In case you missed it, we passed right into May on Friday. MAY.
Odds are my snowshoe adventures are over for this year and we will be lucky if we get to do some slushy postholing and snowbridge avoiding before it’s mosquito and wildfire season.
But there’s no crying over dropping snow levels.
Back in February when I thought I had a whole season of snowshoeing trips before me, I signed up for a conference during my mid-winter break at the Cispus Center in Randle, WA. And I decided that to make it worth missing a few days of my vacation for work, I would go up early and check out some snowshoes trips that needed hike guide descriptions on the WTA website.
Originally I had planned on snowcamping but the forecast changed to low 20s overnight so I wimped out was smart and stayed at a hotel along SR 12 near Packwood and day tripped it. I managed to get THREE trips in plus the beauty of little solo getaway so it was most definitely a win. Here are a few pictures and brief synopses but click on the lake pictures for more details! Don’t worry, the recipe follows…
Packwood Lake
This was my first snowshoe adventure that I did after leaving the house at 4am to drive down I-5 for 5 hours in an effort to avoid traffic. And what an incredible day it was. I got to use my tire traction devices so I didn’t have to hike in 3 miles to the trailhead and an ice axe might have been a smart idea. But, a little adrenaline aside, I was in solitude the entire day and the weather was perfect. And I did make it back to the car just as the sun was setting…
Sand and Deep Lakes
The next day I went for easy and did a short jaunt up on the Pacific Crest Trail at White Pass a few miles after sleeping in. Most of the route had tracks to follow and I may have had the benefit of not only my GAIA but the Half Mile’s app. This one was a lake twofer and going mid-week meant I had both lakes to myself. In fact, I had all four lakes to myself that week but that may be because I have a hard time turning around before my goal.
Cramer Lake
Ah, Cramer. This one was another exciting escapade in winter navigation. The old guide for this route didn’t mention there might be two creeks to cross so I turned early at the first one and had to back track. It also didn’t mention traversing a vertical slope or maneuvering so many steep snow berms and snow bridges. And I may have MacGyvered with a plastic trash compactor bag and a bandanna to keep my boots dry in the second creek crossing on the way in ‘cuz no one wants to adventure in wet boots until they are on the way out, right?
Now two months later, it has brought back some wonderful winter memories as I have added details to those trips here on the website and finished writing up those guide descriptions. I hope there may still be time for a few more snowy trips before it all melts away but at least I have these adventures to hold me over in case I don’t before winter comes again.
#kale #berries #ripebananas #collagenpeptides
This was a simple recipe I had been working on in February before the world went sideways, what kinds of healthy additions can I put in basic fruit leather?
It was also time to start using up what I have in the freezer before it is time to pick fresh berries from the yard and local farms so I went digging deep to see what I had left. It turned out I had both raspberries and blueberries so I played around with both for this leather. In full disclosure, I also pulled the bananas from the freezer where I store the brown ones until I need them.
In hindsight I might not have made so much fruit leather in February because when it came to March and April, I was all out of overripe bananas for banana bread and I was feeling a little left out as my friends were posting pictures from quarantine.
Raspberries have a delightful tang to them that balances out the coyingly sweetness of bananas. And that beautiful red! Blueberries offer no seeds, however they are not nearly as photogenic. Your call.
If you are thinking about this recipe for sneaking kale into the diet of your little ones (or big ones), you can dry the kale first, pulverize it then add it into the puree and it will be less obvious. Mincing does leave it visible for those of us who don’t mind getting our veggies in anyway we can. I highly suggest mincing an entire bunch of kale and using two cups for this fruit leather and dehydrate the rest separately to add to future backpacking meals!
As for the collagen powder, I having been using the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides lately and find it very versatile. Feel free to experiment with your favorite collagen powder or protein powder. I would say that a non-gelling one would be best because you want to be able to pour the mixture out easily on the trays. Let’s just say I know that from personal experience…
Once you puree all the ingredients together, it makes about 5 cups of mixture. For me, this filled 4 trays in my round Nesco dehydrator. I added a small amount of water that helped the fruit blend more evenly.
Like most dehydrating affairs, the thinner the layering the faster it will dry. However, a thicker layering means a chewier result. As your leather nears the end of the drying period, it is best to check it for doneness before it becomes brittle.
When the leather is dry to the touch, peel it from the tray and let it cool before cutting into strips. Because my trays are circular I get some fun croissant shaped rolls and some straight up ones. I keep my rolls in a mason jar until I’m ready to head out on the trail.
In case you are wondering, I did eventually buy more bananas from Costco (delivery) so I wouldn’t be left out and they are gaining brown spots nicely on the counter as I type. I have sweet plans for them, along with the rhubarb coming up in the backyard. But that’s a recipe for another day…
Berry Banana Kale Collagen Leather
Prep Time
5 minutes
Total Time
11 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Paleo, Whole Food
Servings: 20 1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale minced
- 4 cups berries
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup collagen or protein powder
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Mince a bunch of kale in the food processor. Take out 2 cups for the fruit leather.
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and puree well.
- Pour the pureed mixture onto jelly roll trays in your dehydrator to a depth of 1/4 to 1/8 inch.
- Set on the fruit/vegetables setting (135 degrees). Let dry through until no longer tacky.
- Peel from the tray and let cool.
- Slice and roll, store in an airtight container.
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