What Food to Buy Without Refrigeration?

[Krogensailor]

I have that one. It works well. Too steep of a price for what it is. I'd look on Craigs List. People buy them and then they sit.

[Krogensailor]

In hot moist conditions you need a closed unit with some heat, a light bulb and a constant fan.

[Seaworthy Lass]

I semi dry small halved tomatoes by placing them on a foil covered metal tray (heat is then reflected up as well) in a sunny position on the deck in summer, then when ready packing them in olive oil in a glass jar. Not because of storage or availablity issues though, simply because of the incredibly intense flavour. The oil is then beautifully infused as well .

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I semi dry small halved tomatoes by placing them on a foil covered metal tray (heat is then reflected up as well) in a sunny position on the deck in summer, then when ready packing them in olive oil in a glass jar. Not because of storage or availablity issues though, simply because of the incredibly intense flavour. The oil is then beautifully infused as well .

Ahhh... learning the wisdom of the Old World... so often discounted by the New Age... try it with Capsicums...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahhh... learning the wisdom of the Old World... so often discounted by the New Age... try it with Capsicums...

Will do. Great suggestion . I have an unlimited supply at this anchorage, as they are in season and "Opa" who looks after the garden at the tiny family run 'resort' in the otherwise empty bay plies me with them whenever I drop in.

I will report back in a few days as to how long it takes (tomatoes are ready in a couple of days).

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Krogensailor

I have that one. It works well. Too steep of a price for what it is. I'd look on Craigs List. People buy them and then they sit.

Yes, looks pricey, but is stainless, and also looks like it would process a substantial amount of food at a time. Those little plastic ones look too small for my idea to work.

[I.Grind]

Originally Posted by detav007

I'd never thought of growing on board. I've heard that asparagus loves salty environments. My parents always grew theirs by the road and the salt from the roads would make it grow like crazy every year. Just a thought for boat gardeners.

Asparagus requires very deep beds, like Several feet. Not well suited for growing on a boat.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahhh... learning the wisdom of the Old World... so often discounted by the New Age... try it with Capsicums...

Should they be stored in oil like pimientos ?

[carstenb]

I haven't read this entire thread so maybe this has been noted. I have a smoke oven made by Abu Garcia, it cost something like 25 bucks. You can smoke (and thereby conserve) almost anything. Fish meat etc. They will last for a long time. We also have a vacuumpacker. Put fresh meat, fish, veggies etc in, vacuumpack it and store it down by the keel (coolest place on the boat). It will last for months and remain fresh.

So you don't need to live only on canned food etc if you want to bring meat, but don't have a refrigerator.

Buy a pasta machine (still using yours Seaworthy?), eggs last for months if you turn them every day. A goodly supply of durum flour and you can make fresh pasta in a few minutes. Cook up a huge pot full of spaghetti sauce, portion vacuum pack it and you'll be enjoying fresh spaghetti/lasagne etc any day you want.

By the way NatKat - I'm not sure your forebearers enjoyed tomatoes. Tomatoes were considered poisonous until the mid/late 1800's and not eaten.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by carstenb

......
Buy a pasta machine (still using yours Seaworthy?), eggs last for months if you turn them every day. A goodly supply of durum flour and you can make fresh pasta in a few minutes.......

Yep, still using mine and I think of you every time I do .

I have avoided "gadgets" on board, using the bare minimum of kitchen tools (and nothing electric apart from a stick mixer), but the pasta machine has been brilliant (for those unfamiliar with one, the dough is fed through rollers and then cut by turning a handle). Homemade pasta is sublime!

The other wonderful food on board is homemade bread. It uses even more spartan non refrigerated ingredients - hard flour, dry yeast, sugar, salt, water. Warm fragrant bread or pizza straight from the oven is mouthwateringly good - arguably even better than fresh pasta.

"Pizza" topped with Boatie's Mulligatawny and slices of cheese melting through it is food fit for the gods

(Without refrigeration hard cheese keeps well wrapped in paper towel soaked in vinegar then greaseproof paper, and stored in a dry bilge. Change the vinegar soaked paper every few days.)

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by savoir

Should they be stored in oil like pimientos ?

I believe they are one and the same... and yes..

[I.Grind]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

(Without refrigeration hard cheese keeps well wrapped in paper towel soaked in vinegar then greaseproof paper, and stored in a dry bilge. Change the vinegar soaked paper every few days.)

Does that make the cheese vinegary?

I'm sure these techniques really work, and I like the fact that knowledge that might otherwise fade into oblivion is being preserved, but sometimes I can't imagine that it is super delicious. I must say that I find this thread thoroughly fascinating, and quite educational. If I ever (god forbid) find myself without refrigeration, I will at least be well prepared.

Even though I know I CAN eat 6 month old opened mayonnaise I really have very little wish to be in circumstances where I might be tempted to, if you know what I mean.

Yeah yeah I'm a prima Donna, flame away....

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by I.Grind

Does that make the cheese vinegary?

I use cheese stored this way for cooking - melted on bread or pizza etc and the vinegar is not discernible. Eaten straight, yes, mildly. But it is great to be able to keep opened cheese without spoiling (it goes mouldy in warm weather within a few days otherwise). Vacuum sealed cheese keeps well in a dry bilge for weeks/ months, but still needs to be stored somehow once opened.

I have tried "preserving" both hard cheese and feta in olive oil and this works reasonably well, but uses up a huge amount of oil and I can't use it up quickly enough in cooking.

By the way, even with refrigeration, the best way to store feta is immersed in a salt solution in a glass jar (approx 2 tsp of salt per cup of water) then topped with a thin layer of oil. It keeps very fresh for weeks this way.

It is very useful to know how to live comfortably without refrigeration. So many summer voyages are held up unnecessarily in ports waiting for repairs to systems that are considered "vital". Although I would miss cold drinks and ice cubes in summer, I can manage well without the fridge otherwise .

[savoir]

Look for cheese that is sold with a wax coating. That will keep unrefrigerated for 3 months and maybe longer if it is stored in a cool place.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I semi dry small halved tomatoes by placing them on a foil covered metal tray (heat is then reflected up as well) in a sunny position on the deck in summer, then when ready packing them in olive oil in a glass jar. Not because of storage or availablity issues though, simply because of the incredibly intense flavour. The oil is then beautifully infused as well .

That's so simple. How do you know when they're ready?