Longest lasting food, bars, or whatever that can lurk in my pack until needed?

Quirt said:
How do you guys make Hard Tack? Mine taste terrible. Suggestions or recipes.
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If it tastes good, you're doing it wrong!

Hard tack is just flour baked into solid form, don't expect any pleasing taste to it. Your best and only bets are to gnaw on it with some honey, or boiled into a stew.
 
2 cups of wheat flour (I'm sure white could be used just as well)
1 cup corn mean
2 cups of Honey (warmed)

Stir / mix into a batter
I always use muffin tins...filled half way
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Cool.


Tried it and love it!. I added a little cinnamon. I think I will try some with small bits of dried fruit mixed in- might shorten shelf life but makes a great snack. Have it with a stick of jerky and makes a decent cold meal.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
Tried it and love it!. I added a little cinnamon. I think I will try some with small bits of dried fruit mixed in- might shorten shelf life but makes a great snack. Have it with a stick of jerky and makes a decent cold meal.

Bill
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Tried it too. Unfortunately, I let it burn on the bottom. But still nice. Very very chewy. Glad I used self raising flour (that's what we call it over here, anyway), so it was a bit lighter. Next time, I'll be tempted to add a bit of ginger, like a very chewy gingerbread.
 
Such an interesting food... I think I filled my muffin tins too full with the batter, because it was slightly doughy inside. But with all the honey, it was almost like a cornbread muffin with a honey filling. I did not use self-raising flour, and they're quite dense. They should pack quite well for use as a trail food.
 
Kendle Mint Cake, very high in glucose, will last forever
Corned Beef in cans are good for ten to twenty years
Beef Jerky
 
When I made the batch that I did, I just used muffin tins and only filled them up about a half an inch. Mine were sort of burnt too, but they went from chewy to crunchy over a week, but the ones that I put in ziplock bags becam chewy again (I think the humidity changed them back) I don't think they would have lasted long in ziplock bags
 
Mine were a litle full on some as I also have some chewy centers. Leaving them sitting out on a plate for awhile to see how they do. Next batch I will add some chopped dried apple. Cool little trail snack. I am allergic to almonds and my kids to peanuts so many of the established trail foods do not work for us.

I carry little sachets of meat but the sachets must be protected from rupture and shelf life is short.
Standards like rice and lentils will remain but these honey bread snacks are a nice addition.

Bill
 
I think I've decided what the other trail food equivalent is to these honey muffins. They're like the beef jerky of bread. Tough, tasty, and long lasting.

Mine were chewy in the middle, but after a day on the counter they seem to have absorbed their own inner moisture. I cut one in half and it was 100% dry throughout.
 
Ramen lasts a good long while. So do the Mountain House/Backpacker's Panty/etc. freeze-dried dealios.
Both have expiration dates, but if you just rotate into your normal camping stash once in a while, you're fine.
 
I'm going to have to try out those honey muffins. Since I have a collection of different kinds of honey (over 30, and I don't buy clover because it is too bland) I can try different flavors. There is a huge variability in honey flavor depending on the source. Everything from light floral to heavy molasses flavor. Although I don't think I will use avocado honey for this, that is one of the few honeys that I didn't care for. It has a very funky aftertaste.
 
I'm so happy to see this thread still going, lots of good ideas popping up :thumbup:
 
I like granola. But I seriously doubt the claims of lasting forever. The stuff I seen has about the same shelf life as cereal. Or less than a year from purchase. But, I suppose you could repack what you buy in some mylar bags and throw in some dissident packs. That may bump it up to a couple of years or so.
 
mylar bags and throw in some dissident packs-- Can these be purchased somewere?
 
Dissidents tend to make meals hard to eat. Maybe dessicant?- even dessicants are not for food usage, only electronics. The vacumm storage bags might remove enough air to delay the mix from getting too stale. Good thing with granola is that even if it gets stale, you can still soak it in hot water to make an oatmeal like mush while still in the bag.

Bill
 
Monofletch said:
mylar bags and throw in some dissident packs-- Can these be purchased somewere?
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Maybe some beef jerkey bags. They reseal and come with a food grade dessicant pack. I usualy just buy the store brand and its great.
 
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Monofletch said:
mylar bags and throw in some dissident packs-- Can these be purchased somewere?
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What makes food rot is moisture and oxygen, which allows for bacteria to grow & breed.

You can store simple grains, pasta, freeze-dried foods in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers packs thrown it. These chemically remove the oxygen molecules from the bag which will really slow down the rotting process of foods. Some grains and foods can last for 10-20-30 years when sealed in mylar with oxy absorbers. When using the right amount, the oxy absorbers will absorb all the oxygen in the package until the bag looks like it was vacuumed.

THis only works with dried foods, not foods that have any perceptible level of moisture in them. For these, you can either choose freeze dried, or canning. When done right, canned beef, pork, chicken, etc. doesn't have an expiration date and can sit (in cool dry place) for dozens of years. Discovered canned foods from over 100 years ago were found to contain still-edible meat inside.

You can buy mylar bags and oxy absorbers on the internet, and you can websurf "preppers" sites for info on how to store.
 
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