No refrigeration needed

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
In one of the pdf files linked to in a previous post, they say hard cheeses will last several weeks without refrigeration. So if a guy bought shredded cheddar in a bag from the grocery store does that still apply? The shredded will probably dry out and be not palatable a lot sooner is all I can think of.
 

INSAYN

Adventurer
How long would processed cheese and Babybel last do you think? I'll probably never be out 3 weeks, but I am thinking of ways to do breakfast burritos out back packing. I'll do either freeze dried Backpackers Pantry egg scramble or Denver omelet type of thing or use dehydrated eggs and bacon bit or jerky, but I need a cheese.

Something else I found at the grocery store a while back too, they were dried hash browns. They come in a little milk carton and you open it up and add hot water and let it sit for a while to reconstitute, then dump them out in a pan and cook like fresh hash browns. I'm thinking about trying to split one little carton up into parts and maybe using that in the breakfast burrito, otherwise it will be potato flakes which will probably not be very good.

One way to test it is to just leave one or two out on the counter, in the window or other location for longer than your intended trip duration. Peel one open and see how it is.

BTW - I just did the 2.5 week trip to the lower SE Oregon desert in late August, and the temperatures where no lower than 50ºF at night, and between 90-106ºF during the day. My Babybel cheeses worked great. I could even use the cheese shredder on them for tacos, and pizza in 100ºF+ days.

I'm sold on the Babybel cheeses for non fridge camping/adventures. :chef:
 

RandomAbstract

Adventurer
In one of the pdf files linked to in a previous post, they say hard cheeses will last several weeks without refrigeration. So if a guy bought shredded cheddar in a bag from the grocery store does that still apply? The shredded will probably dry out and be not palatable a lot sooner is all I can think of.

I don't think so. I don't believe cheddar is considered a hard cheese. Also, the shredded version has way too much surface area. Increased surface area increases the chance for spoilage.
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
I don't think so. I don't believe cheddar is considered a hard cheese. Also, the shredded version has way too much surface area. Increased surface area increases the chance for spoilage.

Thats what I was thinking. It seems like shredded cheese just gets all hard and brittle when it gets left out for very long.
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
I picked up this cheese grater from REI today and some Babybel cheese today so pretty soon I'll be doing version 0.1 of my backpackers breakfast burrito. I'm actually kind of looking forward to making cheesy grits and what not with this little unit too.
 

INSAYN

Adventurer
I picked up this cheese grater from REI today and some Babybel cheese today so pretty soon I'll be doing version 0.1 of my backpackers breakfast burrito. I'm actually kind of looking forward to making cheesy grits and what not with this little unit too.


Yup, that'll work. I picked up something similar for $0.50 at Goodwill and it worked great.
 

beemerchef

Explorer
Just stumbled on this interesting thread which I will add more when we stay put for a few days... in about a week after freezing throughout our rides toward Eastern Texas! ( don't ask... please!).
We have been going on over 5 years without refrigeration, winters of course are great! But I take it a step further in the senses that I do not use any processed food... (health!).
Feedback on that aspect also would be great as I will add some soon... It makes it all a bit restricted, yet a feel better situation when one needs to stay healthy. Even as far as using salt (which I rarely do, instead using lemons and lime) I use Himalayan Pink Rock salt, "NON processed" salt...
Talk soon... Be well...
Ara and Spirit
 

Black Dog

Makin' Beer.
I was at costco a couple weeks ago and found a giant sized milk carton-like case of dehydrated has browns. Equal parts boiling water and hash browns reconstituted for a while then browned in a bit of oil and added to the backpackers breakfast burrito. One step closer to completion.....
 

AeroNautiCal

Explorer
Some of my favorites are Marvel dried skimmed milk, Jordans Organic Porridge and Granose Meat-Free Burger Mix.

I drink and use Marvel in place of liquid milk daily and have not bought liquid milk for years. The burger mix can be enhanced with onion and dried spices etc. I also carry Peperami which can be added to the pot like jerky, I keep lots of cereal/fruit bars as well. :chef:

There's this tip too;

Try rolling the mix into small balls instead of burgers and frying in shallow oil. This can be used as an alternative to falafels in vegetarian kebabs, or even as meatless balls with a Spaghetti Bolognese.

Granose Meat-Free Burger Mix info; http://www.veggiestuff.com/acatalog/granose_meat_free_burger_mix.html

Marvel milk info; http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/our-brands/grocery/marvel/

Jordans Organic Porridge info; http://www.jordanscereals.co.uk/our-products/cereals/porridge/

Peperami info; http://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/foodbrands/peperami.aspx

I just discovered something called a Butter Bell, which keeps butter fresh for up to 30 day's!

http://youtu.be/4dTGrTxVlqY
 
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Johnainny

Observer
I bought a dehydrator and I have done chpped meat and mixed in veg and some rice great meal. You can also sub noodles for rice just add brown gravy. Can also take instant mash potatoes and put it over the meat and eg and make a shepards pie.
 

steventexas

Observer
Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, ice cream, vegetables and meat with no refrigeration.

Water is weight and spoils food. Who wants to carry that around?

We use our freeze dried food storage and take the can or package in a dry box. 25 yr shelf life sealed, one year open if the moisture is kept out and you don't leave it in direct sun.
Overland use unsurpassed,
For a planned trip with ziplocs or a seal a meal, I mix foods with the spices i want in the portions we need and can pack two weeks food that weighs 11 pounds.
It easy, healthy, preservative free, low in salt, no GMO, no chinese products and if need be gluten free too.
I bought a kitchen from http://www.kanzoutdoors.com/ I carry the stove separate and the top of this kitchen holds 15 pantry cans perfectly. thats a lot of food and great variety.


Check out the store at www.thriveon.shelfreliance.com/home
There is also bug out packs, water filtration and survival supplies.
C U at the Expo
 

GPER

Observer
Just stumbled on this interesting thread which I will add more when we stay put for a few days... in about a week after freezing throughout our rides toward Eastern Texas! ( don't ask... please!).
We have been going on over 5 years without refrigeration, winters of course are great! But I take it a step further in the senses that I do not use any processed food... (health!).
Feedback on that aspect also would be great as I will add some soon... It makes it all a bit restricted, yet a feel better situation when one needs to stay healthy. Even as far as using salt (which I rarely do, instead using lemons and lime) I use Himalayan Pink Rock salt, "NON processed" salt...
Talk soon... Be well...
Ara and Spirit

I'll be looking forward to your write up on this.
 

Sabre

Overlanding Nurse
In the United States we've come to believe that just about everything needs to be refrigerated. Those of you from Europe or Asia certainly know better, as do blue water sailors.

Does butter need to be refrigerated? Of course not. Cheese? No, absolutely not. If you're going to be gone for a while, wrap a bit of cheesecloth around that block of cheddar and moisten it with vinegar. Worst case scenario: you'll have to trim off a bit of mold now and again, but not likely if you use the vinegar method. Of course, if you insist on overlanding with camembert, it may get a tad runny.

Farm-fresh eggs: get them BEFORE they've ever been refrigerated and coat each one with petroleum jelly. Room-temp storage is fine for up to three months. Heck, my grandparents and great-grandparents used to put up crocks of fresh eggs in waterglass and store them in the cellar; they were good for years.

Cabbage? Just peel the funky leaves off and it's nice and fresh. Whole salamis, onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots, peppers, fruit, even asparagus...sailors swing them in a little hammock to allow air to circulate and they last a long time. Of course, dried herbs will be more portable than fresh. Visit a good Asian market to find an astonishing variety of dried herbs, spices, fruit & veggies, and a wide range of protein sources.

Larry and Lin Pardey are well-known sailors who have written extensively on cruising life with minimal power requirements. They have written an authoritative text on cooking far from civilization that has direct applicability to overland adventurers.
 

Dave Kay

Adventurer
This is a great thread with lots of ideas for trail and camping foods. However, while living here in California it has occurred to me that I really should put together a survival type stash for 'The Big One,' which we all know is coming. Already have various cooking options and water, but my long term food related plans are kind of sketchy. Canned foods, sure, some are not bad but considering the possibility of weeks of consuming them and in event of evacuation, trying to carry canned goods along might be burdensome. Someone here mentioned MRE's? What about them? Personally, I have little to NO experience with them and wonder if anyone here has personally tried or tested the various products out there? Like what brands are good and what's gawd-AWEFULL?:chef:
 

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