At Home in the Wilderness

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Pit cooking. This method is as effective and nutritious as stew cooking, but requires considerably more time and effort. First, dig a hole in the ground (for a rabbit, as an example, your pit would measure about 2 feet square and 1-1/2 feet deep), line the bottom with flat, dry rocks, and build a fire over the stones, allowing it to burn for at least 3 hours (until the rocks are hot and glowing). Then, about 2-1/2 hours before you plan to eat, scrape out the remainder of the fire and the coals, and line the pit with at least 8 inches of green, nonpoisonous grasses. On top of these, place the food to be cooked: meat, tubers, roots, or other hearty fare (herbs and such are likely to burn up if you try cooking them this way). Next, place another 8 inches of grasses over the food . . . then seal off the pit with slabs of bark. Finally, cover it with at least 6 inches of earth and allow the meal to cook for about 2-1/2 hours. When it's time to eat, just scrape the dirt away, remove the bark, and pull out the greenery . . . being careful not to burn yourself, since the grass will be hot and steamy. Your food will be well-cooked, and should have retained most of its natural juices.

Fry-rock method. A fry rock is simply a flat, thin rock that has been cleaned of all dirt and debris (I like to scour mine with some horsetail or dried grasses to remove the dust and grit). Place the fry rock over the fire, propped on three or four small stones, and allow it to get hot. You'll find you can cook just about anything with the same results you'd get from a metal frying pan. But while it's a quick and easy cooking method, rock frying will deprive you of many of your food's essential nutrients.

Rock oven baking. You can make an oven alongside your fire pit by building a rectangular structure of rock with its opening facing the fire. Close off the back, sides, and top with dirt and sod, and the box will catch and retain some of the heat given off by the flames, allowing you to bake food in it as you would in a stove's oven. The temperature can be controlled either by shifting the position of the fire, or by letting it die down. (When removing your meal, keep your hands well away from the rocks. They'll be very hot and could cause severe burns.)

Board or rock reflector system. This simple method uses a rock or slab of wood (again, be sure it's from a nonpoisonous tree) propped, at about a 45° angle, in such a way that the heat from the fire will slowly bake meat that's been placed against the reflector. The food should be turned often for even cooking.

STORING-UP FOR LEAN TIMES

In a survival situation, storing food is a must if you're going to get through the lean times when you come up empty-handed. Luckily, it's easy enough to do. By simply jerking meat and drying roots and tubers—and storing them in a cool, dry place—you'll be able to keep meals preserved until you need them.

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