gila wilderness granola

a few months ago during the dog days of march, i found myself soaking in natural hot springs in the gila wilderness of new mexico. it was awesome to say the least. i was proposed to on top of a mountain- which contributed ridiculous amounts of joy. i backpacked, soaked, meandered, and soaked some more. the temperature in the gila wilderness changes quite dramatically when transitioning from day to night. the daytime sun was perfect for adventuring, while as the evening snuck in, so did very cool temperatures. besides the early morning soaks in natural hot springs to get us going in the morning, we also relied on granola. if there is ever an adventure to be had, you can pretty much guarantee that i will have some sort of food association to go along with it. this time it's granola. i am not the kind of person who likes to buy granola. i'm the kind of person who likes to make it. so as we started planning our trip, i started planning food.

i like the idea of throwing in a variety of ingredients to maximize the amount of energy and nutrition out of our granola. i usually throw in flaxseeds or flaxseed meal for an extra omega boost. i also prefer to make granola, which will be eaten while backpacking, a heartier variety by throwing in a lot of seeds and nuts. there are so many varieties you can make. a few flavor combos that i like are; apricot and almond, cashews and fresh dates, & cranberries and walnuts. granola is super easy to make. you can adjust the ingredient list to your preference. behind every face is a different variety of granola. here's the recipe for our gila wilderness granola:

6 cups oats
2 cups almonds, chopped
2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup flaxseeds
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and brown sugar. In a seperate bowl, combine the maple syrup or honey, sunflower or canola oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to acheive an even color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing.