Outdoor women get lesson in pioneer cooking

"Going Dutch" has a different meaning for Colleen Sloan of Sandy, Utah. Her healthy obsession with Dutch oven cooking has had her traveling near and far to share the joys of cooking pioneer-style. Her warm smile and expertise in cast iron culinary arts brought her to Sanders County this weekend to impart her knowledge.

"The International Dutch Oven Society has chapters all over the world, and we'd like to generate interest to start one here," Sloan explained as she served up warm apple crisp and ham and cheese sandwiches Friday at Harvest Foods in Thompson Falls. Few turned down the deliciousness offered from Sloan's table decked with information about the cooking method and portable camp stove touting two small Dutch ovens.

Becoming Outdoors Women (BOW) organizes events throughout the year supporting outdoor activities and are often catered by the Dutch oven delights of event organizers, such as Ginger Ward. Ward has been familiar with Sloan's work for some time and was excited to have her in the area to hold a workshop. "We met all day at the State Park, Saturday, for education from Sloan," shared Ward, "then she followed up with a potluck open to the public at the State Park, Sunday." All participants in the Saturday workshop went home with a Camp Chef brand Dutch oven, endorsed by Sloan.

For more than 50 years, Sloan has been sharing her knack for outdoor cooking, and shared that the recipes can also be moved indoors by placing the Dutch oven in the oven at half the regular temp. She shared that two upsides to Dutch oven recipes is that vegetables are not usually peeled, resulting in maximum nutritional value. Also, Dutch oven cooking indoors uses less energy, creating extra money in the pocket throughout winter months.

For more information about Sloan's "Log Cabin Grub Cookbooks," visit http://www.colleenslogcabingrub.org. Those interested in upcoming BOW activities can visit their page on the Fish, Wildlife and Parks website, fwp.mt.gov/education/bow.