Make Starting A Fire Easy

Grate Chef Fire Starters are packets of uniquely developed material that burn hot and clean with no harmful toxins, so they are perfect for starting charcoal grills, camp fires, and fires in your fireplace. They are simple to use: just place the packet under charcoal, wood, and so on, and light one corner. It will burn at 1,500 degrees for about 10 minutes – long enough to light your grill, fireplace, and even wet wood. It burns clean with no smell or taste, and is safe for transport (it won’t self-combust like other petroleum based starters). While Grate Chef Fire Starters are new to North America, they have been the lighter of choice in Europe and other countries for years. Even when wet, these fire starters will light with ease. A set of three packs of Fire Starters (six starters in each pack) is $8.99. They are available at major hardware and outdoor stores, or order from their website at www.gratechef.com.

Analog Fire

The Long Burn Matches can burn for close
to a minute, on a wooden stick that starts out
 at about 3-3/4 inches long. Photo by Jeff Davis.

Fire.

One of the four classic elemental forces.

Used by humans for untold thousands of years, it is the transformative foundation for nearly everything civilizations have created throughout history. And yet, starting a simple campfire is sometimes a chore that is beyond my skill.

That may change now, after I stumbled across an obvious solution – longer matches.

At about 3.75 inches long, the Long Burn Matches from Industrial Revolution easily reach into a grill or lantern, or under campfire kindling. The long-burn matches will generate flame for 45-60 seconds, depending on conditions. This is four to five times longer than a standard match, and I don’t burn my fingers. Even I can get tinder going in that much time.

Matches were first sold 185 years ago, but the simplicity and utility of the device has changed little. Lighters seem to fail for me on a regular basis, so I now have a box of Long Burn Matches sealed in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag in my car, daypack, tackle box, with my basic hunting gear, and in the garage. In a digital world, don’t overlook the analog solution.

Long Burn Matches are available at outdoor retailers, including Cabela’s, REI, and MEC. The UCO website is www.ucogear.com.

Spicy Tomato Juice and a Great Bloody Mary

By Nancy Brabbit-Davis

I’ve got a real problem with people who drink alcohol and then go hunting or shooting. It’s stupid, an invitation to disaster, and I don’t do it, or tolerate anyone around me who does. Alcohol and firearms do not mix, period.

The skewers are obviousely upside-down, but are arranged here to show
the range of possible garnishes. From left: pickled mushrooms,
pickled pearl onions, shrimp, garlic stuffed olives, dill pickles, peperoncini
peppers, pickled okra, and pickled garlic. Photo by Jeff Davis.

However, I understand how many people enjoy a drink after the guns have been cased, or other times when it’s appropriate. I like bloody Marys, but ordering a bloody Mary is like ordering chili, you never know what you are going to get.

Years ago a friend wrangled the secret recipe for the best bloody Mary mix I’ve ever found from a restaurant where she worked. It took a lot of work to convert the formula for making 64 gallons of the stuff to a quantity suitable for a small group.  At the risk of dating myself – this was before calculators.

My Dad and I painstakingly cut the mix down from 64 gallons to 32, to 16, to 8, to 4, and finally 2 gallons – an amount that we felt was a reasonable batch.  It has been modified and improved over the years.  We get the base ingredients in plastic jugs, mix it up and then just put it back in the original containers for dispensing.

Properly refrigerated it will easily keep for a week or more, and with us most of it is consumed without any alcohol, just as a spicy drink anytime.

If you’re serving friends or family, use your imagination with the garnish. The standard celery stalk or kosher pickle spear are fine, but you’ll get a lot of smiles when your guests see their drink with garlic or blue cheese stuffed olives, pickled onions, asparagus, green beans or okra, or my favorite, a skewer of cooked shrimp or crawdad tails. We’ve recently discovered that a strip of beef jerky, a slim sausage stick, or skinny string cheese also make great garnishes.

There are a huge number of variations, so try it out, make some adjustments, and come up with your own favorite mix.

Northwoods Bloody Mary Mix

1 bottle (32-ounce)  Clamato Tomato Cocktail Juice

1 bottle (64-ounce) Tomato juice

1 cup                      Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons         Celery salt

2 tablespoons         Black pepper

1/2 cup                   Lemon juice

1/2 cup                   Horseradish

Mix ingredients in a large pot, and adjust to taste. Start with a smaller amount of horseradish, mix well and then taste it. Add more horseradish as needed, but remember that many people don’t appreciate a screaming hot drink. You can always add more to an individual glass, or even the whole bottle. The taste will mix and become more complex the longer it is stored. It is easy to mix a day ahead of when you will need it, and it does taste better the second day.

Deer Camp Cuisine – Soup Mixes

Powdered/Dried Soup Mixes:
By Nancy Brabbit-Davis

These are absolutely the best for deer camp. They are fast, easy to prepare, and only require a single pot. They provide a solid base, can be used as-is, but anything you add to bulk them up is a bonus. Adding fresh meat to any type of dried stew immediately transforms the dish; the meat juices season the mix and enhance the flavors of the vegetables as they rehydrate in the broth. You will be able to find a variety of packaged products at any outdoor store or by searching on the internet. Amazon alone has 277 entries for a search of “dried soup.”

Another tip: instead of just adding water to your dried cheese soup mix, substitute a can of beer for some of the water. Beer cheese soup is a Wisconsin staple and cannot be beat (as it combines two highly favored ingredients – beer and cheese – and for the trifecta you can add sliced up bratwurst). Adding some shredded Cheddar cheese can also create a heartier soup, and create a few more servings.

A little bit of beer can also add a distinct flavor to beef stews – emphasis on a little. Don’t go nuts when adding the beer; you just want to add a hint of beer flavor, not create a beer stew. Of course, this will involve the extra chore of packing beer for deer camp, but many a hunter has found that particular canned liquid to be a worthwhile addition to their deer camp staples.

For more flavor from savory soups or stews you can also substitute chicken or beef broth for some or all of the water required.

There is a tremendous amount of variety in dried soup mixes. Many of them stand alone on their own merit, but adding fresh meat, favorite vegetables, or other seasonings can really transform the flavor. The addition of fresh vegetables is only a positive, and further bulks up your soups and stews making them more filling. For some, no dish is complete without minced garlic, more onion, or a favorite brand of hot sauce. Go easy on the hot sauce if cooking for a group, and let everyone season for themselves at the table.

Camp Traditions Cheese Soup:

This is a favorite. Camp Traditions makes a three cheese soup mix that stands alone with only the addition of water. To kick it up a bit, substitute a can of beer for some of the water, and presto – you know have beer cheese soup. In addition, you can add sautéed onions and/or steamed broccoli florets. Cooked carrots are another nice addition to this soup. For a richer version, substitute some milk for water and add a cup of grated cheddar cheese. This is just a great soup that really warms you up, and is easily customized to your particular tastes, and can be used at home anytime as well as at deer camp or family camping trips. (www.camptraditionsfoods.com)

Camp Traditions Barley Soup or Stew:
(Photo at top)

These mixes may include dried meat, but can easily be improved by adding cooked stew-size chunks of fresh game. Of course, you can also add other fresh chopped vegetables such as onions, celery, and carrots. Just sauté the vegetables first, or let them simmer until tender.

Camp Traditions Wild Rice Soup:

This is another great mix and since we really like wild rice, it is great to find a Camp Traditions pre-packaged mix. Again, fresh chopped vegetables will be a welcome addition.

Chili:

There are a variety of dried chili mixes out there, and while I am a bit skeptical because chili is one of my home-made specialties, there are some great varieties out there, with and without dried meat.

Sides are not Secondary

Finally, if you are making dried soups because you want to, and not because you are not holed up in a barricaded shelter protecting you from zombies or contagious disease, add your favorite fresh bread, biscuits, or muffins to soak up the juices from your soup or stew. We tested with our kids two different varieties of cornbread for this article, and both were well received. There are many brands and varieties in your local grocery store; just test them until you find your favorite.