Food preparation for long voyages without refridgeration

[thinwater]

Even my parents would snicker at this thread. Just go through the grocery store and skip the refrigerated sections.



BTW, they didn't have electronics either .

[Marathon1150]

I haven't read every post in this thread but one thing not mentioned (in addition to all of the good ideas that are mentioned) for those choosing to not use refrigeration are "Green Bags" for fresh produce.

We stored peppers (capsicum), cabbage (which lasts a long time anyway), Brussels sprouts (also good keepers) etc for weeks in these bags. I'm guessing that they have a lining that absorbs ethylene which is off-gassed by fruit and other vegetable matter as it ages. The bags may also absorb oxygen which is a necessary contributor to ripening and subsequent decay (buying an apple in North America in February is often a happy experience because the apple was stored in controlled atmosphere storage after harvesting - the latter removes most of the oxygen from the the storage facility and puts the apple "to sleep").

In any case, green bags freed up space in the refrigerator (yes I note that the OP is not interested in these) and the Engel freezer for other things.

Here is a short video of our equator crossing celebratory meal:

https://youtu.be/QyfMA0iHI-k

[Gadagirl]

This is really a great thread! Thank you OP and everyone else that contributed. While I know this has all been discussed in the past it is great to get more current ideas, suggestions, and sources for products.

So on the sources for products I would like to ask specific questions. If you think I should start a new thread for this I will, but thought I would start here. I have no experience in any of this so I am very new and ignorant.

1. What equipment is involved/needed for canning?
2. What equipment is involved/needed for dehydrating?
3. What equipment is involved/needed for freeze drying?
4.Do you perform these tasks on board and do you feel you have adequate storage for the equipment?
5.If you do these preparations on your boat, How much energy consumption is involved? Use of propane, electricity?
6.Any recommendations for the equipment that you use and why you chose it?

I am really looking forward to learning this!

[Mike OReilly]

I'll take dehydrating Gadagirl since I've babbled about it already .

You really don't need much. It's more about moving air around than heat, but warm air works best. You can dry in a standard oven, in a toaster oven, in a vented black box, or just outside on wracks if you're in relatively dry & windy places. Of course you can use one of the many commercial versions that range from big and professional, to small table top items.

My first dryer was a plywood box with large screen trays and a small heating element at the bottom. I've built (but not yet used) a solar dehydrator. And I now have a small commercial plastic one which I carry around during my off-season.

It's hard to see how anything can be simpler.

[Gadagirl]

Thanks! What is the brand of your small commercial dryer and what has been your experience with it? Would you recommend it? Or still in experimental stage?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Gadagirl

Thanks! What is the brand of your small commercial dryer and what has been your experience with it? Would you recommend it? Or still in experimental stage?

This is the one I bought. It's not the best, but it does the job. It has temperature and timing controls. And it's small and easy for me to move around.

[CassidyNZ]

I once shopped for a non-refrigerator voyage and included cartons of long-life milk, made sure to check the sell-by dates and staggered them to emulate probable consumption. To my dismay, when in the tropics, even though they were stored in a cool locker below the waterline, after lasting well for 3 months they all went bad within a 12 hour range irrespective of sell-by information. Never figured that out.

The solution to milk on board? Nespray powdered milk from Nestle is IMO the gold standard, tastes delicious, lasts forever.

Another piece of advice - never let any veggies escape into the dark, unvisited areas of your storage. I’ve had the odd potato and courgette get away from the crowd and go bad - worst smelling things I’ve ever had on my boat.

[RaymondR]

I also tried salting down fish years ago. It worked well from a food preservation viewpoint but required fairly heavy water use to get the salt out prior to cooking.

I also participated in fish smoking with my father when I was young. He was professionally fishing and when he did not have enough catch for the long boat journey to the fish market we butterfly filleted all the mullet and smoked it in a chimney which had been designed for also smoking fish.

[nic26]

Originally Posted by skipmac

First it very much depends on your food preferences and diet AND very much on whether you will be at sea the whole time or have the option to reprovision. Not a problem to load up on cans of everything. It's the fresh food and such that gets tricky.

There have been a number of previous discussions that might be useful to read and cover the question in greater detail but a very short summary.

Onions, potatoes, garlic store well and enhance a lot of canned and dried foods. Cabbage can last a coupe of weeks or so. Carrots do ok for a couple of weeks.

Dried everything: rice and grains, beans of every variety, black-eyes, black beans, pintos, lentils, garbanzos. etc.

Eggs will last a while, especially if you can get them fresh and unrefrigerated.

Fruit. Some lasts a while like oranges, lemons, etc with some losses. Buy green fruit to let ripen like bananas. Apples store pretty well.

If you run out of fresh stuff and are at risk of scurvy grow some sprouts for the vitamins.

"grow some sprouts "
As a hint: Sailing the farm, book that you can download on the net for free.

[doog]

Lots of good information on all of the replies but I'm just logging into ad reference to the use of vinegar as a preservative for meat or fish or any type of spoilable vegetables. plus vinegar is good for you. I prefer marinating meat and vinegar to freezing it and it stays far juicier and can be eaten right out of the marinade without cooking. Of course all the krauts and kimchi are part of this tradition. Very healthy and we would do well to use it even when we do have refrigeration available.

[JPA Cate]

Mike mentioned sprouts. Fenugreek sprouts are delicious!

Ann

[fireant]

As been mentioned before look into backpacking for food ideas.
Get a nice large dehydrator dont get a small one this way you can do lots one time . You can do anything from veg to meats.
Make chicken soup with extra white meat. When done take it out cool it off and use a fork to break it into small pieces. when on the way get a soup in a cup add some chicken and extra dry veg and you got a great meal. I carry some dry food in a vacuum bag as emergency in my car trunk. It can easy last for 5 years in the heat.
One thing that is always a hit even at home. When apples are on sale buy 10-15lb. Cut them into half circles about a 1/4in let them sit in lemon juice for 5 min. dehydrate them over night. Its better then candy sweet and yummy .

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Mike mentioned sprouts. Fenugreek sprouts are delicious!

Sounds yummy Ann. I don't think I've tried those. I'll have to look for some seeds once I get back to the boat.

(If I ever get back to my boat ... damn apocalypse ).

Originally Posted by fireant

As been mentioned before look into backpacking for food ideas.
Get a nice large dehydrator dont get a small one this way you can do lots one time . You can do anything from veg to meats.
Make chicken soup with extra white meat. When done take it out cool it off and use a fork to break it into small pieces. when on the way get a soup in a cup add some chicken and extra dry veg and you got a great meal. I carry some dry food in a vacuum bag as emergency in my car trunk. It can easy last for 5 years in the heat.
One thing that is always a hit even at home. When apples are on sale buy 10-15lb. Cut them into half circles about a 1/4in let them sit in lemon juice for 5 min. dehydrate them over night. Its better then candy sweet and yummy .

Great suggestions. Along these lines, we dry whole prepared meals like chili or stews. Even thick pea soup works. Just spread it out in the dryer on a thin cooking sheet or even plastic wrap. Whole thing dries into a crumble. Just add warm water and whalla! Instant meal.

[shanter]

Marathon1150, these bags sound interesting. I do not know about Green Bags. Do you fill them with ice or are they just bags made of a special material? Only those bags make it possible that vegetables last a relatively long time? How much longer would you say food like fruits or vegetables would last in such bags than if you just leave them outside (in a reasonably cool place)?

IRemy, I'm not that big a fan of dried fruit. I don't really like the consistency...maybe others do not either?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by shanter

Marathon1150, these bags sound interesting. I do not know about Green Bags. Do you fill them with ice or are they just bags made of a special material? Only those bags make it possible that vegetables last a relatively long time? How much longer would you say food like fruits or vegetables would last in such bags than if you just leave them outside (in a reasonably cool place)?

We've been using these bags for a few years now. I can't honestly say for sure what effect they have. Stuff does seem to last longer, but I've never done the side-by-side comparison. It's apparently due to their ability to release ethylene gasses as produce rots.

A lot of fruit and veg last a long time without any special effort. Harder apples that remain unbruised can easily last many weeks. Citrus will also last weeks if kept out of the direct sun. Most root-type veg can last for weeks or months if kept dry and out of the sun. Cabbage is awesome and will last for a couple of months.