Foods for Extended Cruising

H

hardee

New member
Foods for Extended Cruising

After doing several searches I find there is really not any concise thread on nutrition, food and extended cruising preparation. I just noticed in another thread, that jay mentions he has his purchased and put away for a multiple month trip to SE Alaska and the Yukon River.

I’m planning a 2 month summer cruise and looking at “What do I eat on the boat for that long?” I am not a cook, and will try and avoid have to do ice, or power a fridge so I’m looking for ideas that I can adapt to my cruising style. I am interested in what others are doing for long term eats on the boat. Your style.

Jay, do you mind sharing some of what you are packing for that trip?

Thanks, and to others too.

Here is a thread that deals with cruising without a fridge.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=7839

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Harvey, happy to share, but food is such individual thing, I don't know if it will help you or others much. Neither JoLee or I enjoy the cooking process, so we like to keep it simple with most food stores needing only a warm up & not a lot of variety. Also cost is taken into consideration with most every thing bought in bulk at Cosco. We do carry a ice chest & during the cruise while in port supplement the bulk supplies with sandwich makings, eggs, milk & fresh fruits & vegetables. The milk, cheese & fresh meats run out about the same time as the ice. Eggs are the only item that must be cooked & their cooking takes about the same time as warming the canned meat & other pre cooked items that would be eaten with them. With out ice or if it runs out its not a problem as the cool north waters make for good storage of anything needed to be kept cool by placing it below the water line next to the hull in one of the inclosed areas.

These are the bulk food items all purchased at Cosco & either their brand or a quality brand they sell. Canned roast beef, pulled pork, Rosarita refried beans, albacore tuna, Dole pineapple chunks. Plastic containers of sugar free applesauce, Quinoa & brown rice with garlic that comes in 6 individual packs per box & each pack a serving for two or near a meal for one. Dry pumpkin flax granola cereal, soy milk that does not need to be kept cool until opened & comes 24 quarts to a case, dried fruit mainly prunes, shelled bags of walnuts & almonds, 2.5 lb easily stored bags of Dunkin donuts ground coffee & Starbucks instant in individual packets which come 26 to a pack.

Most of these Cosco items can be purchased in the larger SE Alaska port stores, but the cost will be about double what it is here.

Jay
 
Jay,

Thank you for the reply. Where would we be without Costco right? Much of what I have is from there as well.

To your list I also have used Tasty Bite Madras Lentil. They work alone, or as a dip for chips or a gravy for sloppy joes. I use the most “lumpy” (grainy or nutty bread I can get), and make open face sandwiches. I use nuts (almonds and walnuts) and peanut butter a lot. For protein, I use canned beans, some turkey jerky occasionally, and smoked salmon jerky.

I have used the small packets of powdered “instant” mashed potatoes, adding fresh onion, and some spices or mushrooms. They even work with cold water and let them sit for a while and they are OK cold. Some wieners (I use veggie ones), make a pretty good meal.

Not liking plain water to drink, I take some of the powdered flavorings like Crystal Lite. A better choice that I tried last summer is powdered lemon. Works great, and I’m happy with the not so sweet. I also take the 12oz of the veggie drink, V-8, Low Sodium if I can get it, and it is OK to drink “un” cold.

I have not used the storage under the sink as a food storage space. I keep a fair amount of other stuff over that cover, but I am going to fill that forward section, (just aft of the V-Birth bulkhead) with food stuff this trip. It is much easier to access. Good place to keep fresh fruit, cheese maybe, peanut butter and my smoked salmon.

Thanks again Jay, for some great ideas. Hope we hear more from others too.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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As Jay said, food is a personal choice thing. You know we don't travel light, and we could not have gotten by with our 25 without a fridge. While I can't tell you specifically what to carry onboard, I will give you some tips from the extended cruising we have done over the years...

Plan a menu; then you will have some idea of how much and what kind of prep you will need. We eat a lot of fruits; Joan also eats vegetables, I am carnivorous. (Thus the need for a fridge). Many fruits and veggies will keep without refrigeration. While cruising, we hit up farmers markets and local stores for produce - planning for how long it will be before another anticipated opportunity for shopping.

Canned meats, like chicken, make an easy meal with very little fuss.

When we do bring food onboard, we try to eliminate as much packaging as possible (i.e. cereal goes into a plastic container) - finding a place to properly dispose of garbage is an issue as you head north from your home.

While it is good to stock up before leaving, at some point you are going to want more variety. When grocery shopping while cruising, we also treat ourselves to something that won't necessarily keep, but we plan to eat for the next meal... first thing that comes to mind for me is a generous slice of prime rib (already cooked) from Hagen's meat area, that we can eat that evening. Slice up a potato, put some butter and salt on it, wrap it in foil, and put it on the grill for your side dish. You'll feel absolutely decadent, eating prime rib while out on the boat. :wink:

We have alternated between a toaster oven and a microwave onboard (there's that not traveling light thing again). I also like a hot meal.

With the exception of cruising on the Erie Canal, where restaurants and stores were mere steps from each stop, we have generally dropped a couple pounds while cruising, since fast/junk food isn't easily accessible.

You know the old saying: "an army travels on its stomach"? Cruising is much better when your belly is happy. Good that you are putting some consideration into it.

Enjoy your time out and about.

Jim
 
This is always my favorite subject. Let's face it, good food and adventure is a wonderful combination. Since we are also planning an extended BC/Alaska cruise this summer, I have been making lots of culinary boat plans. One of my favorite sources for galley info is www.theboatgalley.com. Lots of good information on food storage and cooking aboard.

The suggestion to make menus is a good one. On our last two cruises, I wrote down menu suggestions. It really helped when it came time to make a meal. I listed breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack suggestions based on my provisions. It made it easy to decide on a meal. Always keep a list of what you have. It is so easy to lose track of your provisions.

We like to fish, so lots of our meals are created around our catch of the day. A grilled piece of halibut atop a bowl of Ramen noodles can't be beat. Tortillas are a must. They make great breakfast burritos/lunch wraps/quesadillas. No refrigeration required. I always bring a nice hunk of ham that can be cut up and added to breakfast burritos, added to noodles or scramble eggs along side hashbrowns (the dried kind in little cartons..just add water then fry.)

www.Honeyvillefarms.com has some great dried/dehydrated food items that I will probably purchase (egg crystals/cheese). The bulk section in the large groceries have lots of options. Have fun. We love to cook on board so if you see Reef Madness in BC, come on over. We'll feed you!
 
Our favorite packable, easy, and non-chilled dinner/lunch are the fishpeople pouches. They are not very cheap, but they are very good and keep for about a year.

We have eaten most of the Entree starters and soups but the comfort versions are new so we have not tried those.

We really love the Salmon Chowder, Thai coconut tuna, Crab bisque, and clam/bacon chowder. Add some bread, rice, or noodles and these taste like a restaurant dish.

Smoked canned trout from Trader Joes has become a staple snack or lunch item for us as well.

http://fishpeopleseafood.com/pages/our-products

Greg
 
These are good posts. Thanks for your input.

Jim, You are right about the garbage issue. $5 for a bag drop off at one place last summer. I found a couple of places that would let you burn, or leave burnables. I had not thought about using canned ah Tuna.

Tom, You rascal. Now I’m hungry. Thanks for that.

Gene, Thanks for the great links. I used to work in Logan, UT, and Often went over to Honeyville for the Hot Pools. I still have some, are you ready for this,?... Y2K dried foods, milk and beans from there. Canned and has a shelf life of 15 or more years.

Greg, Those FishPeople pouches look good. And I can get them right around the corner, at QFC. I will give them a try. That salmon looks great.

Good additions. Thanks and please add as the spirit moves. Right now I need to go find some hash browns. :smilep

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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hardee":23gseg4l said:
After doing several searches I find there is really not any concise thread on nutrition, food and extended cruising preparation.
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One place you can find good info (in addition to here!) is searching for cruising provisioning for sailboats without refrigeration. Probably a dying breed these days, but you do say you are going to try to do without ice/cooler. I've done it in the tropics and in the Inside Passage and Great Lakes, and the latter two are much easier due to the cold water. Essentially your bilge is a giant cooler. ('course, you don't have a huge bilge on a 22).

If I had to sum it up in a nutshell, I'd say it consists of a few core ideas:

1) Many foods we USA/Canada folks think need refrigeration, don't. Eggs, cheese, butter, etc.

2) There are ways to preserve or extend the life of certain foods (wipe cheeses with vinegar, turn eggs, etc.).

3) There are ways to store (or not store) certain things. Wrap limes in foil, don't put certain veggies together, avoid bruising (and eat those items first), etc.

4) Make fresh things out of dry ingredients (i.e. bake bread, which you can do in a heavy pan on a burner).

5) Cans (to which I guess we can now add the foil pouch).

Another way is to just buy/eat "easy" things: Peanut butter on crackers, Clif bars, Tasty Bites meals, etc. The sky is the limit these days, although some of the pre-packaged meals can get fairly pricey. I mostly do the easy way on the C-Dory (since I'm only one person I can do about half cheap stuff and half luxury stuff but it would be different if I were feeding a family of size). I cooked a lot on the sailboat, baked bread, etc. -- but that was partially necessity and partially it's something to do at sea. I go more for ease on the C-Dory as -- being close to shore -- there is always lots to do besides cook/eat/clean up. On the other hand, some people consider cooking and eating to be a core part of the trip (these are the people whom you hope will invite you over vs. me doing it :D).

Another category is to "store" your next meal in the sea - but I'm not that good at fishing (yet). But in BC (many years ago), I did have a crab trap and a prawn trap and those were pretty productive even for a newb like me.

If you like to read books, then Lin Pardey's "Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew" is a great read. "Old fashioned," but that's what you want if you are looking for these sorts of ideas. It's also a fun read because she uses a 45-day passage from Yokohama, Japan, to Victoria, BC, as the framework for the book, so you get a trip log as part of the deal.
 
I am not a big believer in instant food. To many MRE's in my past BUT the hash browns I posted are just wonderful. they are light and take up very little room. You can also open them up and just pour a case worth into a zipp lock so you don't have as much trash to haul around.

But then again potatoes and onions store very well for weeks at a time. There was a time in my life when two weeks of shopping consisted of 5 pd of ground beef ( in the tube) 10 pd bag of taters and a small bag of onions. it was all I could afford after beer.
 
starcrafttom":1xvifjxc said:
But then again potatoes and onions store very well for weeks at a time.
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Most root vegetables store well as long as they are not washed. Cruising sailors often store them layered in a bin covering each layer with dirt.

We always pack a bag of mini potatoes - great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
 
Foggy":2p0xuquh said:
Peanut butter.

Take lots of peanut butter.

Aye.
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Foggy, Yup :!: From one of my earlier posts:
"Good place to keep fresh fruit, cheese maybe, peanut butter and my smoked salmon."
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By all means, Last summer, 2 big jars. Plus a Huge bag of peanuts in the shell. Good for snacking.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Rum - it's a much more concentrated form of alcohol than beer. Where will you be cruising to? If part of your trip involves Canada, you need to make sure that what you plan to bring can be taken across the border. Many meats and fresh foods cannot be taken in. Ditto on the way back.
 
And while we are on the subject of rum lets get a few things straight. Bacardi is rum. Dark Bacardi is even better rum, and thats it. Captain cat piss is not rum. My dog can lift his leg too but I dont let him choose what we are drinking either. :wink:
 
starcrafttom":153qrsc2 said:
And while we are on the subject of rum lets get a few things straight. Bacardi is rum. Dark Bacardi is even better rum, and thats it. Captain cat piss is not rum. My dog can lift his leg too but I dont let him choose what we are drinking either. :wink:
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Tom, I like your thinking! Meyers Rum is even a further step down the road of true "rumdom"!

Harvey, sorry for my additional hijack, this is a really good and useful thread! On second thought, rum is a most important part of any true ships stores!
 
If you enjoy a can of soda occasionally or regularly, the little 7.5oz mini cans are easier to pack and would fit better in some of the bilge areas to keep them cool for drinking. I ration myself one mini Dr. pepper or Mt. Dew for each day on longer kayaking trips and to me it is a treat I look forward to. On the boat, we also use them for the space savings and added bonus of a smaller portion size.

We don't do that with beer, in fact we like to bring the huge 24oz cans of Dos Equis lager just to cut down on the garbage. We just split each one into cups we reuse. I wish more decent beer came that way but the big bottles are also manageable.

Greg
 
I do soda, although I didn't take any with me last summer. I took V-8 instead. Don't do alcohol, closest I get there is the beer battered fish and chips, 8)

I'm sure enjoying the comments here. Thanks, and no problem with the hijack.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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