Fred's pemmican: The How-to

This recipe makes enough pemmican for a day's worth of snacking. Or, with the addition of boiled water, it makes one super-hefty portion of hoosh, a.k.a. stew.

Put another way, this recipe approaches 1200 calories, half the daily allowance for a moderately active adult. Of course, the energy demands of backpacking may be considerably above "moderate".

Fred's pemmican

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. dried beef
• 4 oz. (8 Tbsp) butter (unsalted)
• 1 oz. twelve-grain cereal (uncooked)
• 1 oz. dried fruit and/or vegetables

Seasonings:

• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of salt
• sprinkle of pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of chili powder

Directions:

1. melt butter (gently) in saucepan
2. use food processor/blender to grind all solid ingredients (plus seasonings) into powder; scrape into medium-sized mixing bowl
3. skim (and discard) foam from surface of melted butter; pour butter into mixing bowl (but discard milk solids settled at bottom of saucepan)
4. mix well, then transfer into (greased) bowl or baking pan
5. press down firmly with back of spoon; cover with wax paper
6. place weight on top of waxed paper (to keep ingredients compressed; dried beans work well)
7. place in freezer for 1 hour
8. remove weight, then remove pemmican from bowl
9. cut into chunks of desired size.

If intended as snacks, go heavier on the dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins, etc.). If intended as a main meal, go heavier on the dried vegetables (peas, carrots, peppers, etc.).

Should you choose not to dry your own ingredients, prowl any large grocery store. You may be surprised at how many options are available. In Canada, the Bulk Barn is a great source of dried produce. In the U.S., try Trader Joe's.

Package pemmican in ziplock bags. If you don't plan to consume it immediately, store in the freezer.

When prepared and stored with care, pemmican will easily last a number of months.