freeze dried food alternatives ??

I'd rather buy the foil packet stuff or freeze dried meats and work up my own meals.

Also on my last trip using bannock mix and pepperoni which keeps well we whipped up some great pepperoni rolls by putting them in an oiled pot and then setting them in the fire ring opposite the fire on a rock.:thumbup:
 
Nope, I've been told about them but I never used them. Are they good? Are they still around?
rwiggins said:
Hey, Tenkara. It wouldn't happen to have been "Just In Case" in Franklin would it?
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Oh... As much as I appreciate really good food, being the son of 2 chefs makes me a pretty hardcore food snob, I feel that the weight of the food I carry is as crucial as how it tastes.
 
Not that I know of. That was why I was wondering. They had some incredible pricing and a real neat storage method by nitrogen purging and oxygen absorbers. Sorry, didn't mean to go off topic!

tenkara said:
Nope, I've been told about them but I never used them. Are they good? Are they still around?
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I use the foil packs of chicken, tuna, salmon, and spam for a wide variety of dishes when backpacking. Couple them with things like four cheese rice a roni, instant mashed potatoes, mac & cheese (tuna is great for this), or flour tortillas to make something palatable. A mini bottle of Tabasco (red or green) goes a long way toward spicing things up.

Some types of cheese keep reasonably well for a few days, too. Cheese is great in the back country.
 
lambertiana. I use those too, Pretty good stuff and pretty cheap too.:thumbup:
 
Wow- I get home from work--fire up the PC.--tune into BF and help has arrived--thanks everyone--great very appetizing pictures Mick and thanks for the suggestion on how to avoid having to pack a can opener by using a P38 Payette--I think I will use my Glock to ward off the bears that are after my slabs of meat which will be strapped to my pack--thanks to all not mentioned in this post, great suggestions and sites--with this much help the big mac attack will be a distant memory---Steve
 
Now I'm really getting hungry. I like the Zaterane stuff, summer sausage, cheese sticks, flavored bagles, trail mix, and power bars for weekend trips. Sometimes, I freeze a steak and let it thaw in my pack for dinner the first night. Like someone said, there's foil packets for almost everything now, even muffin mix that only needs water and 15 minutes in a foil-lined canteen cup. I really don't like the dehydrated stuff eather.
 
This one is ok as long as the outside temp is cold, no good for summer weather !

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup protein powder
3 cups raw wheat germ

Mix it all together and press into a glass oblong pan or tupperware dish with a lid, refrigerate and enjoy.

15 squares

Calories 307
protein 15
carbs 42
fat 78
 
Dehydrate. Seriously. I have been doing a lot of this lately - you can carry a LOT of food in a little space when dehydrated. You just need to boil water when you get to camp. You can pack as much meat as you want in your meels that way.

TF
 
I always bring bannock.

Make it with lard and leave it dry, you can mix all sorts of other stuff in with it, either things you bring (meat, cheese) or things you find (berries). It'd light to pack, filling and tasty.

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I always bring some dry sausage and cheese. Calabreze from costco is fantastic stuff, its delicious, has plenty of fat and keeps very well (5 day hike in hot summer weather and not a sign of spoilage). Only one of the few butchers I frequent has really dry meats, like pepperoni sticks you can snap in half, so you might have to shop around a bit to find the right stuff.

Dry cheese keeps well too, just look for the one with the lowest moisture content. Last few trips I packed a 2 y/o cheddar or asiago. Both keep well even in very hot weather, they'll just sweat a bit of fat out.

When you make camp, just make sure you keep your perishables, and preferably with a wet cloth draped over them or in a damp sack.
 
Bannock isgreat. I just hate carrying the weight of the shortening. now that I know about pack it gourmet website. I can once again get powdered shortening. That's a heck of a weight savings. I actually dehydrate almost all of my own foods, but there are a few exceptions that usually have to do with texture. I'd like to try some of the meals but I prefer my own cooking and dehydrating with a few exceptions. Has anyone ever successfully dehydrated chicken? I usually end up with powder so freeze dried chicken is excellent. I like the powdered soy sauce as well. Grill up a trout with some cayenne, powdered soy, and a touch of sugar and you have an excellent meal. I also like the prepackaged condiments. I've always felt guilty taking extra sauce packs from fast food joints.
 
tenkara said:
Bannock isgreat. I just hate carrying the weight of the shortening. now that I know about pack it gourmet website. I can once again get powdered shortening. That's a heck of a weight savings. I actually dehydrate almost all of my own foods, but there are a few exceptions that usually have to do with texture. I'd like to try some of the meals but I prefer my own cooking and dehydrating with a few exceptions. Has anyone ever successfully dehydrated chicken? I usually end up with powder so freeze dried chicken is excellent. I like the powdered soy sauce as well. Grill up a trout with some cayenne, powdered soy, and a touch of sugar and you have an excellent meal. I also like the prepackaged condiments. I've always felt guilty taking extra sauce packs from fast food joints.
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But lard/shortening is pure fat, correct me if i'm mistaken, but that can't be concentrated any further. I don't think it's possible to get more calories/weight, or make it any more potent.

looking at one of the freeze dried meals I have, you get about 2.25calories/gram, lard offers 9calories/gram, almost 4x the calories!

*just looked it up for the heck of it, powdered shortening only has ~7.6 calories/gram. You'll be carrying more weight for the same nutrition by using the powdered stuff.
 
Tenkara done the chicken where i cooked it in heavy sauce then i used a fork to break it into thin strips and dried. When i make soup on trail i add some chicken in there for a great full meal, Taste great. Cook some shrimp with butter and lots of garlic. You can use it in some soup or make pasta and drop the shrimp in there. The options are endless.

Sasha
 
Ankar Sheng said:
But lard/shortening is pure fat, correct me if i'm mistaken, but that can't be concentrated any further. I don't think it's possible to get more calories/weight, or make it any more potent.

looking at one of the freeze dried meals I have, you get about 2.25calories/gram, lard offers 9calories/gram, almost 4x the calories!

*just looked it up for the heck of it, powdered shortening only has ~7.6 calories/gram. You'll be carrying more weight for the same nutrition by using the powdered stuff.
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I never really looked at lard as a viable food source even though I know that it has been used as such for ages. I carry enough high protein/caloric food to compensate for the relatively lower calories of powdered shortening to justify using it to make some pretty decent meals. In particular, I use chia seed (yes, ch-ch-ch- chia!) to supplment for really good protien levels and much better for you omega 3 fatty acids in levels that not even salmon can match.
 
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