We were too busy eating birch syrup and giant cinnamon buns in the Yukon to do much cooking. As soon as we reached the NWT, however, we hauled out the camp stove and fired ‘er up!

In our box of cooking supplies I’d hastily packed when moving out of my place, I found a bag of cheesecloth. Only I, Lindsay Anderson, would forget proper pajamas but remember to pack cheese-making supplies.

We had milk, vinegar, measuring cups, a colander, and an entire free evening, so I figured why not? Let’s make paneer in the woods!

It’s far less complicated than it sounds. Far less.

I used this recipe by Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij; as long as you follow the steps, it turns out perfectly every time. Usually I drain the curds in a clean sink, but since I was lacking one, I jerry-rigged a cutting board over the campfire and rested our big water jug on top, then let the whey drain into the ashes below. It worked quite well, and funnily enough, this was the best batch of paneer I’d ever made!

We cut it into cubes, tossed it in a fresh tomato, spinach, garlic, and cumin sauce, and served it over brown rice. It was easy, filling, healthy, and incredibly satisfying to eat at a picnic table next to Great Slave Lake. India via Vancouver via the Northwest Territories!

Paneer
By Meeru Dhalwala, Vikram Vij

½ cup water
8 cups whole milk
¼ cup white vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Pour water into a medium, 8-inch high heavy-bottomed pot. Then add milk. Turn the milk to medium and wait for the milk to start boiling: a commercial stove takes about 15 minutes, a gas stove takes about 20 minutes, and others may take 20-25 minutes. Do not stir the milk. As the milk nears the boiling point, watch it very carefully, with vinegar (or lemon juice) in hand. Milk will start to rise in the pot. Once it has risen 3 inches, turn off the heat immediately, and gently swirl in – but do not stir in – vinegar. You want it to go throughout the milk in the pot, and not just into one spot. Allow the milk to sit for 10 minutes while the milk solids separate from the liquid.

Place a colander in the sink. Cover it completely with cheesecloth. Slow and carefully pour milk into the colander.

Allow milk solids (paneer) to sit in the colander for 15 minutes, or until the extra water has drained into the sink (we sat the colander over a bowl since we didn’t have a sink). Gently gather the four corners of the cheesecloth, and tie them together to completely enclose the paneer.

Half-fill a medium pot with water. Place the wrapped paneer either in the sink or on the counter next to the sink (or on a cutting board perched over a campfire pit), so the water from the paneer can drain away. Place the pot of water (or water jug) directly on top of the paneer and press it down gently. This will both flatten the paneer and help it release some of its water. Once the pot can easily balance on the paneer, allow it to sit for 15 minutes (for a soft paneer) to 1 hour (for a firmer paneer). Soft paneer is meant to be eaten more like cottage cheese.

Remove the pot, untie the cheesecloth, and gently slide on hand under the paneer. Transfer to a plate or cutting board. Use immediately or keep refrigerated, lightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to five days.

We cut ours up and served it in a sauce inspired by this recipe, but you could use it in anything!

Happy camp cooking.

-LA

Farming is challenging, regardless of where you are. Growing food north of the 60th parallel, with shorter growing seasons and rocky terrain, brings new challenges. In and around Hay River, there is a lot of prime land, but it’s not all available; some is tied up in land claims and some is simply inaccessible due to infrastructure and lack of roads. Given these challenges, we were amazed again at the capacity for innovation, and the affect that a small group of individuals can have in creating a dynamic local food scene.

While in Hay River, we were fortunate to tour the city with Andrew Cassidy, town mayor, farmer, and Executive Director of the Northwest Territories Farmer’s Association. Andrew explained that the growing season in Hay River is not that much shorter than more southern regions, and they have the added benefit of more sunlight. Hay River is perched on a riverbed and thus has excellent mineral-rich soil, making agriculture in the region actually quite viable.

He mentioned that often, a bigger challenge in northern farming is finding the means to harvest and process the rapidly growing produce quickly, rather than the impending frosts.

There are a number of initiatives that Andrew finds promising; up until about 8 months ago, for example, all of the eggs in Hay River were shipped out of province to be graded and sold or turned into liquid egg. Now, there is an egg grading station, Polar Egg, in Hay River, which has made it legal for Hay River Eggs to be sold and consumed locally.

There is also a large plot of land that has been designated as a community garden. There is a community potato patch, a green house, about 40 large plots, and a ‘living fence’ made of up raspberry bushes. About 30 people garden in this community garden and there are plans for expansion in the coming years.

Hay River has its roots in fishing; the town’s farmers market started as a place for fish mongers to sell, and eventually developed into a collection of more diverse vendors, including bakers, craftspeople, farmers, and prepared food.

Andrew and his wife Helen are the main produce vendors there, and Andrew explained there is a very high demand for locally grown products. The demand is so great, in fact, that they can’t keep up.

Andrew and Helen often sell out, with long lines for their goods starting before the market even opens each Saturday morning.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, Andrew and many others in Hay River have managed to accomplish a great deal, and agriculture is especially exciting in Hay River because it is still being developed. The opportunity exists to create an agriculture system with sustainable, food security principles in mind, and we were both really excited to hear Andrew discuss the region’s potential for this.

-DV

Road Kitchen: Forest Paneer

Guess What, You Can Farm Here Too!