Peanut Butter Packets & Honey Packets

[Venchka]

OK. I'm old. I'm loosing my mind. where is the penalty in carrying 16 ounces of PB in a jar from the store vs. carrying 16 ounces of PB 1.15 or 1.5 ounces at a time? Hey? The 16 ounce jar will only weigh 16 ounces until it is opened. Which could easily be during the ride back to the trail.
The refillable squeeze tubes are good. Verify, in the summertime, that they don't ooze oil/grease from things like PB, butter, honey, etc. Anything that can get very runny in the heat needs to be tested and/or Ziplock bagged.
Bon apetite!

Wayne

[jj2044]

Might try Army Surplus stores - Military used to buy boxes of PB packets (identical to the ones in MREs) a dozen to a box - and we would shove them by the handfuls into our pockets when going to the field for a while. This may still be out there (I retired 6 years ago) somewhere.

My gag reflex just kicked in, the PB isn't tooooo bad, but man I ate why too many of those cardboard crackers and PB when I was in the army !!! all military know jalapeno cheese is the way to go lol

[slbirdnerd]

Now THAT is a great idea, thanks for sharing! I saw those squeezie tubes at REI last time I was there, I think other outfitters will have them too, by the Nalgene bottles. Mmmm, peanut butter...

I got tubes but I found the same things in the pharmacy/travel bottles department at Meijer (big box store) and they were a lot cheaper than at my outfitter. They are called "Go Tubes." A 3 pack was a few bucks, at the outfitter one bottle was like $8!

[Wise Old Owl]

If not into the idea of repackaging World Market stores have small packets/containers of food suitable for the trail too like already mixed hummus in 1 1/8 0z size, 1 oz bottles of Olive Oil( the garlic and basil infused one is tasty), 1/2 oz Nutella, little 1/2 oz hard cheese squares, 1-2 oz vacuum packed sausages, 1/2 oz chocolates, etc

I agree the idea is sound and a guy can take a vac sealer and fill with peanut butter and nuttela, and other nut butters, there is a dry mix for hummus - but hummus keeps well even in Egypt.

[MuddyWaters]

Eventually for many men hemmoraging weight, food becomes all about maximizing your calories.

Peanut butter is not a condiment, it is a staple. You might say it is THE staple.

[Venchka]

Correction: JIF Extra Crunchy comes in an 18 oz. Jar. Are the 8 oz jars not made any more?
As for eating PB straight, that is what tortillas, English muffins, flat bread, etc. Are for.
Jams, jellies & preserves can also go in the squeeze tubes.

Wayne

[Biggie Master]

If you've tried sealing condiments in straws, try this: get the large diameter straws made for bubble tea, melt your PB (nutella, almond butter, etc.) and pour into the larger straw. Seal, pack, and use on the trail as needed. The straws can be resealed after each use, and you can pack as many or as few as you need depending on the duration of your trip... Jelly, honey, olive oil, tequila - you name it.

[atraildreamer]

Correction: JIF Extra Crunchy comes in an 18 oz. Jar. Are the 8 oz jars not made any more?
As for eating PB straight, that is what tortillas, English muffins, flat bread, etc. Are for.
Jams, jellies & preserves can also go in the squeeze tubes.

Wayne

Sometimes, $ Tree stores carry the 10 ounce jars of peanut butter. They are not a regular item and sell out quickly. The taste is pretty good!

[Venchka]

The 8 each 1.5 oz. cup To-Go packaging seems like the best way to carry peanut butter.

Wayne

[Malto]

I made one major mistake on my thru hike. It was pocketing out PNB in zip locks thinking I would refill the squeeze tubes that Dogwood mentioned. Huge mistake for three reasons.
1) incredibly messy. Did I mention it was messy.
2) PNB will eat multiple layers of zipper bags. So will Parmesan cheese.
3) in reality I ate a 16oz jar ( or larger) every resupply.

So at least for me, I was trying to save a gram and it was foolish. If you can tolerate PNB it is one of the best ways of devouring calories. I ate it for nearly every lunch. Now, if you want to get fancy go to minimus and bumpy the small packets of jam and jelly if you use resupply boxes. Adding variety on the jelly side kept me from getting sick of PNB.

[daddytwosticks]

One of those Jiff to go cups, two grape jelley packets from McDonalds, and one small whole wheat tortilla make a great snack or lunch (times two for hungry hikers).

[V Eight]

Just had some of the MRE Peanut butter and some Cheese, and I thought they both where pretty good. They came in a 1 day meal bag. 1.5oz ea packet. Now I will agree that the crackers that came with them are pretty bland. I will be searching for some more of them, for my next hike

[coach lou]

I like the Jiff cups........1 cup to 1 Pkg. granola bar.....2 a day!

[Venchka]

The good folks at PackitGourmet in Austin, Texas have a large variety of small packages of all kinds of stuff.

http://www.packitgourmet.com/General-Grocery.html

The Comfort Inn chain of motels puts out packages of P.B., syrup, cream cheese, jams & jellies at breakfast.

Wayne

[Cherokee Bill]

http://www.minimus.biz/Justins-Natur...8504-1200.aspx peanut butter "packets" and hundreds of other foods in "packet" form! No minimum purchase! Really like this place

[HeartFire]

I found these same peanut butter packets at World Market - 5 packets for $4.00 - much better bargain the the Amazon link above.

Also, the refillable 'toothpaste' tubes at REI are a real mess and PITA to use.

[coach lou]

Also, the refillable 'toothpaste' tubes at REI are a real mess and PITA to use.

These made 1 hike.......not only were they a mess, they did not even make it to the 'Non Essential Camping Gear' shelves

[Rocket Jones]

For slightly longer outings, I noticed in Wally World that Jiff (I'm pretty sure that was the brand) now has Cashew Butter in the smallest plastic 'regular' jar I've seen. Perfect for re-filling if you're out for a week or so.

[CB1821]

I discovered that the Popeye "honey" packets are mostly "honey flavored corn syrup". No wonder they never solidified!

True - as is about 70% of the honey you buy in the grocery store. Of course I am biased being a bee keeper, but IMHO you are much better off buying your honey from a local bee keeper and putting it in a travel container for backpacking. And if you really want the best honey, ask if the bee keeper uses natural bee keeping methods (no chemical treatments in the hives - for varola mites and other pests).

"At best, the vast majority of processed honey sold in the United States (what you find in most grocery stores) contains added cane sugar or other sweeteners or has been processed to the point where the honey's natural ingredients (and thus benefits) have been destroyed. At worst, it is an imported product (often from China or India where food safety laws are weak or nonexistent) that contains a variety of heavy metals, antibiotics, or other dangerous substances. Local, raw honey on the other hand is extracted directly from the honeycomb. No treatment is done to the honey, which helps preserve its nutritional value and health promoting properties."

Of course the sugar and/or corn syrup that is passed off as honey or that is used to cut real honey is still a simple carb, so I guess if you're not picky, it still functions (in part) to give you quick energy.

[CB1821]

Forgot to mention… real, raw honey can be used to treat wounds/burns - sugar and corn syrup, not so much.
“The data show that the wound healing properties of honey include stimulation of tissue growth, enhanced epithelialization, and minimized scar formation. These effects are ascribed to honey's acidity, hydrogen peroxide content, osmotic effect, nutritional and antioxidant contents, stimulation of immunity, and to unidentified compounds. Prostaglandins and nitric oxide play a major role in inflammation, microbial killing, and the healing process. Honey was found to lower prostaglandin levels and elevate nitric oxide end products”.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21479349
For those “ounce counters”, having real honey as both food and wound care might allow you to lighten your first aid kit by taking out the wound ointments