Broccoli For Backpacking

Have you ever tried backpacking food? The dry stuff you add water to? Well, I have and I’m here to tell you that most of it is a little on the bland side and not very healthy. When you are used to eating fresh veggies daily, it’s hard going on a long adventure without having something you’re used to. In my case, that’s broccoli. When I was prepping for the JMT last year, I was determined to have some healthier homemade foods out on the trail and found a way to bring my favorite along. The best part was it was super simple to make and just as easy to rehydrate and eat. A little salt and a little cayenne pepper, yummm!

I buy the $5 bag of broccoli crowns because I don’t like having all the broccoli butts, the trees are my jam. Plus when I’m not prepping for a backpacking trip it’s the easiest way to go, just throw them in the pan and steam them. When I prep them for backpacking, I chop my broccoli up pretty small and leave the butts out. I’m toying with the idea of making dehydrated broccoli soup, I’m sure I could use the butts in that. One of the bonus points or chopping up the broccoli smaller is that it dries faster, plus it takes up less space in your bag. Don’t chop it up too small because it’s nice to have something to chew on like you’d eat it at home.

My favorite meal when backpacking is my broccoli with Daiya Mac and Cheese. There’s something so satisfying about a creamy pasta dish with broccoli. If only I could make nachos on the trail, that’s probably one of my other favorite comfort foods. I’m going with the mac and broc being the fuel that took me to the top of Half Dome. #carbloading What’s your go to for backpacking adventures? There’s never a shortage of trips to go on and variety is the spice of life! Let me know if my broccoli recipe serves you well on one of your next trips. <3

Dehydrated Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 big bag of raw broccoli florets

The how to..

1. Get a pot of water heated up while prepping the broccoli. Bring it to a boil.
2. Rinse broccoli and chop it up.
3. Once the water is boiling drop a cup or two at a time into the water for 1-2 minutes. Remove immediately and spread them out on your dehydrator sheets.
4. Once all the broccoli has made it to the sheets, turn your dehydrator on to 135 degrees.
5. It takes around 3 hours for the broccoli to be dry. I check it at two hours just to be safe, then check every hour after that. If you over dry them they get a sort of burnt taste.
6. To rehydrate, bring your water to a boil and pour over the broccoli. Let the broccoli sit for 10-15 minutes or till its soft. I’d say it takes about 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of dry broccoli.

Store them in an air tight bag until you’re ready to eat them. I’m not sure how long they will last but I had mine stored for a couple months before I made it to the JMT.