Scroggin and Sweet Desserts

Sonya Muhlsimmer

So finally the weather is starting to warm up. But at least I got eight days back country skiing in this winter. I started off at Guthega Power Station then went hut hopping to a few old favourite huts of mine and met a whole bunch of awesome people out there. Gee, some of them even knew of me, how about that! But alas I did not get to Jagungal; we were aiming for it but it didn’t happen. Never mind, next year we must make it, but at least we survived the blizzard. Seriously, we had the worst blizzard ever ... (well it is when your skiing through it) with around 85 to 90 kilometre per hour winds going over Schlink Pass. It really tests all your skills, stamina and willpower going through something like that. When we got to Schlink Hut our packs and outer clothing were frozen solid. Thankfully when we got there the fire was already on. What a week, we had a little bit of everything, snow, sunshine and even rain on the last day. We skied up on The Kerries and The Rolling Ground, we had good weather for those days and it was absolutely spectacular up there. Now back in the Blue Mountains bush in the Gardens of Stone National Park I did a short little dry canyon trip called Pleasant View Canyon. The canyon ends at the cliff looking over Carne Creek, with a very pleasant view. I'm looking forward to doing more bushwalks in the warmer weather.

Pleasant View Canyon. Looking down to Carne Creek. Gardens of Stone National Park, NSW

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We all want a quick go-to snack that keeps us going along the trails, and scroggin is many a bushwalker's snack. But, did you know scroggin has numerous names such as Trail mix, student food and Gorp and you can put any fruit, nut, candy and chocolate combination in it as you please? Apparently scroggin stands for Sultana, Carob or Chocolate, Raisin, Orange peel, Grains, Glucose (or Goody-Goodies), Imagination, Nuts. Gorp also stands for Granola, Oats (or Good Old), Raisins, Peanuts. Doing my research I even came across this, Grapes, Oranges, Raisins, Peanuts, or how about this Gobs Of Raw Protein. Now, there are some recipe ideas for you already, but do you get the idea so far? The idea with scroggin is to have a quick, high-energy snack full of goodness such as a blend of carbs, fats (the good ones) and protein. Oh, and don’t forget to add the imagination.

At home preparationChop dates and apricots. Place all ingredients into the allocated bag.

HintAny combination of fruit or nuts can work. Roast the nuts for extra crunch and flavour or add some banana chips, marshmallows or small chunks of chocolate.

Bag 1 (vegetable mix)

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Polenta, otherwise known as cornmeal has a long history. Aztecs or Mesoamericans worshipped corn, Romans ate it, Americans had it and Columbus took it back and introduced Europe to it. Then Italy adopted it as their own, but in Italy it was known as food for peasants as it was for the poor to eat. Now it is found almost anywhere, including in those fancy restaurants where you can have it either as like a porridge, or set into like a loaf, then grilled or fried and topped with fancy toppings, or even as cakes and muffins. But what can bushwalkers do with it. You can make a cake with it, for one suggestion at least. Top it with some stewed fruit, (psst, stew some of the dried fruit from your scroggin mix with a few spices and serve that on top of the cake). By the way, a tad of Amaretto goes so well in the stewed fruit too, just saying. Having this with friends in a warm cosy hut with a raging blizzard outside, well, is bliss. Did I mention the Amaretto …?

At home preparationCut out two pieces of greaseproof paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Label the bag and place all ingredients into the allocated bag. Copy or print out Method at camp and keep together with the bag and the greaseproof paper.

Method at campIn a bowl, add the contents of the bag and pour in ½ cup of water, stir together. Put a piece of greaseproof paper in a pan and pour the mix over the paper. Cover the cake

with a lid and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes, or until you can slide a knife under it and lift it up a bit. Take the pan off the heat and cover the cake with the other piece of greaseproof paper. Flip the cake over, placing it back into the pan and remove the top piece of paper. Cook for 2 minutes.

Bag 1 (cake mix)

Water - ½ cup

(Stewed fruit recipe on the following page).

At home preparationChop the mixed peel as fine as you can. Place all ingredients into the allocated bag.Print out method at camp and place with bag.

Method at campBoil ¾ cup of water in a pot. Add the contents of the bag (stewed fruit and spice mix) to the water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the water has evaporated to about half. Take off the heat and serve over the cake.

Bag 1 (stewed fruit and spice mix)

Water - ¾ cup

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