Country Kitchen:
A Hint of Fall Heralds Hiking Time
By Mary Emma Allen
After the sweltering heat of summer, we rejoice at the hint of fall in
the air. The temperature dips at night, the gardens are ripening, and
school beckons to our children.
Here and there we spy a colored leaf, harbinger of the colorful scene
that will paint the countryside. This becomes a delightful time to take
hikes with children and/or grandchildren when the days are a bit cooler
and our energy renewed.
Hikes of Many Types
Hikes can be of many types, depending on where you live and the age of
your companions. Some are short, no longer than a half hour because young
children's short legs tire. Others may be day hikes, when you pack a
lunch to eat beside a bubbling brook or from a mountainside.
You can go for a weekend, backpacking your sleeping bag and small tent
along...or trekking out from a campground where you park your camper.
Hikes Around the Neighborhood
My grandson, now 7 years old, considers a hike across our woods to the
neighboring development and its low traffic road "an adventure with
Nanny." We stop to pick up stones that he'll drop in a small brook and
create a splash. We look for grasshoppers, colored leaves, and listen to
birds' calls. We identify trees and discuss their different leaves.
I'm transported to the simpler days of my childhood when similar
pleasures accompanied hikes in the woods and meadows around the farm
where I grew up. I also recall those walks with our daughter around a
large lawn and adjacent fields.
These later became longer hikes and camping trips with her as we explored
the White Mountains and finally the Rockies of Wyoming. We created
memories that have held us close as a family.
Hiking Foods
We always have to take a snack and water on our hikes, no matter if
they're only in the neighborhood. That seems to be part of the
fascination of these jaunts.
So Alex and I might tote a zip bag of pretzels with some chocolate bits
mixed in. Or we might have a few cookies to sustain us on our tour.
Foods for day trips need to be something light to carry in our packs, yet
full of energy. Our minds turn to gorp and food bars, a sandwich, peanut
butter crackers, energy cookies.
APPLESAUCE COOKIES - You might want to try these cookies with a fruit
base, then add raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts.
Cream together: 1/2 cup shortening with 1 egg and 1 cup sugar.
Sift together: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon
nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour.
Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1 cup applesauce. Add to creamed mixture.
Stir together, alternating dry and creamed ingredients.
Add 1 cup raisins or chocolate bits (or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup
chocolate bits) and 1 cup chopped nuts of desired type.
Drop on greased cookie sheets with teaspoon. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 375
degrees F.
(C) 2002 Mary Emma Allen
About the Author
Mary Emma Allen has been writing her "Cooking Column" for newspapers
and online publications for 30 years and
has compiled a family cookbook. She’s currently compiling a
cookbook/story book,
"Tales From a Country Kitchen." Visit her web site for more cooking
articles. Contact her at me.allen@juno.com
