Does anyone else think it’s ironic there are “natural food†aisles at grocery stores? In many chains there’s only one aisle dedicated to food that is the way nature intended it and the rest of them are full of hydrogenated palm oil, trans fats and red dye #5.
That said, I have no problem stuffing my face with such processed offerings as Clif Bars, Gu gel and electrolyte tablets while on the trail (not to mention the Doritos and PBR I inhale after a hard ride). But sometimes you just want to get back to your roots and, well, eat roots.
Or leaves, stalks, fruit – whatever piece of plant your prefer. In my case, I love apples. Crispy, sweet, juicy – but who really wants to ride with six ounces of bulbous produce chafing against your back?
Enter Croustipom, pronounced “Crusty palm.†(Insert joke here.) Made by Verger le Gros Pierre in Compton, Quebec, Croustipom are the perfect trail food. They’re what the love-child of an apple and a potato chip would be like – sweet but crunchy, healthy but yummy.
During a recent tour of the trails in East Hereford and Coaticook, Quebec, we brought along these morsels of Eden and they plied us with energy while amusing our bouches. A packet only weighs 3.5 ounces and the resealable bag is easy to squash flat into a side pocket. Because they’re dehydrated apples, they have a lot of natural sugars to give you that spike in vigor you need but, unlike normal dehydrated applies, they aren’t rubbery and tasteless. On the contrary, they’re so crispy and good we ate them like chips – devouring bags by the handful.
The one downside to Croustipom? They’re only available in Quebec. So get yer gear to the Eastern Townships of the Belle Province, pick up a bag of Croustipom and savor nature the way the French intended it.
