Dirtbag Recipes: Introduction to Dirtbag Cooking

Just admit it. You pride yourself on your frugal, dirtbag lifestyle, but you’re still a picky eater. Yes, you eat out of dumpsters, worship road kill (the food left over from the courses you work or the clients you guide), and you will do nearly anything for a free cup of coffee. But when you can—when your bank account is feeling flush after a few weeks of work, when you’re crashing at your parents house (living for a few days off the mother tit, as my friends and I call it), or simply feeling nutrient-starved after a three-week course in the mountains—you gravitate toward higher-quality food products. A jar of almond butter here, a bag of the finest fair-trade coffee there, and all the avocados and organic greens you can muster.

I love making dinner with large groups of dirtbags and outdoor educators, because it makes for one of the funnier scenes around any campground: she doesn’t eat dairy or fat, he’s allergic to soy and MSG, she’s not eating gluten at the moment, onions and green peppers give him heartburn, and if I’m around, I’ll test everyone’s patience by saying that sugar makes me moody. Boxes of food pulled from dumpsters surround the table, intermixed, of course, with a few Trader Joes grocery bags. Once the menu is chosen, deciding how to cook the food (which vegetables first, what spices, and in how many different pots and pans) is always an added challenge. There is usually momentary tension between slobs like myself who believe in throwing it all into the same pot, and those individuals capable of turning cooking over an MSR Whisperlite into an elegant art.

In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with our food preparation quarks: we live for weeks or months at a time in the mountains or on the river, eating dehydrated, institutional food. Or, we go for such long periods between paychecks that by the end of climbing season we’re living off of rice, beans, and one can of PBR a day. Not to mention, we’re also good people, who want to support organic and local food when we can.   

Keeping all of that in mind, the Dirtbag Recipes found in this blog will cater to both ends of the food preparation spectrum. For the truly economic dirtbag, please see such future posts as Easy Backcountry Yogurt and the Beauty of Cabbage. For times when your bank account is feeling flush, and your inner culinary princess is calling, then I suggest trying The Best Ski Tour Cookie, Ever and Apres-Ski Pistachio Pudding.  


Photo Courtesy of Ruth Craven