, go to: http://4alloutdoors.org/?page_id=49

Check this out…

Geomate Jr.

The family-friendly Geomate.jr provides everything you need right out of the box to get started on your first geocaching adventure. With about 250,000 preloaded Geomate Jr.geocaches to find, you’d better get started!

http://geomatejr.com/

***Stay tuned for an ongoing review of the Geomate Jr.

Osprey has invited me to try out a couple of their packs.  I am awaiting arrival, and will be reporting back here on how they work out, as I use them.  I’m looking forward to trying them out!

Check out all their products at: http://www.ospreypacks.com/