Sesame Soba Noodles

It's a good sign if you make a dinner at home that you've made while camping. This one's basically noodles and peanut butter, but much better and just as easy.1 bunch of Soba Noodles (I usually shop for food at the nearest grocery store to the trail, and I know most of those grocery stores don't stock soba noodles, so try to think of going to your local Asian market to buy them before you leave. They're what makes this meal good.)2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil (put it in emptied out hotel shampoo bottle)1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (If you ever order Chinese or Japanese, save the soy sauce packets)Spoonful or two (or three) of Chili Sauce (can also use hotel shampoo bottles)2 Spoonfuls of Peanut Butter (I would assume you'll have peanut butter if you're camping.)Handful of Sesame Seeds (Also rather imperative. They weight nothing, no excuse.)Directions: Boil water. Drop the noodles in. While the noodles are cooking, mix the oil, soy sauce, chili paste and peanut butter. When the noodles are done, drain a small amount of the hot water into the sauce mix. Stir up until the peanut butter is smooth and dump it back into the pot with the drained noodles. Throw on the sesame seeds.Or you can just stick to the peanut butter and spaghetti. That ain't half bad either.

Sassafras

Sassafras, found mostly in the eastern United States, is characterized by its' three distinct leaves on the same tree - unlobed or oval (top left); bilobed or mitten-shaped (top right); and trilobed (bottom). If you've living in New York City like I do, you can find it in Prospect Park. Root beer was originally made from sassafras until the FDA banned it in the late 1960s as a potential carcinogen, but no human studies have ever been made and many believe the ban to be unwarranted. (Read more about that here.)The roots of a sassafras sapling can be uprooted and used to make a damn good tea - it tastes just like root beer - so next time you're out east and want something other than pine needle tea, look around for some sassafras. It won't hurt you.