Food And Cooking Utensils
Categories:
CAMPAIGN LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS.
The professional trapper on a campaign depends much upon his traps
for his food, and often entirely contents himself with the subsistence
thus gained. We encourage and believe in roughing it to a
certain extent, but not to that limit to which it is often carried
by many professional followers of the trap throughout our country.
The course of diet to which these individuals subject themselves,
would often do better cred
t to a half civilized barbarian than
to an enlightened white man, and when it comes to starting on a
campaign with no provision for food excepting a few traps, a gun, and
a box of matches, and relying on a chance chip for a frying-pan, he
would rather be counted out. In ordinary cases we see no necessity
for such deprivation, and, on the other hand, we decry the idea of
transporting a whole kitchen and larder into the woods. There is
a happy medium between the two extremes, whereby a light amount
of luggage in the shape of cooking utensils and closely packed
portable food, may render the wild life of the trapper very cozy
and comfortable, and his meals a source of enjoyment, instead of a
fulfilment of physical duty. What with the stock of traps, necessary
tools, blankets, etc., the trapper's burden is bound to be pretty
heavy, and it becomes necessary to select such food for transportation
as shall combine the greatest amount of nutriment and the least possible
weight, and to confine the utensils to those absolutely necessary
for decent cooking.
The trapper's culinary outfit may then be reduced to the following
items, and in them he will find a sufficiency for very passable
living.
One of the most nutritious and desirable articles of food consists
of fine sifted Indian meal; and it is the only substantial article
of diet which many trappers will deign to carry at all.
By some it is mixed with twice its quantity of wheat flour, and
is thus used in the preparation of quite a variety of palatable
dishes. One or two pounds of salt pork will also be found a valuable
addition; boxes of pepper and salt and soda should also be carried.
With these simple provisions alone, relying on his gun, traps and
fishing tackle for animal food, the young trapper may rely on three
enjoyable meals a day, if he is anything of a cook. Pork fritters
are not to be despised, even at a hotel table; and with the above
they can be made to suit the palate of the most fastidious.
Indian meal is a valuable accessory with cooks generally, and to
the trapper it often becomes his great staff of life. If our
young enthusiast desires to try his hand at roughing it to the
fullest extent, compatible with common sense and the strength of an
ordinary physical constitution, he may endeavor to content himself
with the above portable rations; but with anything less it becomes
too much like starvation to arouse our enthusiasm. For cooking
utensils, a small frying-pan and a deep tin basin are indispensable;
and a drinking cup is also to be desired. The kind known as the
telescope cup, constructed in three parts, which close within each
other, when not in use, possesses great advantages on account of
its portability. With these one can get along pretty decently.
The pork fritters already mentioned form a favorite dish with trappers
generally, and can be made in the following
way; have at hand a thick batter of the Indian meal and flour;
cut a few slices of the pork, and fry them in the frying-pan until
the fat is tried out; cut a few more slices of the pork; dip them
in the batter and drop them in the bubbling fat, seasoning with
salt and pepper; cook until light brown and eat while hot. The
question now arises, What shall we eat them with? If you are
roughing it, such luxuries as plates and knifes and forks are
surely out of the question; and you must content yourself with
a pair of chop sticks a la Chinee, or make your jackknife do
double purpose, using a flat chip or stone as a plate. A small
tin plate may be added to the list of utensils if desired, but
we are now confining ourselves to the lowest limit of absolute
necessities. That wholesome dish known as boiled mush, may come
under the above bill of fare; and fried mush is an old stand-by
to the rough and ready trapper. In the first case the Indian meal
is slowly boiled for one hour, and then seasoned as eaten. It is
then allowed to cool, and is cut in slices and fried in fat. Indian
meal cakes are easily made by dropping a quantity of the hot mush
in the frying-pan, having previously stirred in a small quantity
of soda, and turning it as soon as the lower side is browned. A
Johnny cake thus made is always appetizing, and with the addition
of a little sugar, it becomes a positive luxury. Hoe cakes, so
much relished by many, can be made by mixing up a quantity into
a thick mass, adding a little soda. Bake in the fire on a chip or
flat stone. The trapper's ground is generally in the neighborhood
of lakes or streams, and fresh fish are always to be had. They
may be cooked in a manner which would tempt a city epicure; and
when it comes to the cooking of a fresh brook trout, neither a
Prof. Blot nor a Delmonico can compete with the trapper's recipe.
The trout is first emptied and cleaned through a hole at the neck,
if the fish is large enough to admit of it; if not, it should be
done by a slit up the belly. The interior should be carefully washed
and seasoned with salt and pepper; and in the case of a large fish,
it should be stuffed with Indian meal. Build a good fire and allow
the wood to burn down to embers; lay the fish in the hot ashes
and cover it with the burning coals and embers; leave it thus for
about half an hour, more or less, in proportion to the size of the
fish (this may be easily determined by experiment); when done,
remove it carefully from the ashes, and peel off the skin. The
clean pink flesh and delicious savor which now manifest themselves
will create an appetite where none before existed. All the delicate
flavor and sweet juices of the fish are thus retained, and the trout
as food is then known in its perfection.
By the ordinary method of cooking, the trout loses much of its
original flavor by the evaporation of its juices; and although
a delicious morsel in any event, it is never fully appreciated
excepting after being roasted in the ashes, as above described.
The other method consists in rolling the fish in the Indian meal
and frying it in the frying-pan with a piece of the salt pork.
Seasoning as desired.
Partridges, ducks, quail, and other wild fowl are most delicious
when cooked in the ashes as described for the trout. The bird should
be drawn in the ordinary manner, and the inside washed perfectly
clean. It should then be embedded in the hot coals and ashes, the
feathers having been previously saturated with water. When done,
the skin and feathers will easily peel off, and the flesh will
be found to be wonderfully sweet, tender, and juicy. A stuffing
of pounded crackers and minced meat of any kind, with plenty of
seasoning, greatly improves the result, or the Indian meal may be
used if desired. A fowl thus roasted is a rare delicacy. A partridge,
squirrel, pigeon, woodcock, or any other game can be broiled as
well in the woods as at home, using a couple of green-branched
twigs for a spider or toaster, and turning occasionally. For
this purpose the bird should be plucked of its feathers, cleanly
drawn and washed, and spread out by cutting down the back. Venison,
moose, or bear meat, can be deliciously roasted in joints of several
pounds before a good fire, using a green birch branch as a spit,
and resting it on two logs, situated on opposite sides of the fire.
The meat can thus be occasionally turned and propped in place by
a small stick, sprinkling occasionally with salt and pepper. The
above manner of making the fire is that adopted by most woodsmen.
Two large green logs, of several feet in length, being first laid
down at about three feet distant, between these the fire is built,
and when a kettle is used a heavy pole is so arranged as to project
and hold it over the fire. A cutlet of venison fried in the pan
is delicious, and a Johnny cake cooked in the fat of this meat
is a decided dainty.
With the above hints for a rough and ready campaign, we think
the young trapper ought to be able to get along quite comfortably.
We will now pass on to the consideration of what the average
professional trapper would call luxuries. The stock of these
depends much upon the location of the trapping ground. If accessible
by wagon or boat, or both, they may be carried in unlimited quantities,
but when they are to be borne on the back of the trapper through
a pathless wilderness of miles, the supply will, of course, have
to be cut short. When two or three start out together it becomes
much easier, one carrying the traps and tools; another the guns,
cooking utensils, etc.; the third confining his luggage to the food.
One of the most necessary requisites for a journey on foot consists
in a knapsack or large square basket, which can be easily strapped
to the back of the shoulders, thus leaving the hands free. Matches
are absolutely indispensable, and a good supply should be carried.
They should always be enclosed in a large-mouthed bottle with a
close fitting cork, to prevent their being damaged by moisture. For
further safety in this regard the matches may be rendered perfectly
water-proof by dipping their ends in thin mastic or shellac varnish.
If not at hand, this varnish can be easily made by dissolving a
small quantity of either sort of gum in three or four times its
bulk of alcohol. It is well to dip the whole stick in the solution,
thereby rendering the entire match impervious to moisture. Lucifer
matches are the best, and, when thus prepared, they may lay in
water for hours without any injury. It is a fearful thing to find
oneself in the wilderness, cold and hungry, and without the means
of lighting a fire, and to prepare for such an emergency it is
always advisable to be provided with a pocket sun glass. So long as
the sun shines a fire is thus always to be had, either by igniting
a small quantity of powder (which the trapper is always supposed
to carry) or using powdered touch wood or punk tinder in its
place. Fine scrapings from dry wood will easily ignite by the sun
glass, and by fanning the fire and adding additional fuel it will
soon burst into flame. In cloudy weather, and in the absence of
matches, a fire may easily be kindled by sprinkling a small quantity
of powder on a large flat stone, setting a percussion cap in its
midst, and covering the whole with dry leaves. A smart strike on
the cap with a hammer will have the desired result, and by heaping
additional fuel on the blazing leaves the fire soon reaches large
proportions. If the young trapper should ever be so unfortunate
as to find himself in the wild woods, chilled and hungry, minus
matches, powder, caps, and sun glass, he may as a last resort try
the following: Scrape some lint or cotton from some portion of
the garment, or some tinder from a dry stick, and lay it on the
surface of some rough rock, white quartz rock if it can be found.
Next procure a fragment of the same stone, or a piece of steel from
some one of the traps, and strike its edge sharply, and with a
skipping stroke into the further side of the tinder, the direction
being such as will send the sparks thus produced into the inflammable
material. Continue this operation until the tinder ignites. By now
gently fanning the smoking mass it may easily be coaxed into flame.
At least so our Adirondack guide told us last summer. The author has
never had occasion to test the merits of the plan for himself, and
has no special desire of being so placed, as that his life will hang
upon its success. He presents it therefore as a mere suggestion
without endorsing its practicability, and would rather prefer matches
in the long run. The open fire generally serves both for purposes
of warmth and cooking, but by many, a camp stove is considered a
great improvement. Stoves of this character, and for this especial
purpose, are in the market. They are small and portable, with pipe
and furniture, all of which pack away closely into the interior.
A fire is easily started in one of these stoves, and, by closing
the damper, a slow fire may be kept up through the night. The stove
is generally set up at the entrance of the tent, the pipe passing
through the top, in a hole near the ridge pole. The furniture consists
of three pots or kettles, which pack easily into each other, and
when in the stove still leave ample room for a considerable amount
of provisions.
The kettles are made of block-tin, and frying-pans also, as these
are much more light and portable than those made of iron. The lid
may be used as a plate, and for this purpose the handle consists
of an iron ring, which will fold flat against the surface when
inverted. Knives, forks, and spoons are easily stowed away in the
stove or knapsack, and a coffee-pot should always be carried. There
is a knife known as the combination camp-knife, which is much used
by hunters and trappers, and contains a spoon, fork, knife, and
various other useful appendages, in a most compact form. It costs
from one to two dollars.
For provisions, potatoes will be found excellent, both on account
of their portability and the variety of ways in which they may be
served. They are healthy and nutritions, and always palatable.
Beans are also very desirable for the same reasons. Wheat flour will
form a valuable addition to the trapper's larder, and particularly
so, if the self-raising kind can be had. This
flour contains all the required ingredients for light bread and
biscuit, and is sold by grocers generally, in packages of various
sizes, with accompanying recipes. We strongly recommend it where
a stove is employed; and to anyone who is fond of biscuit, bread,
or pancakes, it will be appreciated. Butter, lard, sugar, salt,
pepper and mustard are valuable accessories, and curry-powder,
olive oil, and vinegar will often be found useful. Olive oil is
often used by camping parties with the curry powder, and also as
a substitute for lard in the frying-pan. Pork, Indian meal and
crackers, wheaten grits, rice, and oat-meal are desirable, and
coffee and tea are great luxuries. For soups, Liebig's extract of
beef is a most valuable article, and with the addition of other
ingredients, vegetables or meat, the result is a most delicious and
nutritious dish. This extract is obtainable at almost any grocer's,
and full directions and recipes accompany each jar. Canned vegetables
are much to be desired on account of their portability, and are
never so delicious as when cooked over a camp fire. Lemonade is
always a luscious beverage, but never so much so as to a thirsty
trapper. A few lemons are easily carried and will repay the trouble.
All provisions, such as meal, flour, sugar, salt, crackers, and the
like, should be enclosed in water-proof canvas bags, and labelled.
The bags may be rendered water-proof either by painting, (in which
case no lead or arsenic paints should be used) or by dipping in
the preparation described on page 247. If these are not used, a
rubber blanket, page 250, may be substituted, the eatables being
carefully wrapped therein, when not in use. The butter and lard
should be put up in air-tight jars, and should be kept in a cool
place, either on the ground in a shady spot, or in some cool spring.
For a campaign on foot, the knapsack, or shoulder-basket, already
alluded to on page 234, is an indispensable article. It should
be quite large and roomy, say fifteen inches in depth and ten by
twelve inches in its other dimensions. The material should be canvas,
rubber cloth, or wicker, and, in any case, the opening at the top
should have a water-proof covering extending well over the sides.
The straps may consist of old suspender bands, fastened crosswise
on the broad side of the bag. The capacity of such a knapsack is
surprising, and the actual weight of luggage seems half reduced
when thus carried on the shoulders. When three or four trappers
start together, which is the usual custom, and each is provided
with such a shoulder basket, the luggage can be thus divided, and
the load for each individual much lightened.
Venison is the trapper's favorite food, and in mild weather it
sometimes happens that the overplus of meat becomes tainted before
it can be eaten. To overcome this difficulty the following process
is resorted to, for the preservation of the meat, and the result
is the well-known and high-priced jerked venison of our markets.
The flesh is first cut into small, thin strips, all the meat being
picked off from the bones. The pieces are then placed on the inside
of the hide of the animal and thoroughly mixed with salt, a pint
and a half being generally sufficient. The salt being well worked
in, the fragments should be carefully wrapped in the hide, and
suffered to remain in this condition for two or three hours. The
meat is then ready to be dried,--jerked.
Four forked poles should be first driven into the ground, about
six feet apart, in the form of a square, the forks being four feet
above ground. Lay two poles of green wood across the forks on the
two opposite sides of the square, and cover the space between them
by other poles laid across them, an inch or two inches apart. On
to this mammoth gridiron the strips of flesh should now be spread,
and a steady fire of birch or other clean, fresh wood should be
kept steadily burning beneath for about twenty-four hours. At the
end of this time the meat will have reduced much in size and weight.
The salt will have been thoroughly dried in, and the flesh so
prepared may be kept for almost any length of time. In its present
condition it is excellent eating, and it is always at hand for
frying, and may be cooked in a variety of ways. Moose and bear meat
may be dried in a similar manner, using a proportionate amount of
salt. Fish may also be prepared in the same way, for which purpose
they should be scaled as usual and afterward spread open by cutting
down the back, the bone being removed. We cordially recommend this
method of preparing both flesh and fish, and no trapper's recipe
book is complete without it.
In localities where wolves abound, the nocturnal invasions of these
creatures often render the keeping of fresh meat a very difficult
task, and in this connection it may be well to give directions
for the preservation of game desired to be used either as fresh
meat or for purposes of drying.
The spring-pole is most commonly and successfully used.
Select some stout sapling, bend it down, and cut off a limb several
feet from the ground. Hang the meat in the crotch thus formed, and
allow the tree to swing back. By dividing the meat into several
parts it may thus all be protected. When
a moose or deer is killed at such a time or place, or under such
circumstances as render its immediate dressing impossible, its
carcass may be defended against mutilation by another means. Wolves
are naturally sly and sagacious, and have a wholesome fear of a
trap. Any unnatural arrangement of logs and stones immediately
excites their suspicion, and the trapper takes advantage of this
wary peculiarity to good purpose. Laying his dead game near some
fallen tree or old log he strews a few branches over the carcass,
or perhaps rests a log over it. Sometimes he hangs the entrails of
the animal over the body, on a forked stick, anyone of which devices
is said to have the desired result. The wolverine is another pest to
the trapper, and not being so sly as the wolf, never hesitates to
pounce upon any flesh within its reach. The former method, therefore,
is always the safest plan for absolute protection against all animals.
The moose and deer are the favorite food of trappers in the country
where these animals abound, and the trappers of the Far West find
in the flesh of the Moufflon, or Rocky Mountain sheep, a delicacy
which they consider superior to the finest venison. The prong-horn
antelope of the Western plains is another favorite food-animal
with hunters, and the various small game, such as squirrels,
rabbits, woodchucks, etc., are by no means to be despised. The
author once knew a trapper who was loud in his praises of skunk
meat for food, and many hunters can testify to its agreeable flavor
when properly dressed and cooked. It is hard, to be sure, to getup
much enthusiasm over a skunk, dead or alive, but where other food
is not to be had we would discourage the young trapper from being
too fastidious.
The buffalo, or bison, is the great resource of the trappers of the
West. The tongue, tenderloin and brisket are generally preferred,
but all the meat is eatable. The flesh of the cow is best. It much
resembles beef, but has a more gamey flavor. In winged game there
is no food superior to the flesh of the grouse, and the great number
of the species and wide range of territory which they inhabit render
them the universal food game of trappers throughout the world. The
ruffed grouse or partridge, pinnated grouse or prairie hen, spruce
or Canada grouse, and the cock-of-the-plains or sage cock, are
familiar American examples of the family, and their near relatives,
the ptarmigans, afford a valuable source of food to the trappers
and hunters, as well as general inhabitants of our northern cold
countries. Here they are known as snow grouse, and there are
several species. The willow ptarmigan is the most common, and in Rome
localities exists in almost incredible numbers. Flocks numbering
several thousand have been frequently seen by travellers in the
Hudson's Bay territory; and the surface of the snow in a desirable
feeding ground, is often completely covered by the birds, in quest
of the willow tops, which form their chief food during the winter
season. The Indians and natives secure the birds in large numbers,
by the trap described on page 75, and Hearne, the traveller and
explorer of the Hudson's Bay region, asserts that he has known over
three hundred to be thus caught in a single morning, by three persons.
Of water fowl, ducks and geese are especially to be recommended.
The former are hunted with decoys and boats, and are sometimes
trapped, as described on pages 94. The species are distinguished
as sea ducks and river or inland ducks. The latter are considered
the most desirable for food, being more delicate and less gamey in
flavor than the salt-water, or fish-eating varieties. The mallard,
teal, muscovy, widgeon, and wood-chuck are familiar species of the
inland birds, and the merganser and canvass-back are the two most
esteemed salt-water varieties. Wild geese are common throughout North
America, and may be seen either in the early spring or late fall
migrating in immense numbers. They form a staple article of food
in many parts of British America, and great numbers are salted down
for winter supply. They are trapped in large numbers, as described
on page 75, and are hunted with tame geese as decoys, the hunter
being secreted behind a screen or covert, and attracting the game
by imitating their cries.
Fish form an agreeable change to the trapper's diet, and may be
caught by the hook and line, or by spearing. The latter method
requires considerable practice and skill, but is very successful.
The Indians of the North are great experts in the use of the spear,
and the number of salmon taken by them annually is enormous. The
spear generally consists of five or six steel prongs an inch apart
and barbed at the ends. It is mounted on a heavy handle, and when it
strikes its victim its grip is sure death. The spearing is generally
performed either at the spawning beds or at the falls.
Salmon trout are generally speared in the night time by boat, the
spawning ground, generally a gravel bank near the shore, being
the seat of operations. A fire of pitch pine and birch bark is
ignited on an elevated jack in the bow of the boat, the jack
consisting of an ox-muzzle, or other concave wire contrivance
which will hold the inflammable materials. This is secured to a
post or crotched stick, as a prop, and the spearman stands near
the burning mass with his spear in readiness. As his companion in
the stern of the boat paddles, he keenly watches for his victim,
and, seeing his opportunity, makes his lunge and lands his prize.
To become a successful spearman requires much practice and no small
degree of skill. To retain one's balance, acquire quickness of stroke,
and withal to regulate the aim so as to allow for the refraction of
the light in the water, all tend to invest the sport with a degree
of skill which only experience can master.
Fishing through the ice in winter is a rare sport, and large numbers
of brook and lake trout are often taken at this season by cutting
holes through the ice and fishing with hook and line. The baits
commonly used consist of cow's udder or hog's liver, these being
especially preferred on account of their toughness. Angle worms
are also excellent, and any kind of raw meat may be used if other
bait is not to be had.
It is asserted by some sportsmen that bait scented with assafoetida
is much more attractive to the fish, and will insure a capture
which would otherwise be impossible. Sweet cicily and anise are
also used for the same purpose. When the trout bite lively, fishing
through the ice is a most exciting sport, and by the aid of tip-ups
a single person may command a great number of lines. The winter
resort of the brook trout is in water two or three feet deep, over
sandy beds. The lake trout frequent deeper water.
The holes are made in the ice at intervals of one or two rods, and
a line set in each hole.
The tip-up consists of a narrow strip of lath or shingle, with
a hole bored through it near the large end. At this end the line
is attached, and the hook thrown in the water. A branch is now
inserted through the aperture, and its ends are rested across the
opening in the ice. No sooner does the fish bite than the long
end tips straight in the air, and thus betrays its captive. Ten
or fifteen of these contrivances will often keep one pretty busy,
and do good service. By some an ordinary cut fish pole, arranged on
a crotch, is used instead of the tip-ups just described. Pickerel
fishing through the ice is a favorite winter sport in many localities.
The line should be about thirty feet in length, and the bait should
consist of a small, live fish, hooked through the back. A small cork
float should be attached to the line at such a distance as will keep
the bait above the bottom, and the superfluous line should be laid
in a loose coil near the hole, the end being attached to a small
switch or bush, stuck up in the ice near by. The pickerel, on taking
the bait, should be allowed to play out the whole line before being
pulled in, as the fish requires this time to fully swallow his
prey, after which the hook is sure to hold him firmly. Twenty or
thirty lines may thus be attended at once, the bush or twig acting
the part of a tip-up, or sentinel.
Pickerel spearing is another successful mode of capture during
the winter months. A large hole is made in the ice, in about two
feet of water, and covered by a spacious box or board hut, six or
seven feet square, and provided with a door. The spearman, concealed
within, lowers his bait, consisting of an artificial fish with
silver fins, made especially for the purpose. This he continually
twirls in the water, and as the pickerel approaches the bait, he
gradually raises it, until the fish is decoyed nearly to the surface
of the water, when a quick stroke of the spear secures his victim,
and the line is again lowered. This is capital sport, and is very
successful.
There is a very curious device for fishing by night commonly employed
by some anglers, and sometimes known as the lantern, or fish trap.
Many kinds of fish are attracted by a light, but to use a light
as a bait, submerged beneath the water, certainly seems odd. It
may be done, however, in the following way: The fish lantern
used for this purpose consists of a bottle containing a solution
of phosphorus in sweet oil. Procure a piece of the stick phosphorus
the size of a small cherry, and submerging in a saucer of water,
proceed to cut it into small pieces. Have in readiness a three-ounce
white glass bottle half filled with sweet oil. Drop the pieces of
phosphorus into the oil and cork the bottle tightly. In the space
of a few hours the phosphorus will have been completely dissolved,
and the contents of the bottle will present a thick, luminous fluid,
which in a dark room, will afford considerable light. This is the
fish lantern. To use it, the cork is firmly inserted and the bottle,
with fish line attached, is lowered through the hole in the ice.
The water becomes luminous for several feet around, and the unusual
brightness attracts the fish in large numbers. They are plainly,
discernible, and are readily dispatched with the spear, or captured
by a circular net, sunk on the bottom, beneath the luminous bait.
This is certainly an odd way of catching fish, but it is often
a very efficacious method.
It has not been our intention to enter very extensively into
the subject of fishing, but only to give such hints as will be
found especially useful and practical to the trapper in relation
to his food. The above methods, together with those of trolling
and fly-fishing, are those most commonly employed by trappers and
hunters generally, and we commend them to the amateur.
We give, on page 120, a unique device for the capture of fish, which
might also be found useful.
With the above general remarks on the campaign, together with what
follows in the detailed articles on the subject, we think that the
ground will have been completely covered. Every possible requirement
has been anticipated, and every ordinary emergency foreseen and
provided against.