Foods for Extended Cruising

I've started a list at home, and it's probably different for a CD 16, where space is really at a premium and an icebox would take up about half of the cockpit. I really would like to avoid refrigeration of any kind. I can drink beer at whatever the water temperature is below my boat. 20 minutes at 20 feet, that's my definition of cold beer.

I find that eating out of a can, ala Dinty Moore, is the most tiring part of a long trip. I need real food, so I'm looking for fresh things that keep without refrigeration. Onions, peppers, limes, tomatoes, cucumbers. Mix those ingredients with fresh fish, clam, shrimp, conch, etc. for ceviche. Scoop with fried tortilla chips (decadent) or pilot bread (mundane). I know that I can eat ceviche three times a day (I am right now).

Rice is also on my list. Short grained California, aka, sushi rice. Soak 30 minutes, boil for 10, turn it off and wait 20 minutes. Takes more planning than fuel. Almost the same ingredients as above but roll in nori for fresh sushi.

I'm going to try dried cilantro flakes for the ceviche and washabi in a tube for the sushi. I suspect both will be the the weak points in a great fresh lunch or dinner. Maybe I need some live plants aboard like mariners of old. And a goat?

I would like to find milk (regular, 2%, soy, almond, whatever) in a small box so that it could be used up in one breakfast. Something the size of the kid's juice box. There are a million choices in fake "juice" day-glow kid's flavors, but I haven't seen milk yet.

Mark
 
Mark, Fresh cabbage might work on your list too. I don't cook or know ceviche, but I use it with some sliced Swiss for sandwich making.

If you are not opposed to soy or almond milk, you can get it in boxes, no refrigeration required. It comes in 1 Qt size, and once opened, it will last for the day, so you don't have to use it in one meal.

I like the 20 foot cooler idea. Have not tried that one.

Harvey
SleepyC[/b :moon

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Marco,

I don't know if it's any good (because I was so bad at fishing I never got a chance to try it!), but I had a (re-sealable) tin of powdered wasabi along when sailing. If it was good, it would sure be easy/light/small/long-lasting on a C-Dory. I got it at a fancy Whole Foods type place.
 
Cabbage is on the list, along with tortillas. Cabbage is fridgeless lettuce. I don't know what they are doing to corn tortillas now, but they seem to last 10 days easily without refrigeration. Fish taco night (using cabbage).

I'm doing field research in Belize right now. :) Poor me. I just found 6 oz. cans of evaporated milk for 75 cents U.S. They reconstitute to 9 oz. of whole milk. Most people bring back rum. I'll probably trigger some customs search by bringing back 20 cans of milk.

Mark
 
Marco Flamingo":1yvy1oku said:
Most people bring back rum. I'll probably trigger some customs search by bringing back 20 cans of milk.

Mark
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Ha! I hear you. I brought back one bottle of rum, and as much canned butter (and that sort of thing that you couldn't easily get here) as I could! Much better selection of non-refrigerated stuff in Central America (at least then).
 
Marco Flamingo":1vn8cw96 said:
Cabbage is on the list, along with tortillas. Cabbage is fridgeless lettuce. I don't know what they are doing to corn tortillas now, but they seem to last 10 days easily without refrigeration. Fish taco night (using cabbage).

I'm doing field research in Belize right now. :) Poor me. I just found 6 oz. cans of evaporated milk for 75 cents U.S. They reconstitute to 9 oz. of whole milk. Most people bring back rum. I'll probably trigger some customs search by bringing back 20 cans of milk.

Mark
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Sounds like tough work. Stay careful. So a 6oz can could make 12 ounces of milk, until somebody figures out that it is just liquefied white powder. Let us know how long you will be staying :shock: :wink: :lol:

Seriously, the Honeyville link posted earlier has really good powdered milk. I have used it for years.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
:embarrased :oops:
 
hardee":fpxjsoq1 said:
Seriously, the Honeyville link posted earlier has really good powdered milk. I have used it for years.
Click to expand...

Checked out the site and the Honeyville "non-milk" powder is rated even higher than their milk.

http://shop.honeyville.com/review/produ ... tegory/36/

I'm a scone addict and have a "just add water" recipe that uses powdered egg and milk. The problem is trying to figure out a way to bake scones every morning on a 16. Powdered milk and muesli seems much simpler.

Mark
 
Marco Flamingo":2nbf6oze said:
Maybe I need some live plants aboard like mariners of old.
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A lot of cruising sailors still do! Often they hang vertical gardens to the mast. We met a sailor on the Trent Severn a couple of years ago that had a herb garden growing on his foredeck. You can see his picture on page 4 of our Trent Severn album.

The goat would give you fresh milk and she would keep your crops trimmed so they didn't get out of hand making your boat top heavy! 8)

Regards, Rob
 
I just saw an episode of Dr Oz and got an introduction to “Powdered Peanut Butter”. Like 80% of his audience I’m thinking “ain’t no way” right? For sure. But as they go on, it gets interesting. Less than half the calories (45 vs 190 for Jiff Natural), and less than 10% of the fat (1.5g vs 16g in the Jiff) for a 2 tablespoons serving.

“Now, this comparison is a little misleading, because 2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter, when reconstituted, actually makes just 1 tablespoon of spreadable peanut butter. So double the calories and fat for the powdered peanut butter. Even so, 90 calories, compared to 190 calories, for 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is a pretty big reduction.” The Kitchen.com
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Have not seen it YET, but I’m going to fix that tomorrow morning.

It seems like this might be almost the perfect cruising food. You only mix (with water, equal parts) what you can use in 24 hours. Lighter, less oil (although the oils are good oils in PB), and fewer calories per volume, what’s not to try? Well, I guess, I might miss my super chunky Hoody’s All Natural.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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I use powdered peanut butter all the time. Mostly for a snack with sliced apples or pretzels. Yummy stuff. Best price from Costco of course.

Mrs. Madness
 
Hi Harvey,

Some of the stuff we take on our summers:

2% "UHT" milk in quart boxes - no refrigeration reqd until you open it.
It comes in small boxes too, but they're much more expensive.

Cold cereal.

Yogurt, plain. Add canned fruit. Keeps a long time.

Craisins - stock up in a store that has bulk foods.

Nuts - Sam's or Costco. Snack nuts, and plain walnuts and almonds to add to cereal, yogurt.

Adams peanut butter

Black beans in cans - can be jazzed up with garlic, onion, cumin, and pepper sauce (which also needs no refrigeration).
Throw in chopped/seeded fresh jalapenos when you have been to the store recently. Canned tomato too.

Tortillas

Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, bell peppers

Olive oil for cooking fish, veggies

Cheese in 2lb blocks - Sam's or Costco

Cure 81 ham - slice it yourself

Apples, Oranges
 
Richard, thanks for the list. Some good ideas. I have taken dry cereal - Grape Nuts or Shredded Wheat. I'm going to try cheese sticks kept in the hold under the port side seat. Also Apples sauce kept there.

I'm going to do some temperature testing, for that area, and I use a remote thermometer to keep track of that temp as I travel.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Hi Harvey,

I keep all our fresh foods under the port side table. I have had lettuce last 7 days and still quite edible. I keep my beer there as well, because everyone knows that us Brits don't like warm beer, 59 degrees (cellar temp) is just perfect. I know North Americans like to keep their beer in a fridge and kill off all the flavour, but that's not for me.

Putting on my hard hat now :P

Martin.
 
Martin,

I keep quit a bit of stuff "under the table" so my access to that storage "hold" is limited a bit, but the forward section of that space, just aft of the v-birth bulkhead, port side, I keep pretty clear. That is going to be my "cold storage" area. I have substituted cabbage instead of lettuce, and it keeps forever.

As to the beer, I only know it works for making fish and chips. Don't know if it needs to be warm or cold for that. :?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Gourd squash will keep for months, Spaghetti squash, butternut squash, etc.
Sliced thin, It cooks quickly, Even after cut open will keep for weeks.
Yellow squash will keep for a week or more, zucchini for a several weeks.
Store in a well ventilated mesh bag in a dry area out of the sun
 
I just got a chance to field test my "powdered milk and muesli" breakfast idea. I found a powdered milk with good reviews (Peak brand available on Amazon). I usually vacuum bag my portions because the heavier plastic used for vacuum bags can stand a lot more abuse than Ziplocks, but Ziplocks would work. One cup muesli, three tablespoons powdered milk, add water and stir. Simple.

I didn't realize that it was possible to get powdered whole milk. I was used to powdered skim milk (that flavorless blue-looking stuff aka Carnation or Western Family). Peak is decadent in comparison. Add less water and it's like half and half. No reason to carry cans of evaporated milk for anything.

The packages make for a super quick and easy breakfast and free up the stove for the espresso maker. They're so good I ate one for lunch (after having one for breakfast) on my last cruise.

My wife gave me a hard time about my collapsible, unbreakable breakfast bowls. Perfect for a CD 16 and worked great. I call them "fine china." https://www.amazon.com/Collapsible-Port ... A6EP4K15C5

Mark
 
Try this one. Prepare your favourite stir fry vegetables at home, put in heavy duty zip-lock type bags. Keep in cooler or fridge on boat. When ready to use, open bag, crack in two eggs, close bag. Mush up eggs a little with your fingers on the outside of the bag. Place bag in boiling water for a few minutes. Yummy.

Martin.
 
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