Provisioning for a Long Distance Voyage

[zeehag]

only reason to eat weird is during the rough conditions whenye cannot cook at all.....i have had some wicked winds but i could still cook and enjoy decent foods....

[abh]

Meat and fish preserves well in urine. Secret from the north.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by abh

Meat and fish preserves well in urine. Secret from the north.

Yumm! Another good reason to never venture further north!

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by abh

Meat and fish preserves well in urine. Secret from the north.

That far north, why not just pack it in snow???

[abh]

I'm sorry, this is of course just a horror story we tell our children because of the strong ammonia odor that comes from shark meat. We do bury the shark in dirt for a few months prior to eating it to get rid of the urine from the meat.

But this myth has gotten quite around, and we usually do not correct it. I just realized that after posting this, cruisers might be tempted to start urinating over their food, and I do not want to be responsible for that madness.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by abh

I'm sorry, this is of course just a horror story we tell our children because of the strong ammonia odor that comes from shark meat. We do bury the shark in dirt for a few months prior to eating it to get rid of the urine from the meat.

But this myth has gotten quite around, and we usually do not correct it. I just realized that after posting this, cruisers might be tempted to start urinating over their food, and I do not want to be responsible for that madness.

[lifechanges]

good advice thanks

[rover88]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Latin staple of black beans and rice. A few pounds of dried beans and rice will keep indefinitely, cost pennies per meal and feed you for months. Not exactly haute cuisine. but nutritious, filling and they augment any meal.

[boatman61]

There are some excellent asian lentil and veg curries that come vac-pac'd in foil... knock up some pan naan bread.. delish and easy to store..
Have seen them in some supermarkets these days but any asian store should have them.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by rover88

the Latin staple of black beans and rice. Not exactly haute cuisine. .

Touché! Or the Latin version of touché.

[GrowleyMonster]

Pintos and Red beans are a lot tastier than black beans. The amino acid profile of corn complements that of beans much better than that of rice does. But here's the thing... beans, flour, dried pasta, rice, etc is subject to weevil infestation when kept on a boat for more than a couple of months. Is eating weevils a problem for you? If so, I would not rely too heavily on these foods alone. Make sure there is enough canned stuff to survive on. One good thing about canned food is you can eat it right out of the can if your stove goes south on you or you run out of fuel. Same for MREs if you happen to find a cheap source. They store pretty well, too.

In most tropical or temperate waters, it is fairly easy to catch an occasional fish with a trolling line. Not something to absolutely depend on, but it sure helps to stretch things and vary your diet. Make sure line and hook are waaaaay stronger than you would use sport fishing! A bicycle tire makes a pretty good snubber or shock absorber for a trolling line.

Ever ended up with a couple dozen mystery cans, the labels having fallen off? It sucks to try to make a meal out of whatever is in the can you picked to open. Mark the tops of the cans!

Personally I think it is a bad idea to try to stock up with enough stuff to last an entire multi-month voyage. Have an emergency stash of long-lived, easily stored stuff, a good supply of hard to get overseas stuff, and from there, just stock what you will need for about twice the duration of the upcoming leg of the voyage, and re-stock along the way. Weevils. Can damage. Glass breakage. Moisture. Ants/cockroaches. Plenty of reasons to not depend on a simple one-time bon voyage trip to the supermarket to feed you until you get home again. Oh, and weight/space issues. Three or four months of provisions for just me alone would be more than I could store on my little boat!

Don't forget that dried provisions require cooking water. Canned stuff already has plenty. So if you go big on dried stuff, make sure your freshwater storage and/or making capacity is up to the extra demand.

[zeehag]

beans require too much water for cooking while underway, and also require much attention. they do not cook themselves.
i use rice neals and noodle dishes in packets, and fresh fishies. fishies with and without wasabi and soy---i use cajun seasonings and other varieties of herbs and spices for seasoning of my catch.
canned meats with added veggies yield one pot meals. add rice into pot and cook.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by abh

Meat and fish preserves well in urine. Secret from the north.

Hence the phrase "this cooking pisses me off"? Or perhaps "reefer busted? Urine trouble now!"

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Personally I think it is a bad idea to try to stock up with enough stuff to last an entire multi-month voyage. Have an emergency stash of long-lived, easily stored stuff, a good supply of hard to get overseas stuff, and from there, just stock what you will need for about twice the duration of the upcoming leg of the voyage, and re-stock along the way.

We are meant to be supporting local communities and shopping for groceries and at markets is a great way to do it, be seen to be doing it, and wonderful way to taste new foods

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

We are meant to be supporting local communities and shopping for groceries and at markets is a great way to do it, be seen to be doing it, and wonderful way to taste new foods

And meet the locals.