Not long ago I was looking through some old videotaped segments of the Newfoundland
Outdoorsman TV show, where Lloyd Colbourne and his ever-ready companion Bryce were
always on the go somewhere in the province.
This popular TV series, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s, featured the pair of adventurers
with ever-ready road and reel, rifle or shotgun, driving their sturdy Toyota land cruiser and
traversing the far corners of the island and Labrador.
Whether fishing for trout and land-locked salmon in Red Indian Lake, or looking for a moose on
the big barrens behind Terra Nova Park, the pair provided us with humorous looks at ourselves
and the outdoors we so enjoy.
It was an enjoyable way to see the province from your armchair, and between the glib narration
of Lloyd and the humorous antics of Bryce, I usually left that weekly half hour trek into the
outdoors with a fairly good feeling about things.
It sure beat watching soap operas, Oprah, Geraldo, or other "entertaining" shows. Here was a
look at our own natural environment and the resources we pursued as sportsmen.
The one thing I noticed was that the boys were well fed. Not that I've got anything to complain
about, mind you, not with my burgeoning waist line, but it seemed Bryce was stopping about
three or four times during the show to "put on the kettle" while Lloyd took a look around to scout
the country, or let drift with a lure or two on a nearby pond while poor old Bryce pitched camp.
It seemed as though Bryce always ended up with the camp chores while Lloyd got to catch the
fish or shoot the animal. In fact, when you consider the show in retrospect, most of the
socializing or discussions took place at the campsite, sitting around the fire or with a cup of tea
and a bun of bread in their hands.
In this province, a camp boil-up is a real tradition when it comes to a trip in the woods. Things
just wouldn't be the same without that little break to put on the kettle and relax, bask in the
warmth of a summer sun, and enjoy Nature while sipping on a cup of tea and having a little
snack to keep up the energy level.
Isn't it strange how much better everything tastes if cooked in the great outdoors?
Now I ask you, if you were just lazing around the house when the hunger pangs hit and you felt like something filling and tasty, how many times would you rush to the cupboard to grab a tin of beans laced with a bit of soggy pork? The next time you feel like a snack, would you search for a tin of smoked kippers floating in a sea of oil? How about a small tin of cocktail wieners or some Scandinavian sardines?
I doubt if these delightful dishes would top your normal list of menu selections, yet they are
popular items for a trip into the country, a day of fishing, a canoe excursion, a hike to the top of
Gros Morne, or even a day of darting up and down the old railway bed on the trike.
If these were offered on a plate at the lunch table, most of us would think the Missus had been
hitting the bottle or was ready to see a shrink. But for a day in the woods, these are just a few of
the things we gobble down without a second thought.
Now you've got to add a little seasoning to these dishes to make them even more appealing,
things like ashes stirred by a wind at your open fire, or occasional insects which wander by and
decide to take a dip in your brewing stew.
In a restaurant you'd be irate if a bowl of soup was served with a dead mosquito or two floating
in the broth, but in the country it's perfectly acceptable.
It just wouldn't seem the same if you didn't have to poke around in your plate with a stick in an
attempt to retrieve these insect remains. And if unsuccessful, what odds?
If you lose the tiny carcass down in the gravy and can't find it, it's a shrug of the shoulders and
down the hatch. What's a little more protein in your diet going to matter?
For those who prefer to live from Nature rather than depend on Armour's tinned goods, there's
nothing like a charred fish cooked on a stick over an open fire!
I've queasily watched some people actually eat these blackened remains, charcoal on the exterior
and raw fish flesh on the interior, without blinking an eye or letting on that it was anything but
the finest thing that ever passed their lips.
Those "in the know" utilize one of modern man's most marvelous inventions, a sheet of heavy
duty tin foil (or foil wrap) to do a much better job of it. There's nothing crude about these woods
cooks. They often garnish the finny delectable with onions, add a heavy sprinkling of salt and
pepper, wrap it well with the foil, and place it in the embers to cook slowly.
Of course, you want to be a little careful when wrapping the foil to ensure all areas are amply
protected. There's nothing worse than listening to the sizzle of escaping juice onto hot coals to
let you know that you've been a little sparse in places.
These are spots which also burn through, leaving blackened fish for you to digest along with the
remainder of the more delicious meat. But hey, that's all a part of the outdoors experience!
Potatoes are another good choice for wrapping in foil and cooking slowly in the coals. Scrub the
tubers in water first to remove all traces of dirt, check for bruises or black spots, and wrap
carefully to ensure all areas are well covered.
The skins will be edible, the spuds will bake through and through, and you'll have a great treat
with a bit of Good Luck or Eversweet spread over the hot offerings. Just remember that potatoes
need to have a few holes poked in the skins or they may explode, spraying you and the nearby
area with ashes and hot embers.
Speaking of explosions, I've been on outings with a few self-proclaimed cooks who were
somewhere else when the common sense was passed out.
Take the one who placed a tin of beans into an open fire to "warm them up". You'd never
believe how much pressure can build up in a can after a few minutes, how far beans can travel
when propelled by escaping gas, or how difficult it is to remove bean juice stains from clothing
until you've gone through this enlightening experience.
Another favorite is the guy who, before placing the can into the fire, pokes a small hole into the
lid to let the pressure escape. The hole becomes a pressure valve through which expanded air
escapes, also juice and often other contents.
A word of caution - run for cover if the hole plugs and the can begins to swell, because
something serious is about to occur (see above).
If that heating process is successful, the "cook" has two actions remaining to perform. One is to
retrieve the heated tin from the fire, and the other is to open the lid sufficiently to get at the
contents within. Once inside, it is normal to find the center quite cold while the outside edge
near the can be boiling or even charred.
There are several old flannel shirts hanging in the closet which have "clinker burns" due to
various objects falling into open fires. Those are the small holes, surrounded by a ring of black,
which blend so well with checkered flannel.
It seems every sturdy "green" stick suddenly goes limp under the weight of a can of water or
catches on fire before the boiling is done, and isn't it amazing how quickly a good fire can be
extinguished when doused by a spilled kettle or open can of water?
Rocks which are circled and pushed together to form a base upon which you can lodge your
kettle or tin always seem to find a way to collapse at the most inopportune time!
I must admit, there is a good way to avoid a lot of these common problems which we may have
seen or experienced ourselves from time to time. The answer is a small grille which you carry
along with you, a lightweight but handy little gadget to eliminate much of the uncertainty of
cooking in the country.
Depending on what you plan to place upon it, the platform can be as small and light as a cake
grille, or as large and sturdy as a shelf from an oven. Some people simply use the grille from a
barbecue.
It is easy to stack rocks and make a place for the corners of the grille to rest firmly in place.
Once the grille is firm and relatively level, the fire is built and you can place your kettle, can, tin
of beans, or whatever on top.
I've see some outfitters use stronger and more durable grilles with adjustable legs, transporting
them in their boats or on ATVs so they are ready to use at a moment's notice.
Whatever your choice, whether you hang a can over an open fire built in a circle of rocks, or use
a grille to support a frying pan and kettle, I think you'll agree that the "boil-up" makes every
outing a much more enjoyable experience - bugs, ashes, and unexpected explosions
notwithstanding!
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