PINOLE

PARCHED CORN..
rockahomminy--nocake--pulverized maize--powdered corn..
here's the story..back in the winter of 1998 i was putting
a wilderness canoe trip into Canada together..
old buddys who know their way around the pack and paddle would
be going along and i took charge of the food..
just for the fun of it i made some of the parched corn that
was held to be a standby for travelers in Kephart's
"camping and woodcraft" --no powerbars in 1917 i guess..
plus that winter i had read "lure of the labrador wild"
dillon wallace's recounting of an 1905 expedition gone very
wrong and the idea of having a bag of concentrated food
tucked away seemed like a good idea..


well thats the stuff..what was left i put away in a tupperware box..on the left is the parched corn..the right the
finished product..i took the best frozen corn and parched it
in a fry pan..hot with no oil and kept it moving untill it
had a roasted look..cool and run thru a coffee grinder..
i mailed off samples to my canoe mates..
"sticks to your teeth"--"nice idea..but leave it home"
the idea is to mix a few spoon fulls into cold water and
toss it down..it expands in your stomach to give you that
"full" feeling...kephart quotes another outdoor writer
to say that there is no danger of "explosion" as it "swells
to meet the demand"
well as there was no demand for it on the trip i put it away
and almost 10 years later dug it out for the photo and another try...it sticks to your teeth--and power bars are better

http://www.copefoods.com/default.asp

Check out the web site for Cope's dried corn. This stuff is delicious! While it may not be made according to Kep's recipe - it's close - and a big favorite around my neck o' the woods. You will almost always find it on Amish buffets in Lancaster County. Well worth taking on trips - can be used many ways (they have recipes on web site) - and makes IMHO an excellent survival staple. I have it with me when camping and in my car kit. I suppose you could also grind it down and drink in water (a la Kep) but why not make something good? (if you're not being pursued!)

Wow, you're pretty brave, trying it after 10 years! What, exactly, does it taste like?

TASTE??
well just the same as when i made it..a sweet crunchy
corn taste..i just nibbled some of the whole corn bits and
did not try the "mix with water and toss down" part..
as a test when i first made it i tryed just eating a
few spoonfuls and followed that with cold water..i guess
back in the old days it did take much to make you happy
food wise.i was hungry a hour or so later and had a peanut
butter sandwich for the rest of my lunch..

Remind me never to go camping with you, at least if you are in charge of the food...

i've got much better over the years and do all the cooking
for my canoe buddys..one of their favorities is the bannock
i make for a evening snack..slathered with jam and washed
down with a cup of sweet tea it makes a great way to end the
day...

OK, now you're talkin', 'cept I will take coffee please...

I tried my hand at bannock on the stove last night. I think I made it too thick...as it was burned on the outside & still raw in the middle. I'll get the hang of it though. I added brown sugar & raisins to mine...

I used dried corn shelled from the cob. Then roasted it in a heavy skillet or dutch oven (no oil) until look like fully roasted. Let it cool and grind it in coffee grinder, but at the same time I put the corn in the grinder I added some salt and some sugar. The final powder you can eat it straight or mixed with water or milk. The taste is delicious. You have to be careful when eating it straigt because it is so dry and can go thru the wind pipe and make you cough.
We used to do that when we were kids and we learned how to eat it without choking.

"...it is so dry and can go thru the wind pipe and make you cough..."

Thanks for not including a photo of that!!!