I go into the wild to still the noise inside my mind. I feel as if I've come alive when pockets of evergreen perfume drift inside my nose and the soft murmur of creeks trickle into my ears. Being outdoors heightens the senses in every way, cultivating an ideal mind-set for cooking. Humans have always relied on sensory cues for making meals, and written recipes are no exception. Dishes need to be understood not just with taste but also with sight, scent, sound, and touch. When I competed on Food Network Star , I showed an audience of four hundred people how to massage cabbage for a slaw. Wiggling my fingers in the air, I said, "Don't forget your most important tool!" The judges loved it, because they knew it was true. Cooking outdoors is an opportunity to fine-tune our senses, a practice easily lost when we judge grilled chicken from an image in a book or on a screen. A Dutch oven and timer are helpful but it's the smell of toasted, sweet kernels that slaps me in the face, telling me the cornbread is ready. We're built with tools as equallyimportant as pots and pans, and there's hardly a better time to use these gifts than when we're in nature. Excerpted from Feast by Firelight: Simple Recipes for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors by Emma Frisch All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
