What do you think of when you hear the words “trail mix”? I’ll share what I think of: sunshine, 75 degree weather, mountains and a John Denver song playing in the background.  Pretty much the backdrop of Colorado most days of the year. Trail mix is the perfect food for any activity that involves outdoors, hiking and/or camping. 

I learned while on the site nationaldaycalendar.com , that although two surfers claim to have invented it in 1968, the words, “trail mix” can be found in a book entitled “The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouc which dates back as long as 1958.  In the book, two characters bring trail mix along as they included it for meals on their hiking trip. 

Trail mix has come a long way since these surfers “invented it” by combining peanuts and raisins for an energy snack. As of May 16, 2021, dollar sales for the trail mix market fell 2.5 % to $1.2 Billion according to Snackandbakery.com. However, according to Mordorintelligence.com the global trail mix market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.71% between 2020-2025. Rightly so. We know that nuts are not cheap yet when trail mix companies raise the prices, we will still buy their products.  Add organic ingredients such as dried fruit and some sort of chocolate and the price for trail mix adds up quickly.

With trail mix, there is something for everyone. If you’re purely a savory fan omit the sweet ingredients.  I was going to say vice versa but LOL, if we omit the savory and leave only the sweet, we would be left with dried fruit and candy. That’s a pure sugar high!  If you’re like me, the flavors of salty and sweet and the textures of both crunchy and chewy is a feast for the taste buds. It’s a party in my mouth. 

Even though trail mix is mostly associated with outdoor activities, for decades, it has been a staple for many who have “on the go” lifestyles. I have paraphrased nationaldaycalendar’s information and added some of my own thoughts below. Trail mix is the perfect snack/meal solution because:

1. It’s portable - a cup or two of trail mix in a ziplock bag or a reusable snack sack is easy to carry with us wherever we go. Bonus: We do not need utensils in order to eat it.

2. It’s durable - it doesn’t matter if it’s hot outside or how long you’ve had the bag of trail mix, it rarely expires and it can withstand the heat. (if chocolate is involved, candy-coated is durable). We can leave a bag of trail mix in our car, locker or gym bag because refrigeration is not necessary.

3. It’s a great source of protein and provides good fats - nuts and seeds have been protein sources since the beginning of time. Nationaldaycalendar.com lists out: “almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hemp, pepita, sunflower, flax, sesame, chia, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts.” Don’t forget pecans!

4. It helps prevent dehydration - if we drink water and eat the salt within the trail mix, it will help restore the lost electrolytes after we sweat. This process keeps us hydrated.

5. It’s versatile - sweet, savory or both. We can make an endless amount of trail mix combinations because of all the seeds, nuts, dried fruits and sweet candy that are available these days. As the saying goes, “variety is the spice of life”. True. When we choose a variety of flavors we won’t get bored of healthy trail mix snacks.

6. It’s an energy booster - dried fruit is a natural source of sugar and sugar helps energize us. Also, if you’re including chocolate in your trail mix (which I hope you do), you can count on some of that caffeine to help keep you moving too.

For National Trail Mix Day on August 31st, I will give out some trail mix thoughtful pinches. It’s easy to put together and it is fun to put only the ingredients that we love. Meaning, if we don’t like the Brazilian nuts - omit them.  If there are allergies to walnuts, then leave those out.  If we love a certain candy, we can toss some in there for sweetness. Sharing a snack that we made for someone we care about is thoughtful. If pressed for time or if you have a favorite trail mix, just pick some up to give away to someone (or keep for yourself) to celebrate National Trail Mix Day.

I learned from nationaldaycalendar.com that trail mix is called different things in different countries - “Gorp means ‘eating greedily’ according to the Oxford English Dictionary” and in Australia and New Zealand they call trail mix “Scroggin”. 

One more thing that I learned from nationaldaycalendar.com which has nothing to do with trail mix but I thought I’d share since it was part of my research on trail mix. “Backronym is an acronym that is developed after a word is coined”  - I had never heard of a backronym before.  The site says that GORP could very well stand for “Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts.” 

If you have a favorite trail mix recipe or brand, please share!

Pinches,

Barb