_making Do Recipes

_MAKING DO

Steps:

• Every camper ends up in camp minus from one to any number of necessities. The name of the game then becomes do without or make do with a substitute. When one forgets the can opener, for example, an old pocketknife can be sacrificed and other than being a pain in the butt for the cook, camp life goes on. On occasion I or someone in camp has carved a stirring spoon from a scrap of wood or made a DO lid lifter from a green tree limb. Of course the more complicated the item, the more ingenuity required.In 1983 another conservation officer and I spent a couple of weeks re-doing the flood irrigation system at a IDF&G back country ranch. I didn't miss the metal spatula that first evening when I grilled pork chops, but it was noticeably absent the next morning when I went to mix up some 'Poor Man's Sourdough Pancakes.' I've yet to see the pancake which one can flip with a fork! That morning we settled for granola bars and coffee but it was obvious we needed something to flip pancakes and turn eggs.That afternoon Terry Williams and I set out to solve the problem. Terry started out by taking the metal lid from a coffee can and gently hammering it as flat as possible on the chopping block. First he would hammer one side then turn it over and hammer the other side. Within 10-15 minutes it looked like a round piece of sheet metal. Meantime I cut a straight section of a mountain mahogany tree about 10" long and an inch in diameter. With the saw blade on my sheath knife I cut a groove in one end approx. 1 1/2" deep. Then taking a leather punch I bored two holes about a half-inch apart through the portion of the limb with the groove.Using two old pieces of strap iron and a pair of vice grips, Terry bent one side of the lid up so it would fit into the groove on the handle. We set the turned up edge of the lid into the groove and punched two holes with a horseshoe nail. Two minutes and two small pieces of baling wire later, we had a serviceable metal spatula. It wasn't 'purty' but it served our purposes. So next time you're in camp and realize you've left something at home, look through your miscellaneous and see if you can come up with a substitute!Spiced with More Tall Tales - Breakfast