Trail mix is so popular that August 31 is National Trail Mix Day!
Some of the earliest documentation of “trail mix” dates back to 1910, when Horace Kephart mentioned trail mix in his popular guide, Camping and Woodcraft. He recommended mixing nuts, seeds and dried fruit together. However, some people claim that true trail mix was not created until 1968, when two California surfers blended peanuts and raisins together to create an energy snack which could survive the beach and waves, creating GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts). However, portable energy food has been consumed by humans since the earliest hunters and gatherers made extended journeys from basecamp.
Whether you call it trail mix, gorp, grainola, or studentenfutter, this hiker’s favorite has sustained hikers, sailors, students, and so many others. There are thousands of recipies, each one “the best.” For health, just watch the added salt, sugar, and oil. So many of the commercial brands are loaded with these, making this this basic healthy snack into a disaster for the heart and waistline. Best and cheapest brand? YOK’s – Your Own Kitchen’s.
As Geraldine wrote,
“Gorp! Gorp is a good thing, but again, watch out. Many commercial mixtures have damn near as much sugar, fat and salt added as a package of chips, an order of fries or a candy bar. Best to make up your own. Go to a market that has bulk foods and buy raisins and other dried fruits, your favorite unsalted nuts and even a few dark chocolate chips. Watch out that the dried fruits haven’t been processed with added sugar.”
Basics of Trail Mix
50/50 Coating The coating mix is easy. It’s just a 50/50 blend of sweetener and oil. My favorite is honey and unfiltered coconut oil. For special treats, maple syrup and coconut oil is good, too. Add the coating to taste, but you will want enough to make the mix clump together. For the following recipes, you’ll want to start one cup of coating, then adjust from there to suit your own preferences. Be sure to warm the coating gently over low heat until well blended. Pour into trail mix blend while still warm.
Clumping Clumping is important, as other wise it is difficult to grab the mix with your hand to eat it. You want chunks that are easy to get to your mouth, but not so big they are hard to chew. Making clumpy trail mix is easy. After mixing, press the mix into an even layer in the baking pan before you put it in the oven. When it is done cooking, remove from the oven and cover with baking parchment and a kitchen towel and press down firmly. Break the mix up when it has cooled.
Stop baking before it burns Use a low oven temperature to dry the mix. It is done when it is lightly toasted and the honey has a nice slightly caramelized fragrance. You’ll get it figured out with practice. It will still be soft and moist when fresh, but will dry out as it cools.
Add dried fruit last Dried fruit has a lot of sugar which will burn and stick to your pan, so add it last, after the mix has come out of the oven, dried, and been broken into chunks.
Storing I store bulk trail mix double-bagged and in the freezer. I keep less than we can eat in a few weeks in a gasketed jar in the pantry.
Eating/Using We use it as breakfast cereal, hiking/beach snacks, party mix, and add it to bread or muffins when baking. In a pretty jar or box, it also makes a nice hostess gift or holiday gift. For gift giving, consider a selection of, perhaps, three different mixes.
Classic Trail Mix Coating
- 1/2 cup honey – (using locally sourced honey reduces the carbon footprint of shipping, and assures your a getting real honey, not imported honey-flavored sugar-water!)
- 1/2 cup unfiltered coconut oil
Vermont Trail Mix Coating
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil
Almond Trail Mix
- 1 cup classic coating
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup raisins or other dried, chopped fruit
Tropical Trail Mix
- 1 cup classic coating
- 1/2 teaspoon lightly crushed rock salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup mixed dried tropical fruits
Vermont Trail Mix
- 1 cup Vermont coating
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup mixed fruits such as elderberries, cranberries, aroniaberries, blueberries, raspberries