Talking About Adventure In Small Boats
BeastOarman
Member
Looking for some good nutrition options that do not seem so artificial.
How about cheese? Seems like it's supposed to keep well. In wax, I would think months. So I thought those little Bon belle cheese things would work for an EC. But they say keep refrigerated?
And that egg thing is intriguing. Even fresh eggs preserve if they are coated with...what?
And what the F is Pemican?!
I believe that cheese keeps no problem. When I took my NOLS course in Wyoming, they gave us large chunks of cheese (typical cheddar or swiss) in plastic bags. We were resupplied every ten days. The cheese was shaped into sweaty blobs in our packs after days of hiking in the hot sun, but it was still delicious. It was the most coveted food. The rule was, "don't touch the cheese", because that might contaminate it and cause mold. But really, I think there is no problem. Cheese is good to go.
Eggs are disgusting, so I won't offer any advice there. Regarding pemican, yes intrigueing, but I'm not sure where to get bear fat...
I much prefer "real" food during a challenge.
I have thought about the same "wax" coated cheeses you mentioned, but I've read the wax is different than that used for long term cheese storage, so prossibly not safe without refrigeration. If you really want cheese, you could try this stuff:
http://www.thereadystore.com/bega-canned-processed-cheese
I have had it, and it isn't bad...
Some of my other favorites:
My favorite trick is to put the soup (or apples!) in a insulated cozy with an MRE heater (or two) and let my dinner heat up while I'm paddling. Then, just slurp out of the bag... again, while paddling.
Please note, I paddle a Kruger, so I'm not worried much about weight or stability.
SaltySack
Member
I carry Cabot seriously sharp cheddar 4-5 days with no problem on every hike. I usually eat a block as two meals so even when carrying two blocks it doesn't last long. I've always wrapped loosely in paper towel inside a ziplock. Nothing better than gorp,cheese, wheat thins or triscuits and krave chili lime jerky! Real food is hard to beat! The harder the cheese the longer it keeps as a general rule of thumb.
Beast,
Cheese has a lot of calories, fat and protien. On the other hand, it has the risk of slowing the digestive system and making one feel lethargic. Dairy can also cause inflamation of the digestive system in some people.
I like string cheese because it is in waterproof packaging and easy to eat on the boat. I am hesitant to eat it on the EC. I had a bad experience with eating too much cheese before and during an athletic event. It sat heavy and made me feel less than 100%.
Experiment first. If it works for you, great! It has a lot of calories and protien.
danceswithmullet
Member
Real fresh eggs don't need anything to keep at room temperature if they are unwashed, but they need to be real farm eggs. You can tell real farm eggs from store bought eggs because the farm ones have poop and feathers on them. Probably the easiest way to enjoy store eggs would be to boil them before the start, and eat them within about three days. Some people put vasaline on store eggs to simulate the natural coating, that should be fine for the length of the challenge. The never touch the cheese mantra is a good one. Doing research on long term cruising without refrideration some folks get by with things such as mayonaise unrefridgerated by only scooping with a clean knife every time. Some cheeses seem to get better as they sit out, I love a good stinky Brie. The processed stuff such as cheese slices seem to do fine as long as they dont get to hot but they aren't really cheese IMO. My guess would be a sharp chedder kept in a cooler part of the boat would do well. Now you have me considering adding real cheese instead of that eating that colon blocking government cheese that comes in the MREs. DWM
ClamCounter
Member
Mr. Moon,
At first I thought the beloved Easy Cheese would be a horrible idea as it would take two hands to administer the cheese from can to cracker. Then I realized the stuff could easily be applied directly to the pie hole. Brilliant idea it is! Actually the cannister has written right on the side that it's "Made with Real Cheese" so it MUST be good for you!
BeastOarsMan,
We usually boil up a gallon bag off eggs the night before and gorge ourseleves on the straight away to CP1 the first day. I wouldn't know if they're any good after a few hours, because they're usually all gone by then.
ClamCounter
I am feeling sick thinking about the easy cheese.
SwampMonkee,
Yea, I agree. Hopefully you mixed the lasagne in the pouch instead of a pan. If not you might as well throw away the pan! :) I don't buy freeze-dry lasagne for this very reason. That said, I could eat MH Beef Stroganoff every day of the week. Better than some restaurant food...
PrivateHam
Member
My friend and crew, Jimbo, hiked the PCT and AT and shared with me some of his tips during the last couple of ECs. I have found the following items to be very useful:
All of those can be applied to pretty much any freeze dried meal to make them awesome. The "Breakfast Skillet" meal, for example, makes an amazing breakfast burrito with cheese, sausage, and hot sauce. The chili meals are good with the cheese and a goldfish topper. There's a Chicken Fajita meal that works well too. Add some cheese and sausage to any of the spaghetti or lasagna meals. Almost any freeze dried meal can be spiced up with one or more of these ingredients.
Use some instant mashed potatoes when your meal turns out too watery. Sprinkle some in and it thickens right up.
Here is another delicious high-fat and protein item that is a great addition to any camping meal, or straight out of the sleeve:
http://www.caloriecount.com/calories-hormel-natural-choice-pepperoni-i272566
Coastie
Member
I have to agree with Kayak Vagabond......MH Beef Stroganoff is definitely my favorite! Cheese crackers and veinna sausages are usually a first afternoon snack. Last year we duct taped a plastic container of salted peanut butter pretzels with a good screw-on lid. The pretzels were dry for at least two days... until that infamous rogue wave hit us while I had the lid in one hand and a load of pretzels in the other:)
Bermudaboy
Member
Wasn't sure whether to put this in this thread or the Ketogenic one. Looking for powerbars, etc with higher fat, more protein etc, asked HOUSE MRE, and they were kind enough to send this excel file which contains all the nutritional details for all their products. looks like i be eating more breakfast skillets....
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