Now Preparing for Offshore Cruise

[solosailormike]

while doing a search for better packaged foods I found this forum so I'm new to this forum and looking for experienced person on food storage. so far the mt house foods are ok but a little tasteless after a week and can't find any other cheaper packages, and the five gallon buckets of dehydrated foods are a bit much to store. But the price is great.

[Ocean Girl]

Welcome to the forum, some great books out there for provisioning. "The care and feeding of sailing crew" by the Pardeys is a great book. Check out their website too Lin & Larry Pardey. hope that helps, good luck on your voyage.
Cheers,

Erika

[Adax]

Welcome solosailor .Regarding your question re prepack dried food maybe post it separately in the provisioning forum ?
If you are planning to live on freeze dried I would take lots of different condiments and spices to liven things up. Chocolate bars to look forward to when you have eaten your umpteenth mac and cheese. Basically compensate in other ways if you cannot get around the freeze dried stuff.

[solosailormike]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Welcome to the forum, some great books out there for provisioning. "The care and feeding of sailing crew" by the Pardeys is a great book. Check out their website too Lin & Larry Pardey. hope that helps, good luck on your voyage.
Cheers,

Erika

yup! so far my taste buds still have not forgiven me for that trail run. I bought some of those special green bags that suppose to keep things fresh and ended up with useless avacado soup after a two weeks. Then tried to vacuum the veggies, that didn't work too well either. so right now its back to basic 3 B's - bottles, bags and boxes.

I just read the account of Anderson raceing his sailing 18 foot open sailboat across the atlantic in does not say the exact date but it is close to 1897, where did he put the food??? Now thats a real sailor!

[solosailormike]

the story on keeping food contains error, his name was Andrews it was a 15 foot centerboard sailboat and it was in 1891 raced across the atlantic.

[boatman61]

Do you have a fridge on the boat...? if so cook up a variety of different 'wet' meals you enjoy before you head out..
Get friends/relatives to save up jam jars.. wash and steralise them, then you take the meal of the stove, leave to cool for 5 min then fill the jars to the very top... screw the lids down hard and put in the fridge at the bottom.. gotta keep the temp below 5c... they'll last 4-6 weeks. Label with marker pen.
I use some cling film over the top before the lid just to be sure of seal.
Chilli's, stews etc go great with Basmati rice... bit more expensive but the saving on fuel when cooking makes up for it.. and it tastes better.
1 person.. 1/2 cup rice in small pan with 1 cup water and pinch of salt, leave to stand 15mins then bring to the boil... quick stir and turn of the heat.. leave pan lid on.. 5 mins later you've lovely steaming white rice...
Recommend experimenting a bit with the vacuming before you set of to master it... use the sterilising tabs made for babies feeding bottles.
Also carry packs of the semi dried fruits like prunes, dates, figs etc.. good for the body and help counter the binding effect sailing can induce...

[solosailormike]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Do you have a fridge on the boat...? if so cook up a variety of different 'wet' meals you enjoy before you head out..
Get friends/relatives to save up jam jars.. wash and steralise them, then you take the meal of the stove, leave to cool for 5 min then fill the jars to the very top... screw the lids down hard and put in the fridge at the bottom.. gotta keep the temp below 5c... they'll last 4-6 weeks. Label with marker pen.
I use some cling film over the top before the lid just to be sure of seal.
Chilli's, stews etc go great with Basmati rice... bit more expensive but the saving on fuel when cooking makes up for it.. and it tastes better.
1 person.. 1/2 cup rice in small pan with 1 cup water and pinch of salt, leave to stand 15mins then bring to the boil... quick stir and turn of the heat.. leave pan lid on.. 5 mins later you've lovely steaming white rice...
Recommend experimenting a bit with the vacuming before you set of to master it... use the sterilising tabs made for babies feeding bottles.
Also carry packs of the semi dried fruits like prunes, dates, figs etc.. good for the body and help counter the binding effect sailing can induce...

good stuf to add to how to eat list. thanks, I just ordered a case of prepackaged meals from a company called cheaper than dirt. averages out to 3.50 a meal --

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by solosailormike

mt house foods are ok but a little tasteless after a week .

I checked this up as I don't know what you are talking about.

Mountain House®, the #1 brand of freeze dried backpacking foods has been the choice of backpackers, hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts for over 30 years. When it comes to long term food storage, emergency preparedness and recreational activities like camping, hiking, backpacking and hunting, mh is the #1 choice. That's because mh has been recognized as the best tasting freeze dried meals. mh is convenient, easy to prepare and has a long shelf life.

That sort of stuff is ultra expensive. In fact a 2 serving pouch 135 grams,from mountain House available on Amazon is $8. So 3 meals per day is US$24. And for those not metric savvy 135 grams is about enough to fill a mouse and still leave its ribs showing.

The thing about western countries is we have fantastic supermarkets with aisles full of preserved food in jars and cans. Just write out the normal stuff you eat at home and convert into cans. Use jars of flavours.

One basic meal idea that we use is tuna, tomatoes, a carbohydrate, flavours.

Canned tuna; canned tomatoes; pasta, rice etc.
Flavour could be simple like one of: coconut milk; chilli; oilves; pesto; herbs; garlic; etc etc Or a mix of those. Search out things like dehydrated bacon bits and small intense flavours like that. Soy protein (TVP) that looks and acts like meat - yep, made in some chemical factory - can help with bulk and protein content too.

We call it Hard Tack. The provisions when theres no market supplements.

When in port we buy fresh.

We also take multi vitamins to cover deficiencies that a canned diet could exacerbate.

In the USA the best meat in cans is from http://brinkmanfarms.com/ 840gram cans. chunk beef is best. wonderful

That stuff I can still fondly taste!

Provisioning can be done economically without having to resort to a diet of lentals et al.

[Fast Forward]

Solosailormike I agree with MarkJ... those dehydrated foods are not cost effective - unless you're so pressed for space I'd suggest you go for tins. There is a huge variety of great tinned meals available over there... we found a few good ones in Australia, and have them as meals when the day has just been too taxing - an option is to simply add some curry paste to liven them up if they are bland. Sometimes we even have tinned soup with a big dollop of basmati rice to bulk it up... delicious and so easy!

Good luck!!

[Hampus]

I agree with MarkJ too. Unless you really need to save the space or weight or if you're a 3rd grade masochist

With a preassure cooker of the right size you can conserve your own food. Even if you don't, a lot of vegetables, berries, seeds will stay fresh for a long time, as will eggs and smoked meat/fish.

/Hampus

[solosailormike]

Yup! –On the last couple of serious trips I took some basics and then bought what was available alone the way. Last time in La Paz, Mexico, the local food was great, but travelling up and across the Bahia most of it was wasted. It just did not last very long. Like the carrots I planned to use in a stew just shriveled up before I had a chance to use. The flour I bought there had worms even though I had added bay leaves. The tortillas went moldy in just eight days. The very low humid and the heat is the problem. Because of the normal limited storage and cooking limitations of small vessel I decided to try the prepackaged foods. Good old Mac and cheese was always a winner. And combo’s like “Banquet” meals in a box was easy to make. Those are easily bought in local supermarkets. It comes with a can of meat and packages of mixes for breads. So any potatoes and other left over’s can be added. I tried a case of Mountain on a test run. Taste is always subjective, I have been so hungry after weathering out a storm and I would have eaten the ass**** end of a skunk. But most of the time a quiet meal should not be dressed with an abundance of salt and spices.
Some prices have been pretty high but others just OK, so I buy bulk and repack, sometimes it works, sometimes the seal is busted or it’s a waste. Emergency Essentia sells a box of 21 meals for $30. MRE Survival sells meals for $2.60 each. Costco still has the special on for five gallon bucket of individual wrapped meals that include things like oatmeal, soups, chocolate mix for about $0.31 each {of course you need to add a few together as a meal} . They are made for Costco by FoodforHealth International. Cheaper-than-dirt sells a box of 12 meals for $48.00. They also have a deluxe package for a change of personal venue while between ports. As soon as the thought hits you, “what in the hell am I doing here” you know its time to open something delicious Mountain foods that I have here are two servings in one pouch and cost between $5.20 and $8.35 a package, so that works out to about $2.40 a meal. I don’t buy the self heat, but do keep a few in my grab bag. Sort of,-- if I’m going down -- I want a last hot meal. That’s the theory. Now the good news, on the believe it or not shelve, I was sent a list of prepared foods for crews on races for such events as Burmuda races, their ecomony meals start at $37.00 a meal. You can buy Heater-Meals with self heater for half that price and they are really tasty. I got in the mail a couple of samples “Backpackers Pantry” but have not tried them yet.

Originally Posted by Adax

Welcome solosailor .Regarding your question re prepack dried food maybe post it separately in the provisioning forum ?
If you are planning to live on freeze dried I would take lots of different condiments and spices to liven things up. Chocolate bars to look forward to when you have eaten your umpteenth mac and cheese. Basically compensate in other ways if you cannot get around the freeze dried stuff.

[swagman]

Why all the stored food? If you were circumnavigating and had those two longish legs of 3 or 5 weeks, then stocking up with stuff might make sense. But day to day cruising should see you able to shop at least once a week (not unlike at home) and avoid all the gloop.
Good luck
JOHN

[capt_douglas]

I've not found _any_ prepackaged MRE/freeze dried or reasonably priced meals that can compare to rolling your own.

I'm not opposed to opening a dehydrated package base to cut down on the cooking time (and fuel costs) and heat in the cabin. I add my own seasonings and canned, fresh, or frozen protein to make the meal. I also enjoy vegetarian meals.

There are some very good canned meat providers that produce a great meal. You can get tuna, chicken, beef, pork, and other items at good prices.

I tend to prepare as follows:
- buy a good quantity of spices, hot sauces, flour, corn meal, and condiments (especially if it's been shown to be hard to find)
- buy good quantity of additives (olives, peppers, butter, cheese, UHT milk, low salt beef, chicken, and veggie stock, canned veggies, coconut milk for curry,...) that can be added to what I'm preparing
- I carry a good quantity of rice (vacuum packed in 1 lb bags), beans, pasta, and other items I can use for a base
- a selection of treats
- a selection of powdered drink mixes, teas, coffee (Crystal Light lemonaide, PG Tips teabags, powdered coffee creamer, hot chocolate w/wo marshmellows,...)
- personal items that have been shown to be hard to find (Crest toothpaste, favorite shampoo, dental floss,...)
- a selection of boatie generated recipes
- enough food for the passage to a good provisioning point plus 50%

I have refrigeration and a sorta freezer but learned the hard way the cost of having a full freezer and watching the system fail.

So I plan on having it fail again (and so far it's making a fool of me). That means efficient meal preparation, storage, and minimizing waste. I'm not in the adventurous food type, but have learned from others that are, how to buy local and eat well. I'm not a baker but learned to bake bread (and along the way, flatbread, and pizza dough) because it tastes better to me than the store bought, seems to cost less, and lasts longer. It also fills the boat with a great smell.

I carry a vacuum bagger, those green veggie bags that actually prolong the life of veggies, a variety of plastic reusable containers with lids, zip lock bags, plastic bins for potatoes, onions, and other produce that needs air to breathe and prevent rot, plastic egg crates, and a pressure cooker. I've given thoughts to canning and have even taken a class on how to do it, but I'm not a fan of glass on board (a side effect of being clumsy). Canning can do wonders to prolong food life, save money, and provide nice treats and memories down the track.

It seems to me that you don't need to carry as much as cruisers did decades ago. You need to carry a base of items and provision at well known and well stocked locations along the way, carry enough for 50% more cruising time between these provisioning locations, and be willing to trust the locals when they tell you what to buy and how to best prepare it.

[RedBellies]

MREs, REAL MREs, are rather high in sodium and calories for someone on passage. They were designed for soldiers on the march, one heavy meal at about 2500-3500 calories per day. Seems a bit much. Unless you plan to run laps around the deck or swim alongside...

[boatman61]

2000 calories /day are all a man needs to function at peak efficiency.. 1800 for women... any more is for bodybuilding...
Personally at sea I aim for around 1200 calories, as the limited exercise does not burn up the fuel and results in a post meal type lassitude after a few days at sea... but then I've always had the rule.. stop eating while you still think you could eat more... don't scoff that second plate full.
I also have the custom of eating a cold meal(semi-dried fruits and cereals with milk and sugar) for breakfast... then a hot meal at sundown to counteract the temperature drop that comes at dusk for a couple of hours before it stabilizes again... in between.. an occasional handful of nuts or raisins etc...
You don't have to live on processed/prepreped crap at sea... there's plenty of options... unless your into 'Lazy Food'...