I’m a foodie. Plain and simple. The most social space in our entire house is our kitchen, not the TV room or the living room. My family spends countless hours together cooking from scratch, mixing together real, whole ingredients. So in planning for my John Muir Trail hike, it was very difficult for me to find trail-friendly foods that matched my food-centered upbringing. I was not interested in living off of Snicker’s Bars on the trail, like many thru-hikers do (which may work for them, but not for me). I knew I could make my own trail mixes, filled with nuts and other raw foods, but I wanted MEAT! After some point, I wanted to sink my teeth into some savory foods, not just almond after almond after almond.
|| The Yummy Surprise ||
My mom, dad and I began searching for options. I had tried summer sausage before, yet most summer sausages were either: (A) not very tasty, or (B) loaded with preservatives, such as sodium nitrates or nitrites. There had to be a better option, we thought. And there was (and is).
After scouring the internet, my mom found Hunter’s Reserve. Their summer sausages seemed the perfect option for what we were looking for:
(1) The sausages were made with clean ingredients. Unlike most summer sausages, Hunter’s Reserve summer sausages are made WITHOUT sodium nitrates and nitrites. This really appealed (and still appeals) to my dad and I.
(2) The sausages were available in a variety of interesting flavors. Most summer sausages are just plain “beef” or “pork,” and lack much, if any, flavor. Hunter’s Reserve summer sausages are available in interesting flavors, such as Bison, Jackalope (Venison, Pork, and Rabbit), Roadkill (Elk, Venison, Pork, Wild Boar, Pheasant, and Rabbit) , Venison, etc. This was really important for us, as we would be dining on sausage for lunch for 20 straight days.
We ordered some “test samples” to nibble on, making sure that the sausages were to our liking. We devoured those samples! The sausages were full of the savory, rich flavors that my dad and I were looking for to complement our trail diets. We immediately stocked ourselves with sausages for the trail.
|| Post-Trip Review ||
The Hunter’s Reserve 4 oz summer sausages were PERFECT trail lunches for my dad and I. They were calorie-dense, which satiated our raging hiker hunger, filled with delicious, varied flavor, and a perfect fit for our multi-day food hauls between resupplies. The 4 oz. portions were ideal single-serve portions, allowing us to avoid having to carry opened packages. With a different flavor of sausage for each day, I was excited to bite into my mid-day meal. My personal favorite: Wild Boar. Yum!
The Hunter’s Reserve summer sausages were a perfect fit for my trail meals. They can be a great fit for yours too! Check out Hunter’s Reserve online at www.huntersreserve.com, on Facebook at Hunter’s Reserve, or on Instagram at @huntersreserve. Try one of their delicious products! Use the code “ForAdventure” at checkout and receive 20% off for your first purchase.
