Hoop cheese, & other foods that do not require refrigeration

[cubemonkey]

Something we make at home is yogurt cheese-simply put yogurt into cheese cloth and hang it up letting the liquid drip out. It's a good tangy cheese.
Oded Kishony

Hi Oded,
I too am a fan of yogurt cheese. I had a strainer that was made just for draining yogurt. It was a cone-shaped plastic piece lined with a tight mesh. It stored flat, which made it easy to rinse and dry, and it had 2 snaps to roll it back into a cone. It fit perfectly into a 2 cup measuring cup, and held a quart of yogurt. I use yogurt cheese in any recipe that calls for buttermilk (pancakes), or cottage cheese. It also makes a good base for veggie dips (substitute for sour cream, add your favorite soup mix). Pretty versatile stuff. And good for you.

Even better is the fact that you can make your own yogurt and have a pseudo-fresh dairy product on hand. A little jelly or honey, and you have breakfast. You can buy yogurt culture dried in little pouches like yeast. Or bring one yogurt on your voyage, and you can use a tablespoon as a starter for your next batch. Yogurt can be made from dried milk (you do need water). Mix up a quart, heat it until it is lukewarm (wrist test to make sure it is not too hot), add the starter (dried or a tbs of your last yogurt), stir, put it in a thermos (widemouth) and forget it for 10 hours. Yogurt does not have to be kept refrigerated, it is basically spoiled milk already. It will continue to ferment, so the older it is the tangier it is. I've never had a problem with it lasting too long! Eat it, mix it, cheese it, save a tablespoon, and you're back in business in 3-4 days with another batch.

If you don't want to use precious water, bring along parmalat or any UHT milk. They all seem to work just fine when warmed and incubated with a starter.

Happy eating!
-elizabeth

[gltea]

When I was in the Bahamas, I didn't use refrigeration.  That meant that I had far less complications.  I didn't have to worry about how I was going to keep things cool - including beer.  I usually found someone who was more than willing to exchange a warm beer for a cold one ;D.  By not even bothering to carry ice meant that I didn't have to row ashsore to get ice, find something to put on ice, get rid of rotten stuff that had been on ice or throw away and clean ice container.
And... I didn't have to pay for ice. 

My sailing days in my dinghy just might work for me ;D.

[CharlieJ]

We spent the last 10 months while we were cruising aboard the tri, with no ice, and no refrigeration. Just a mind set- you get used to it. Of course we were in the Keys in the winter time part of that time, and NOT on the Texas coast in July ;D THAT could make a huge difference.

We still only use the ice box for drinks. We never carry refrigerated food, so we could do without it easily even now. But here in Texas, during the summer, cold drinks are quite valuable ;D

[Auspicious]

I usually found someone who was more than willing to exchange a warm beer for a cold one.

There is always the trick of hanging your beer in the water in a net. Less useful in really shallow water, and you do want to keep it on the side shaded by the boat. Still a few degrees cooler is that much cooler.

This time of year I keep my beer stock in a cooler (no ice) on deck. The cooler insulation keeps it from freezing overnight. <sigh>

[Antioch]

The only time I've had ice on board is normally at the start of a voyage or for a day sail.  The one exception to this is when I'm living in port and keeping something like bacon for breakfast in a cooler.  Normally, however, I carry no perishables. Eggs and Cheese remain down in one of the bilge lockers. The eggs will last for a couple of months, and the cheese is always covered in wax and eaten when removed from it.  In the bilge lockers I usually keep Newcastle Brown Ale, Coca Cola, and occasionally condensed milk for tea.  That being said, nearly all of my other food is canned.

Here is a copy of my galley stores.. as unhealthy and boring as they maybe, they would have kept my cat and me alive for the trip to Bermuda... Of course the voyage is only being postponed, but they will still be on the boat when I get back up to Maine. Oh... and the water bottles you see on the list I equally distribute around the boat for convenience and for vessel weight management.

William Bligh Stores (Revised) 01-20-2008

Liquids:

36 /12 oz cans of Coca Cola
1 Large bottle of Malibu Coconut Rum
12 / 12 oz bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale
60 / 16 oz bottles of Nestle Water

Canned:

5 Cans of Armour Cornbeef & Hash
2 Cans of Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese
3 Cans of Chef Boyardee Pep Pizza Noodles
7 Cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew
2 Cans of Dinty Moore Chicken Stew
5 Cans of Hannaford's Beef Ravioli
5 Cans of Hannaford's Mac & Beef

Fruit:
1 Dozen California Oranges
2 Boxes of Raisins

Bread:

16 Bagels

Dairy:

2 lbs of Gouda Cheese

Poultry:

36 Extra Large Eggs


Misc:

Three boxes of Granola Bars
20 Assorted Cliff Bars
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

Lava Stores:

Kitty Litter
16 Lbs of Dry Cat Food
18 Cans of Wet Cat Food

Suppliments:

Centrum Multivitamins
Chewable Vitamin C

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd get rid of the eggs.. They'll likely be bad by the time you get back, and rotten eggs are no fun.

[Antioch]

I already got rid of the ones that had on there, but if you need to make them last you can coat them in petroleum jelly.. I've heard they'll go for several months.  36 eggs will normally last me about 40 days in all practicality, as far as the speed in which I eat them. :P

Robin

[Frank]

Eggs go a LONG time if you simply turn over the carton every other day.Don't ask me why...but it works ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

Frank-

I was told it prevents the yolks from settling and touching the side of the eggshell...which will make it go bad very quickly. :)

[TJim]

If you use the brown shells from free roaming chickens they are good for 3 weeks and more...without refrigeration,,especially not prior refrigeration.

[Auspicious]

I'd get rid of the eggs.. They'll likely be bad by the time you get back, and rotten eggs are no fun.

I bought eggs in England and turned them every other day. I was still eating perfectly good eggs two months later in the U.S.

[Antioch]

I didn't know about turning them, but will do that in the future.  I guess I eat them too fast for them to go bad.

Robin

[LauraG]

I think the eggs go bad because the inner protective lining dries out and allows bacteria to attack the egg. If you coat them with vaseline or turn them regularly then that lining will not dry out.

[CapnK]

Just bring a chicken, so you can manufacture your own eggs.

If the chicken stops laying eggs, make some soup.









;D ;D ;D

[Captain Smollett]

Just bring a chicken, so you can manufacture your own eggs.

If the chicken stops laying eggs, make some soup.


;D ;D ;D

Yes, sometimes the old ways are best.

[Lynx]

Adding variety to meals is a challenge but having almost 30 different spices makes it somewhat easier. Cheep and inexpensive and goes a long way.

I am sold on dehydrated foods unless fresh. All that one needs to do is plan ahead,soak 8 hrs for corn and peas and 8 hrs for the rest. A lot better than caned.

[skylark]

So how are those dried ingredients working out for you?  What meals are you making with them?

[Lynx]

I like the dried much better than canned. Fresh is better.

Meals, what every I want. The TVP (textured vegetable protein) meats are not the same as the real stuff but does give one the needed protein. Meals is usually the hardest thing that I have to decide on every day.

With several cookbooks and all those spices, I can create just about anything. But mostly vegetable. Hardy soups with different spices if I just want 1 pan. Just take 1/3 cup of dried whatever veg's you want, soak for 8 hrs, add what every spices and cook for 20 min's, let cool for 5 and enjoy. right now  I am working with Hash.

[AdriftAtSea]

Lynx-

Is TVP a complete protein?  Does it supply all the necessary amino acids that humans need?

[Lynx]

Yes, for 2 or 3 years, then you needs some beef as I understand it.

I find it easy to digest and I sleep better eating it than a big beef meal.

I have never tried it by itself unless it is spiced as sloppy joe or the like.

I suggest you buy a few of the 1 pound coffee cans and try it. There are 2 major supplies. Some of the backpacker 2 meal packs are best but 2 to 4 X the price.

I bought mine from http://waltonfeed.com/  as they will mix and give you a case price. I tried to only get the smallest cans to not have much open of any one item at a time.