After a few (or many) miles on the trail the body prompts the mind to ask, “When are we having lunch? A sensible inquiry that leads to the next concern, “and where?” Sometimes it’s already been decided because the destination is fabulous and it seems proper to celebrate the place by eating, luxuriating and enjoying each other’s company here. On other hikes the lunch stop can be a special place with a view, shade and maybe even water. Bring something to share.
With a little extra planning and/or effort you can make your lunch almost equal to the place where it’s enjoyed. After all, this a special tramp to a special place – just what you had in mind – here’s an opportunity to enhance an already splendid day.
When I first met Carol, now my wife, she lived in a converted garage with a hot plate for a kitchen. When I saw that I imagined a diet of packaged ramen variations but was instead blown away by the quality of her cooking. You see, Carol is a sensual cook and it’s evident in the quality of ingredients, nutritional considerations and above all the wonderful flavor that comes with her savvy shopping, intuition and constant experimentation. We almost always have several courses (often simple but exquisite) and she always takes the time necessary because eating well is important to her. There is never fast food at our house – this lusty cook won’t allow it – I’m a lucky guy.
SOME GASTRONOMICAL GEOGRAPHY
On the Iowa Hill Road (formerly a trail) there is a place called Dinner Tree featuring a great view of the steep canyon of the North Fork of the American River. Here, there’s shade, a flat area and a seasonal stream that I’m sure pack trains, freighters and stagecoaches took advantage of. Only the name remains today.
There is also Lunch Creek, at the headwaters of the North Yuba River, located only 300’ west of Yuba Pass on State Highway 49. It’s a small tributary of the North Yuba flowing southward through stands of red fir and aspen. Yuba Pass, at 6,709’, separates the North Yuba River and the Middle Fork of the Feather River in Sierra Valley. During the gold mining frenzy on the North Yuba hay was brought from Sierra Valley to the west side which was very busy with miners, merchants and their pack animals. The average hay load was about 2,000 pounds until 1870 when the new Yuba Gap Wagon Road allowed 11,000 pounds a year to cross the summit. If I were to guess, Lunch Creek was probably a lunch stop named either during the Wagon Road construction, or in the early 20th century when the road was paved. [Note: This Yuba Pass should not be confused with Yuba Gap, a minor mountain pass along Interstate 80, nor with the unincorporated community of Yuba Pass, located just northeast of Yuba Gap].
WHAT TO PACK FOR LUNCH ON DAY HIKES
Consider the humble orange – there are typically Navels and Valencias and they both have their peak seasons when they can be excellent. Of course, it’s up to you to audition what’s available at the market or orchard so that you bring along an excellent fruit with taste, vitality and juiciness. There have been many occasions when I’ve swooned over the wave of pleasure so simply presented in an orange. Sometimes, when I’m reading history, I find references to young boys who found the Chinese of our neighborhood exotic and strange and never missed an opportunity to tease or ridicule them. It’s surprising how often these young barbarians reviled or mocked an orange left as an offering in a Joss House or Cemetery. They simply didn’t have an appreciation for the orange as an offering. I get it totally – I’ve been delighted by how they can bring grace to a place.
Or good apples when they are in season. Agribusiness wants to severely limit the kingdom of apples where Red Delicious is only red and not delicious. Are they limiting the array of possibilities so that we have less ability to know the exquisite varieties available? When I see the tidy, antiseptic and tasteless displays of fruits and vegetables in a “Supermarket” I’m reminded of a hospital where I rarely think about what’s for lunch?
Fresh vegetables, preferably from local gardens, are a treat on the trail. Carrots, celery, peppers, green onions, cucumbers, snap peas and cherry tomatoes, to name but a few, lively up the palate.
FRUITS AND NUTS: AN EDIBLE LEGACY
We live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where people have propagated grape vines and fruit and nut trees since before the gold rush. One such farmer was Claude Chana who had an orchard at the mouth of the Bear River where it joins the Feather River. Within a decade his trees were buried by tailings from upstream hydraulic mines. Gus Poggi, a packer in the 1930s and 40s told me that they usually stopped for lunch and breaks at favorite places, and when they finished an apple or a pear, they always buried the core. I’ve seen it myself – fruit trees along remote historic trails. One place that comes to mind is Saint Charles Hill along the historic trail between Ramshorn on the North Yuba and Eureka Diggings.
Felix Gilet, one of the most prominent nurserymen in the world, was based on Barren Hill in Nevada City. Beginning in 1866, Felix Gillet imported, bred and introduced most of the plants that comprise the foundation of California and Pacific Northwest perennial fruit, grapes and nut crops. Gillet introduced hundreds of varieties that helped create these industries: almonds, walnuts, filberts, chestnuts, cherries, apples, pears, figs, grapes, plums, prunes, apricots, peaches, roses, nectarines, and strawberries. He ran his nursery until he died in 1908. In his lifetime he published professional papers and detailed annual catalogs featuring hundreds of varieties, many of which formed the foundation for one of the most important agricultural industries of the West. In 1876 he published “Fragriculture; or the Culture of the Strawberry/A Practical Treatise on the Culture, Propagation, Management and Marketing of Strawberries.” I doubt that you’ve read it, but Gillet was renowned for his strawberries and even if you don’t read it take a look at his publications for the engravings of fruits, nuts and vegetables which are stunningly precise black and white renditions of the plant world.
The Felix Gillet Institute, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational organization, was founded in 2003 by legendary agricultural advisor, Amigo Bob Cantisano, to identify, preserve and propagate the best of the varieties still thriving in the mining camps, farms, homesteads and towns of the Sierra and elsewhere.
Many of these trees are over 125 years old and show great resistance to harsh weather, drought, insect and disease attack, and often produce remarkable, extremely flavorful crops with little or no human assistance. Today we eat very little native food in the foothills, mostly blackberries. Some of the plants that Gillet introduced to our ecosystem have become neo-native and are a reliable source of food. I’ve sampled some apples and pears from Gillet’s abandoned trees. – they’re actually tasty and they’re proven survivors. This is a worthwhile project, sane and inspirational, with great educational potential. I urge you to checkout the Felix Gillet Institute (https://felixgillet.org/store/) and get involved.
HINTS AND RECIPIES
Again, take lunch planning seriously so that a wonderful lunch at a beautiful place appears to simply unfold. Delicious pack items include blueberries, walnuts, raisins, figs, dates and almonds. Then there’s the apricot, sweet and subtle, but flavorful ones are hard to find. Most are apricot lookalikes that rarely deliver. Dried apricots are very good, and they are high in potassium. So are bananas. If you hike when it’s cold, and why not, there is nothing better than a squat thermos with a stew containing rice, noodles, lentils, potatoes, etc. Snack Bars are welcome and available everywhere, but I suggest that you read the labels – the shorter the list of ingredients the better.
Now some people may feel that my suggestions are on the yin side and will not provide enough calories and fat. You can always add tuna, beef jerky or even a baloney sandwich. Cheese, on a hot day gets oily and string cheese, despite its practicality, simply lacks character. Carol has been experimenting with spicy flapjacks with go-power for lunch on the trail and I like them. Here’s the basic recipe for Hit the Trail Savory Flapjacks:
Place the following dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside:
1 cup sifted garbanzo flour
1 tsp “Herbamare” seasoned salt, or your everyday salt.
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
A few shakes of cayenne, to taste
In a separate bowl finely grate a small yellow onion and 1/2 a medium zucchini
Mince a fresh Serrano chili
Mix the dry ingredients with a ½ cup of water. Stir well, then add the vegetables. Then cook your flapjacks in the size and thickness that you like.
One more thing:
Once upon a time and long ago I was in the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas. I lived on base and my roommate was a Puerto Rican guy from New York City who was a cook. As a cook he had a key to the kitchen and we could raid the fridge or cook a steak anytime but his favorite food was a peanut butter and banana sandwich on white bread. I found it amazing that he would take delight in such humble food. Later, in San Francisco, I was exposed to international, nutritional and creative foods and hardly ever thought about peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Much to my surprise peanut butter and banana is back in my life and has become one of my favorite foods, especially on the trail. Here’s the best version: Use sprouted rye bread toasted and smeared with real peanut butter to make a sandwich. Bring a ripe, but not too ripe, banana and a knife. When you unpack your lunch peel and slice the banana (half is adequate). The tactile engagement and ritual activity of slicing and laying the slices on the bed of peanut butter combined with the smell of the ingredients conspire to make this simple sandwich a delicious boost.
At the end of the day you should be psychically replenished and, of course, ready to eat again. There is always a lively option – treat yourself and guests to something special, no matter how humble, at every meal. To quote Express Yourself, that moving 1970 classic by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rythym Band, “Whatever you do – do it good.”
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