Cooking Spices

Us rangers eat the same food as our crews do. We have summers of experience cooking and eating Philmont trail meals. Over the years, there has always been one constant truth. Most of Philmont’s Trail Meals are bland. If you want to enjoy your meals, you will need something to spice it up. Never add seasoning directly to the pot of food. Everyone has different tastes and we need to make sure that everyone eats enough so they have enough energy for the next day.

There is a magical lady who roams the trails of Philmont with the staff, her name is cholula. She holds a special place in every ranger’s stomach. For without her, every trail meal would be bland. Every now and again a ranger will share her  flavor with their crew and next thing the ranger knows, half of the magical bottle is gone. Cholula goes well with almost every Trail meal. Plan on bringing 3 or 4 bottles to last you on the trail. Cholula goes with almost everything on the trail so it will be used fast!

Other spices you may consider bringing are salt, pepper, paprika, curry, tobasco, garlic, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper. All of these are popular on the trial. If you pack your own spices then make sure you have enough to last for 10 days. You can usually purchase spice wheels at Back Country Commissaries.

Always store spices in a zip-lock bag to prevent a messes when something explodes.

	Paprika Curry Cayenne Garlic Salt Black Pepper Salt