Hoop cheese, & other foods that do not require refrigeration

[starcrest]

thanx fer' the info.I heard of the term ----however its pronounced---I think its dried salt from the Dead Sea----It was used to absorb moisture from dead people-----part of mummification---as seen on a National Geographix  Show--

[s/v Faith]

Eric,

  I should think whatever method one chooses, a clothspin might be needed for the sake of one's sense of smell.  :o

  I am picturing a small boat (Ariel?) with rows of dead fishes clipped to it's life lines.   :P :-[ :o I bet that no one would anchor next to it in a crowed anchorage though..... maybe you are onto something here....   ;D

[starcrest]

what actually comes to mind is a method of storing layers of fillets in plastic containers---between each layer would be a generous supply of table salt---me'tinks' 'twas how 'twas done in the pirates' days me' laddy bucks---ARRRRRR!!!and if I remember my colonial history---the plastic containers  where actually oaken casks.----stored below decks---I dont think they had walmarts great value brand chunky beef vegetable soups on the mayflower.

[oded kishony]

I was also interested in  making jerky. I looked up a recipe which had you mix equal parts kosher salt and brown sugar with the meat (turkey thights) and marinating overnight. Then putting it all in the oven at 200degrees F for 4 hours. The result was turkey jerky :-) which I also smoked in a stovetop smoker. The meat ended up too salty. So I rinsed it off and now it's a little bit salty but probably ok to take as a snack with beer. Next time I do this I will use more sugar less salt and marinate for less time. When my wife and I lived in Italy we used to buy 'bacala' which is salted cod. We had to soak it in water with repeated drainings to make it edible. But there are some great Northern Italian dishes made with it.
To dry the salted fish you need dry air, temperature isn't important, but humidity is.

Oded Kishony

[s/v Faith]

FWIW

The pardleys recommend storing cheese in jars of olive oil, and also talk about dropping in herbs to add extra 'tang'.  Seems like a good way to store both cheese, and olive oil.

[s/v Faith]

I have been experimenting with some domestic Rieslings, which are best when slightly cooled.

  I wonder if those cold packs (like in the first aid kits) could be acquired / made cost efficiently?

  Anyone done this?

[Captain Smollett]

Those ice packs are ammonium nitrate (at least some of them are).  That is 34-0-0 fertilzer, which you can buy for a few bucks for a 40 lb bag at Walmart or similar.  The fertilizer is not "pure," and it won't cool AS GOOD, but it should do okay to cool your wine.  Simply mix with water, but you will want to grind up the prill first into a fine powder.

I can send you the amount of solid to use for a given amount of water if you want me to look it up.  Or you can just experiement!

:)

[s/v Faith]

Outstanding Captain Smollett !

  Man I love this place.... ;D


.... of course, I may have experiment for a while.......  better pick up a few more bottles  :P



 

[Pixie Dust]

ORRRRR,  you could get an Engel and a solar panel and then all you have to do is open the lid of the fridge.   ;) :D ;D
Gadget Girl's answer to cool Riesling.  :)  Craig, do you need us to help you experiment? 
John- how did you get so smart??? 

[Captain Smollett]

I don't know about smart, but I know about 'heat of solution' for ammonium nitrate from 20 years as a chemist...I've used this for years as a demo (along with one that gets hot, to show the contrast).  Many people thinik a spontaneous change like solvation has to 'liberate' energy, but the NH4NO3 getting cooler shows that's not true (hint: solvation is entropy driven, not energy driven).

Tool of the trade....

;)

[AdriftAtSea]

Of course, now a days, buying significant amounts of Ammonium Nitrate based fertilizer is likely to get you a visit from Homeland Security. 

I still like Connie's solution, as it is the same one I use.  :D  I have an Engel refrigerator on my boat too.

[Captain Smollett]

If you go to Walmart or your local farm supply store and bought a bag of ordinary, very common fertilizer, how is Homeland Security going to know?  Why would they care?

If you bought 12,000 lbs of it, like was used in Oklahoma a few years back, they might wonder.  But not for a single bag (at least here, where there is a lot of pasture land, gardens and even some larger farms).

[AdriftAtSea]

Ummm... Captain Smollet... I was joking... But only partially.  Considering that the DEA monitors who is buying a common cold medicine nowadays, it isn't such a far leap for DHS to start monitoring people who buy Ammonium Nitrate, especially if you also buy Diesel fuel, which are the two ingredients in a basic ANFO bomb.   A lot of sailing boats use Diesel...so not a big reach.

[Captain Smollett]

the two ingredients in a basic ANFO bomb.

This is veering way OT, but....

Yeah, but they'd need other indicators, too.  One can also make explosives from aspirin, battery acid, hydrogen peroxide,  or mercury (from a thermometer or thermostat).  Or good, rich dirt.  Or household bleach.  Etc. Etc.

Most IED's here in thie state are ordinary black powder pipe bombs.  Most IED's used by true terrorists are diverted military hi-ex or made from it.  There are a few exceptions, of course, such as OK City.

Sorry I missed the sarcasm in your comment, but I WAS wondering: if I buy NH4NO3 for a legit use, why would I care if DHS comes to ask why I bought it?  Like I said, because it's so common, they'd need a LOT more indicators about ME to expend their time and resources for a chat.

But there is the rub, isn't it?  The whole counter-terrorism thing SEEMS to be more about STUFF and not enough about PEOPLE.

Oh and for the record, DEA does not monitor the purchase of OTC cold remedies per se.  Only if OTHER indicators are present as well.  First, it is only meds containing certain ingredients used for the manufacture of methamphetame.  Also, you and I buy a pack or two at a time;; no big deal, and no one cares.  OTOH, if you went into Walmat and bought 50 packs, that would be a red flag.

[AdriftAtSea]

Actually, the drug stores require identification for purchases of as little as one package of ephedrine-based cold-meds.  this is one of the reasons I think the US is becoming a fascist state.. that and the repeated violations of the constitution by the Bush regime...but that's neither here nor there and way OT too boot.

I don't actually think that ICE per se is all that necessary for cruising...especially long-term.  While it is nice to have over the short-term, like on a day or weekend trip, I don't think it is needed.  Most foods are available in versions that don't require refrigeration.  UHT Milk is a great example...

[Captain Smollett]

Right.  I think CJ posted here (or on another board) that on one of his recent trips, his block of ice lasted 13 days.  And he said he thinks he could extend that a bit.

Since most (ok, all  :) ) of my cruising is relatively short duration and generally near 'amenities,' I could definitely work within a 13 day window.  On our recent 3 day combined camping/saliing trip using an ordinary Coleman cooler, we still had ice in the cooler when we arrived home.

For spot cooling, though, the ice-pack method may not be a bad approach.

[AdriftAtSea]

It really does help if you get large blocks of ice, rather than cubes, and if you keep the ice from sitting in the water.  Wet ice seems to melt faster than ice that is kept dry.  Also, when you buy your ice, make sure it isn't wet-looking, as that generally means it has started to warm up and melt.

[Zen]

Cool advice man, way cool 8)

[Seadogg]

I fill up milk jugs with water and freeze them.

Works pretty well and you have ice water to drink to boot.

[AdriftAtSea]

I do freeze 1 gallon bottles of spring water, and use them on my day sails so I don't have to run the refrigerator unit.  The 1 gallon bottles don't stay frozen as long as a 10 lb. block of ice, but they don't get the food all wet either.  :D