Camp cookery (Kephart)

Desiccated Eggs. — Baker's egg is a perfect substitute for fresh eggs in bake stuffs, and makes excellent omelets or scrambled eggs. A 1 lb. can, equal to about four dozen fresh eggs, meas- ures 6x3x3 inches. It costs less than storage eggs, and the contents will never spoil if kept dry. The powder must soak about an hour in cold or lukewarm water before Using. It may be put to soak overnight, or in a can or bottle of water when on the march. Thanks to this invention, the camp flapjack need no longer be a culinary horror. I have tried other desiccated eggs, "made in Germany," which Were uneatable by themselves, nor did they improve any dish that I tested them in.* *0n general principles I object to naming firms or brands; but when a good thing is not generally pro- curable in average stores, there would be no use in men- tioning it without telling the reader where to get it. Out-of-town readers should get such catalogues as those of Montgomery Ward, Chicago; John Wanamaker, New York; Abercrombie & Fitch, New York. 8 CAMP COOKERY. Butter. — For ordinary trips it suffices to pack butter firmly into pry-up tin cans which have been sterilized by thorough scalding and then cooled in a perfectly clean place. Keep it in a spring or in cold running water (hung in a net^ or weighted with a rock) whenever you can. When traveling, wrap the cold can in a towel or other insulating material. Butter will keep fresh a long time if melted and gently boiled for a while, skimming off the scum as it rises, until the butter is as clear as oil, and then canning it. One-third less of this clarified butter equals the quantity of ordinary butter called for in any recipe. Nut butter may be used as a substitute on bread. Cheese. — According to taste, and only for occa- sional use. A small bottle of grated Parmesan for macaroni, etc. Lard. — The amount will depend upon whether you use much lard in baking, and whether you fry with it or with bacon grease, oil, or butter. Olive oil is superior as a friture, especially for fish, but more expensive and more bothersome to carry. Milk. — Sweetened condensed milk (the "salve" of the lumber jacks) is an abomination. The dif- ferent brands of plain evaporated milk vary much in quality. Choose by actual test. The five cent cans are most convenient. Two varieties of powdered milk (skimmed and whole, respectively) may be procured. The kind called "Trucream" makes four quarts of rich milk to the pound, by dissolving in water. Potatoes. — If you can carry fresh ones, choose those with small eyes and of uniform medium size, pyen if you have to buy a bushel to sort out 9 peck. PROVISIONS. 9 Rice and grits are good substitutes when going light. Onions. — A few fresh ones can be carried any- where. Almost indispensable for seasoning soups, stews, etc. Carrots. — A few of these, also, for soups and stews, if transportation permits. Dehydrated (desiccated) Vegetables. — To my taste they are "rather poor fodder." On hard trips I prefer rice, grits, beans, and split peas. Beans. — A prime factor in cold weather camp- ing. Take a long time to cook ("soak all day and cook all night" is the rule). Cannot be cooked done at altitudes of five thousand feet and upward:^ Large varieties cook quickest, but the small white navy beans are best for baking. Pick them over before packing, as there is much waste.