Vegetarian Cruising

[seancrowne]

i looked through the threads here and didnt knotice much on this. my wife and i are both quakers and raised under "difrent(far left)" conditions, she was raised with a no meat diet, and to a degree little to no dairy. I am pescatarian and eat fish , often ,as it is one of gods greatest gifts. I am wondering how many people out there cruise without eating meat or dairy and how it is in other countries.what are some provision ideas and suggestions. i've read in a few books about Tvp(textured vegetable protien), as a great source of protien while sailing any other ideas? as of now i cook with alot of mushrooms ,tofu, rice, and tempe. (of cource tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.)


secondly is a refrigerator needed in these conditions, or would an ice box suffice? no meats dairy or eggs...if i keep the veggies wet and the other things sealed?

[Rez]

their are cold boxes, not like refrig, but good, which do quite well with vegetables, lettuce, etc. I also fish a lot.

[Pblais]

Refrigeration is exceptionally common aboard but it's not a requirement. You need to become more familiar with the different forms of preservation. Canning is the oldest method and still very effective. For fresh vegetables some do better than others. Root vegetables require only cool and dry. Your experience at home will give clues about what works. But there are other factors too.

Cooling with ice is maybe good for several days but not much more. You may decide to use ice when available and do without when it's not. The volume of space you need to cool (the size of the box) is limited more by the ability to make electricity than anything else. On board a boat the power used for refrigeration can be more than half the total consumption of electricity in a typical day. If you lived without refrigeration then your electrical requirements aboard just dropped to the point that some solar panels would handle almost the whole job of keeping batteries charged. It does however radically change your diet.

Being a vegetarian does not change the issues very much. Acquiring, storing and preparing food is a basic requirement for everyone. The concept of cruising adds the requirements of you are cruising because you want to do it not because you are forced to and it is supposed to be fun. It adds the idea that you may be in remote places for extended periods of time. One approach is to avoid all remote locations and minimize the time between resupply points. The other is to maximize capacity and alter diets to remain away as long as possible. If you examine those two extremes you can see how requirements can change greatly. Once you know where you fit then you can find the way to make it happen.

[sluissa]

Rice and dried beans are always the old standby. They'll last practically forever under the right conditions even without refridgeration. Fresh vegetables I hear usually last about a week if cared for well. That means going through every day, sorting out damaged parts, making sure that delicate fruits and veggies are kept safe. I hear hammocks work well. Pickled vegetables are an option that will last longer, potentially quite a while and might add some needed variation to flavor. Dried fruits and vegetables are great as well and many can be rehydrated pretty well to the point that if you're cooking them you won't notice much of a difference.

Fish I have very little experience with without refridgeration, but I understand it is possible to dry it and make something similar to fish jerky.

With lots of dried food though, you will probably require more water than the average cruiser, just be wary about how much you'll need for cooking.

I used to be a vegetarian. I understand the problems, but it is quite possible to get around them in most situations.

[Lancerbye]

We have canned just about everything edible and is a great way to preserve food. Can also be convenient when the weather is not favourable for cooking.

[rebel heart]

My fiancee and I currently have a fridge, but we've earmarked it for going away. Even if we decide to keep it, eventually it will go away (break in the middle of nowhere) by its own accord, so it's a good idea to know how to live without one happily regardless.

She's a pescatarian as well, so by default I end up eating that way a lot. We've got some neat stuff we've found lately:

Ghee - condensded non-fridge butter.
condendsed milk - really does work.
little soy milk boxes - great for coffee or cereal, and lasts a long time.
veggies - we cook with them constantly now, since they last for such a long time and are so much healthier. they're also incredibly cheap compared to processed / packaged food.

If you want to, check our blog (the link below) and email her or post a comment on her blog; she'll write oodles about our cooking experiences for you I'm sure. She's got some great dishes she makes too, especially a salmon and leeks, and a kale dish.

Rebel Heart - The boat and her crew - Charlotte's Blog - - Savoy Cabbage*Gratin

Don't keep the veggies wet. Some veggies you will need to kiss goodbye; they simply don't last in the marine environment unless you buy them that day and cook them that night. Some things, like onions and potatoes, will go bad because you stored them together. Five feet between them and your potatoes will live a happy life. Some stuff can be stored in the bilge, some in the open, etc.

Normally, I caution people against trying to take their eating habits around the world with them. My parents raised me that such that if I'm at someone else's home, and they are serving me a dish that will make me vomit, I'm not only to eat it their food with a smile on my face, but also ask for seconds.

I've gone overseas with a vegan friend, and it was kind of crazy to be asking for no dairy in countries that are happy just to have food. I'm sure you're used to the "I'm alergic" routine, which helps to not have them asking questions or wondering why you're so picky.

But the reality is that you can certainly hold to your diet on your own vessel, and the vast majority of the world out there. Just be ready for the .1% of the time when your tomato soup has dairy in it (even though you asked), or you get invited into the home of obviously poor people who share their food with you, and that food happens to be pig (or dog, or deer, or beef, or poultry, or whatever).

[ssullivan]

Rather than drifting this thread with my question about fish, I figured I'd start a new one:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post114542

[delmarrey]

Rice, dried beams, canned fruits and veggies and a fishing line.
Of course you'll need spices to spice things up a bit. Then when you hit port, shopping for the fresh stuff is a delight.

My wife loves a Mexican 3 bean salad with steamed rice. It'll lasts well past three days in a cool place........................._/)

[seancrowne]

so canning really seems the way to go it. from what i have read here and in some other sailing blogs it isnt the easiest thing i'll dig through here find more stuff on canning im sure there are threads.

[GordMay]

Except on ocean passages, you’ll never be more than a few hours (or days at most) from a local source of food supply.
Where there are locals, the locals eat.
If you can eat what the locals do, you’ll never go hungry.
I've more to say about this; but gotta run for now ...

[Pblais]

If you can eat what the locals do, you’ll never go hungry.

You'll mostly eat fresh food and you can buy it where they do - locally. The tropics have a lot of vegetables you don't see in the US. Many will substitue just fine for things you are used to here. If you have to case around for specialty food all the time it will be a problem. Of course there are things you really want to have and the extra effort for a treat is worth it, but not every single day.

[OldSarg]

If God didn't want you to eat animals then why did he make them out of meat?

[Chuteman]

Personally I have not tried yet but have read cruisers saying that these storage bags indeed work. No affiliation.

Order Evert Fresh Green Bags they help keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer - reusable bags save you money! Environmentally friendly too.

[seancrowne]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

My fiancee and I currently have a fridge, but we've earmarked it for going away. Even if we decide to keep it, eventually it will go away (break in the middle of nowhere) by its own accord, so it's a good idea to know how to live without one happily regardless.

She's a pescatarian as well, so by default I end up eating that way a lot. We've got some neat stuff we've found lately:

Ghee - condensded non-fridge butter.
condendsed milk - really does work.
little soy milk boxes - great for coffee or cereal, and lasts a long time.
veggies - we cook with them constantly now, since they last for such a long time and are so much healthier. they're also incredibly cheap compared to processed / packaged food.

If you want to, check our blog (the link below) and email her or post a comment on her blog; she'll write oodles about our cooking experiences for you I'm sure. She's got some great dishes she makes too, especially a salmon and leeks, and a kale dish.

Rebel Heart - The boat and her crew - Charlotte's Blog - - Savoy Cabbage*Gratin

Don't keep the veggies wet. Some veggies you will need to kiss goodbye; they simply don't last in the marine environment unless you buy them that day and cook them that night. Some things, like onions and potatoes, will go bad because you stored them together. Five feet between them and your potatoes will live a happy life. Some stuff can be stored in the bilge, some in the open, etc.

Normally, I caution people against trying to take their eating habits around the world with them. My parents raised me that such that if I'm at someone else's home, and they are serving me a dish that will make me vomit, I'm not only to eat it their food with a smile on my face, but also ask for seconds.

I've gone overseas with a vegan friend, and it was kind of crazy to be asking for no dairy in countries that are happy just to have food. I'm sure you're used to the "I'm alergic" routine, which helps to not have them asking questions or wondering why you're so picky.

But the reality is that you can certainly hold to your diet on your own vessel, and the vast majority of the world out there. Just be ready for the .1% of the time when your tomato soup has dairy in it (even though you asked), or you get invited into the home of obviously poor people who share their food with you, and that food happens to be pig (or dog, or deer, or beef, or poultry, or whatever).

my wife was sitting right next to me when i was reading this and perked right up i believe she is on your blog now, exspect an email she more so a writer than i.

being quaker we were raised and both believe in peaceful resolution and non conflict. we have both eaten meat when offerd with a huge smile. to be disrespectful and ungreatful for any gift given especielly one as gracoius as food neggates the act of not eating meat to begin with , its just a mutal respect thing respecting animals as much as people.

as to why god made animals out of meat he also made peope out of meat...and apparntly verrrry tasty meat. i have never tried and and dont know if i would bite into that and ask for seconds if invited to mr. lecters house, haha, but who knows? ive never been in a situation( ie..the andees in a freezing plane . )were i've had to try it.?

for now i'll stick to the suggestions of dried rice and beans, and any other ideas you guys have, thank you.

[Pblais]

geen bags do work quite well. You do have to watch moisture and police the contents of the fridge regularly. They are not magic but they do work. You can reuse them but don't EVER wash them with soap!