Sister blog to LittleShackontheHill.ca
Back in 2011 I wrote a blog post on my other blog "Little Shack on the Hill" just as we were on our trip back home after 2 months on the trapline. I thought I would share it here as it gives a pretty good idea of 'a day in the life' at the cabin. Here is the link to it and I hope you enjoy! Homeward Bound.
One of my family's favourite things to eat when we are on the trapline ( an occasionally at home at the Little Shack ) is bannock. For anyone unfamiliar with bannock, it has a very interesting history. It is originally from Scotland, brought to Canada by early Scottish Fur Traders and is mentioned in early journals dating back to the 1900's. It was adopted by the Aboriginal people and became a traditional Native food.
Originally bannock was made from flour, water and fat. Flour was not always easy to come by in the early days, so other ingredients were used to substitute. Things like ground dried moss and cattails. Sounds yummy, right?
The bannock we use is not nearly so exotic. I have been using this recipe for many years and have experimented with various addition. It is the kind of thing you can change up depending on what your preference is.
Making bannock is one of the many things I love about cooking on the trapline. Living out in the middle of nowhere makes it difficult to get to a store. Bread is not an easy thing to transport on ATV or snow machine without it getting squashed! I do make my own bread in my wood cookstove out there, and at home at the Little Shack, but bannock is easy and fast and has a wonderful taste all it's own. It is great with stew, chili, soup, or slathered with butter hot from the pan! I make extra so we can use them in sandwiches as well. I have added cinnamon, raisons and sugar to the basic recipe for a wonderful 'dessert' type bannock. Grated cheese with oregano or child powder is good too.
Let me teach you how to make Bannock and you can start experimenting yourself! I use a cast iron frying pan for making bannock, but if you do not have one, try what you have, but watch the temperature carefully. A thinner pan will require a lower heat.
