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casey
03-02-2004, 10:52
How long will a block of chedder cheese last on the trail before going bad? Whats the best brand to get?

MDSHiker
03-02-2004, 12:54
I've had good luck with all kinds of block cheese. Keep it out of the sun, keep it cool, keep your fingers off of it (kinda hard to do). When it gets green...just cut if off. haha I'm sure other posters can give more advice. Enjoy!!

TankHiker
03-02-2004, 14:25
Cheese is great to carry when it's not too hot out. Mine always lasted until I ate it (or until my next town stop, where I would get more). I always liked the Kraft cheddar, but any will keep.

You will have a problem, however, when it gots hot. The cheese melts and gets juicy. So, enjoy your cheese at the beginning and end of your hike, when the weather will most likely be cooler. Don't plan on eating much cheese in Pennsylvania :)

-Tank

mindlessmariachi
03-02-2004, 19:14
one of the great zen-like moments I had on my thru hike was when i came to the realization that cheese really doesnt need to be refrigerated. i think it's just a rumor foisted upon us by refrigerator manufacturers. I carried cheese all thru the very hot summer of 02. Cheddar cheese, to be precise. GO for 'sharp' - it's firmer. ON a good 90 degree day, you're cheese will get pretty gooey, and the oil will separate out from the cheese, but it still tastes good and it wont hurt you. - oh - a hunk of melty cheese is a good way to spice up a 'lipton.'

Kozmic Zian
03-02-2004, 19:24
Yea.....Cheese? You'd be surprised how much 'refrig food'....stuff we refrigerate at home, will stay quite well on The Trail. I usually try to get the 'Kraft' style, long, rectangular blocks of cheese. Put it in a zipper lock. The thickness of the block seems to keep the 'woolies' from jumpin' on for a ride. I even take the smallest jar of mayo you can buy, sos I can put the cheese, and sprouts(I sprout my own in a nalgean bottle)on a bagle or crossant. The mayo lasts for a 4 or 5 day walk too. Just put it all in your food stuffie, and deep in the pack under the clothes. It'll keep long enough....KZ@

Peep
03-02-2004, 21:07
The cheese that keeps the longest is the hard kind with that waxy stuff on the outside (like skin). Keep it in the large brick shape as long as you can - it'll last for quite a while on your hike. I made the mistake of cutting it into small cubes to have it in snack size bites, then into a baggie. The stuff softened into mush....still tasted good but I was licking it off my fingers.

Doctari
03-03-2004, 20:14
As posted, the sharp cheddar is best. I have had Extry Sharp last 4 days out o da frige no problem. Keep as kool as possible, leve in its plastic wrapper when not being used, etc. I also find that the waxed cheese like gouda lasts long, as long as it is in it's wax. And as it usually comes in small amounts, I can eat one in a sitting, so don't know how it lasts out of the wax.

Doctari.

weary
03-03-2004, 21:49
As posted, the sharp cheddar is best. I have had Extry Sharp last 4 days out o da frige no problem. Keep as kool as possible, leve in its plastic wrapper when not being used, etc. I also find that the waxed cheese like gouda lasts long, as long as it is in it's wax. And as it usually comes in small amounts, I can eat one in a sitting, so don't know how it lasts out of the wax.

Doctari.

Country stores in Maine -- and I suppose everywhere else -- kept sharp cheddar and similar cheeses -- on the counter, unrefrigerated, for weeks at a time while I was growing up. We called it "rat cheese" but we all ate it.

I vaguely remember that storekeepers wiped it occasionally with a rag soaked in vinegar, to keep the mold at bay. BTW, it is much more tasty when eaten warm, than fresh from a refrigerator.

In hot back packs (black backpacks are designed for fashion, not for hiking) the oil tends to separate. This does nothing to the food value. But it is an aesthetic and taste (not serious, but some people are fastidious) problem.

Weary

Cosmo
03-03-2004, 22:08
I find the sharper/harder the cheese the longer it lasts. I also prefer a cheese with a strong lavor. A good romano or parmesan does pretty well, and adds a bit of zest to the Liptons. They keep longer if you don't open the packaging, so smaller store wrapped chunks may be the (expensve) way to go, rather than a larger brick. Cheese can also be frozen, adding perhaps another day to it's trail life, if you are operating from home base rather than a typical resupply on a long distance hike.

Cosmo

beckon4
03-25-2004, 16:01
I think Cheddar is a perfect hiking food. I carried it practically every day on my thru hike. Keep it in a zip lock bag and in the coolest part of your bag.

Cheddar(getting better with age) /Beth

highway
03-25-2004, 18:53
How long will a block of chedder cheese last on the trail before going bad? Whats the best brand to get?

I don't know the best brand to get but I do know that cheese was developed a very loooonnnng time before refrigerators or even ice boxes became available to put it in. Many hundreds, if not thousands of years before, in fact. And, some of the mold is really not bad, either. The slightly crusty mold that develops on some of the softer cheeses like Camenbert is eaten along with the soft cheese inside and is part of the flavor of the cheese. I believe the green in roquefort is also a mold, forming originally where it was stored, in caves in France. But, of course, it does better in cooler climates or temperatures, obviously.

Krewzer
03-26-2004, 18:31
If you're just starting down in Georgia, a pound block of cheddar could last 3, maybe 4 days.

By the time you get to Maine, it might last 10 minutes if you buy a box of crackers to go with it. <grin>

Seriously, I've carried it at least 4 or 5 days with no problems. That's about as as much food supply as I like to carry anyway.

krewzer

gravityman
03-26-2004, 19:23
I can't believe that no one has said "frumunda cheese" or "Toe Cheese"

That stuff never went away :)

steve hiker
03-27-2004, 14:49
grated parmesan it'll last forever + 1 day and weighs less than oily cheese

Bear Magnet
03-29-2004, 11:07
How long will a block of chedder cheese last on the trail before going bad? Whats the best brand to get?
Hi Casey-

As others have said, cheese can last 4-5 days even in the hot summer. The oils tend to separate in hot weather, but you can still eat the cheese.

I found that Cabot Lodge Extra Sharp Cheddar lasted pretty well. That was my favorite cheese on the trail, and seemed to last longer than Kraft cheese. You can find Cabot Lodge in most grocery stores. In smaller shops you might only be able to get Kraft, though.

Bear Magnet

Moose2001
03-29-2004, 18:18
Cabot cheese.....yummmmmm!!! Two great things Vermont has given to hikers. Ben and Jerry's and Cabot Cheese!!!!!

Hood Ornament
05-24-2004, 11:18
When I first started hiking in 1993 I carried the 8oz block of Kraft mild cheddar cheese. At the time it had preservatives in it. I did this every year until one year I read the ingredients again on the Kraft block cheese and found it no longer listed preservatives, but the packaged slice cheese did. So then I started carrying the Kraft mild cheddar sliced cheese with each slice individually wrapped. I still do this, and have found that a lot of small stores carry the sliced cheese, but not the block cheese. I always section hike in July or August for up to 17 days. I've carried this cheese for up to 10 days before resupplying and I've never had mold grow on it, or oil leach out. Both the block and the sliced cheese have taken unusual twisted shapes in my pack, however.:)

SteelReserve
02-24-2009, 15:57
Those Baby Bel cheeses last a long time as they are individually wrapped in wax, as well as further individually wrapped in plastic. And as has been said before, Parmesan/Romano will also last a long time.

Hikes in Rain
02-24-2009, 16:14
The harder grating cheeses, such as parmesian, romano and assagio tend to keep a lot longer than softer cheeses, particularly in warm weather. For most distances between resupply, however, it shouldn't be a factor.

hoz
02-24-2009, 16:23
Ditto on the above. Hard cheeses last longer. Cheddar oil will separate in hot weather but is still edible. I've carried Cheddar for a two weeks in the bush. Probably would have lasted longer but I ate it all!

Remove cheese from it's plastic covering and repackage wrapped in vinegar soaked cheesecloth. The vinegar helps reduce mold and if any oil seeps out the cheesecloth soaks it up.

Sly
02-24-2009, 16:28
I've put cheddar block cheese in mail drops, picked them up 2 weeks later and it still lasted a week on the trail even when temps were warm.

Manwich
02-24-2009, 17:04
Most mold that grows on most food is harmless when ingested. Throw an orange peel into an empty milk carton and you've got penicillin. Mold on cheese just turns it into bleu cheese.

Slo-go'en
02-24-2009, 17:25
Wrapping a block of cheese in brown paper makes it last a long time. (Don't put it in plastic!) Only problem is finding brown paper bags these days.

Ender
02-24-2009, 17:34
Use cheesecloth. Seriously. It helps to keep the oils in check, and makes cheese last a lot longer.

Still, I've carried bree over a 3 day period in late May with no problems whatsoever, and that's a really soft cheese.

Feral Bill
02-24-2009, 17:44
Smoked Gouda Yum!

Mighty Mouse
02-24-2009, 18:02
I totally second the gouda! It's fairly easy to find it without "refrigeration required" on it. Lasts the longest when it has the red plastic stuff on it. My thru attempt only lasted until Virginia last year, but I didn't hit the trail until May. Even in HOT weather, I no issues with it ever getting spoiled.

bloodmountainman
02-24-2009, 18:12
Gouda cheese is the longest lasting.

garlic08
02-24-2009, 19:44
I loved the Cabot white cheddar in the black wax. It made Vermont one of my favorite states. I carried cheese the whole way, up to 100 miles at a time, sometimes two pounds at a time.

Nicksaari
02-24-2009, 23:17
so people, are we saying that a hard, white cheese such as Romano, or a good parmigiana lasts longer than any cheddar thats not encased in wax?


my mom and i were talking about this today in the grocery store.
thats so weird this thread got revived today...

Nicksaari
02-24-2009, 23:21
what about a good sausage, besides summer sausage, that goes well with, and keeps well for a while in the pack?
would it be too brash as to bring a good soprestatta/ salami? do they last a while in the warmer months? stored properly, of course.

Jayboflavin04
02-25-2009, 01:48
Is that vinegar thing for real. My grandmother use to do that, I was kinda thinkin it might be an ole wifes tale.

I plan on taking cheese, and pepperoni on my up coming section hike.
Do you just buy the already sliced or the whole pepperoni and slice it yourself. I have seen the pepperoni with the summer sausage and beef jerky at wallly world.

Hikes in Rain
02-25-2009, 06:22
so people, are we saying that a hard, white cheese such as Romano, or a good parmigiana lasts longer than any cheddar thats not encased in wax?


my mom and i were talking about this today in the grocery store.
thats so weird this thread got revived today...


Yes. However, wax on any cheese will help it keep longer than an unwaxed grating cheese. On a practical note, however, you're more likely to eat it all before you have to worry about it. Cheese was invented to keep milk for long periods of time without spoilage.

Tin Man
02-25-2009, 07:14
Cheese was invented to keep milk for long periods of time without spoilage.

cheese wasn't invented, it was discovered:

martha, what i am going to do? my milk has spoilt.

cheese loweeze

hoz
02-25-2009, 07:54
I have used summer sausage for two weeks in summer. It will release oil also. When it starts to getr "funky" your nose will tell you.

The harder the sausage is the longer it will last. Try to find some Landjäger(German sausage).It will last months without refrigeration.

Another option is Chinese or Mexican sausages in vacuum sealed plastic. Sold in ethnic markets, they do not require refrigeration until you open the package. Then cook and eat the whole thing w/in 24 hours. Usually 4-8 in a pack.

russb
02-25-2009, 10:00
I have used summer sausage for two weeks in summer. It will release oil also. When it starts to getr "funky" your nose will tell you.

The harder the sausage is the longer it will last. Try to find some Landjäger(German sausage).It will last months without refrigeration.

Another option is Chinese or Mexican sausages in vacuum sealed plastic. Sold in ethnic markets, they do not require refrigeration until you open the package. Then cook and eat the whole thing w/in 24 hours. Usually 4-8 in a pack.


On Landjaeger, in fact it is not supposed to be refridgerated at all. Stored in a cool dry place it gets better with age as do many smoked or cured sausages.

Just as cheese is a means to preserve milk without refridgeration, so is sausage a means to preserve meat without refridgeration. Some, like landjaeger, are never to be refridgerated.

Two Speed
02-25-2009, 10:20
Smoked Gouda Yum!
I totally second the gouda! . . . Another vote for smoked gouda. Can't tell ya how long before it spoils because I've always eaten all of it before it could go bad. After a coupla two three days mellowing in the pack smoked gouda's the freakin' bomb.
Gouda cheese is the longest lasting.Not sure if it's the longest lasting, but it's my favorite.

Hikes in Rain
02-25-2009, 13:12
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hikes in Rain http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/wb_style/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=788233#post788233)
Cheese was invented to keep milk for long periods of time without spoilage.

cheese wasn't invented, it was discovered:

martha, what i am going to do? my milk has spoilt.

cheese loweeze




There's such a fine line between "dscovered" and "invented". How many inventions were discoverd by someone blundering into it, I wonder?

But you're correct. "I don't care if it's spoiled or not, that's all there is, so eat it or starve! Hey, wonder if it's any better if we squeeze all that smelly water out of it?"

Tin Man
02-25-2009, 14:10
There's such a fine line between "dscovered" and "invented". How many inventions were discoverd by someone blundering into it, I wonder?

But you're correct. "I don't care if it's spoiled or not, that's all there is, so eat it or starve! Hey, wonder if it's any better if we squeeze all that smelly water out of it?"

The difference between invention and discovery is 'intent'. Let's hope that when the supercollider is actually turned on, that the 'intent' criteria is fully achieved.

The Weasel
02-25-2009, 15:11
I am amazed at how scary this topic is, other than the prescient reference to 'toe cheese.' Do none of you realize where the term "Cheesy" comes from? Or recall the emphemistic exclamation, "Who cut the cheese?"

This is a little like asking, "What brand of peanut butter lasts the longest?" It ain't whether it's "moldy" but whether there is a nice way to get violently sick from it, such as from salmonella growing in it.

Yeah, refrigeration is a conspiracy. So is soap, and antibiotics, and all those other things that reduce the risks of disease. In the middle ages they made cheese and didn't refrigerate it, but died in appalling numbers. There is a lesson in there for those who don't wish to be nominated for Darwin Awards.

TW

Ender
02-25-2009, 15:15
In the middle ages they made cheese and didn't refrigerate it, but died in appalling numbers. There is a lesson in there for those who don't wish to be nominated for Darwin Awards.

My guess would be that, in the middle ages, cheese was NOT the #1 killer of otherwise healthy people. :rolleyes:

Manwich
02-25-2009, 15:16
I am amazed at how scary this topic is, other than the prescient reference to 'toe cheese.' Do none of you realize where the term "Cheesy" comes from? Or recall the emphemistic exclamation, "Who cut the cheese?"

This is a little like asking, "What brand of peanut butter lasts the longest?" It ain't whether it's "moldy" but whether there is a nice way to get violently sick from it, such as from salmonella growing in it.

Yeah, refrigeration is a conspiracy. So is soap, and antibiotics, and all those other things that reduce the risks of disease. In the middle ages they made cheese and didn't refrigerate it, but died in appalling numbers. There is a lesson in there for those who don't wish to be nominated for Darwin Awards.

TW



this might be the most absurd post i've ever seen.

nobody ever said refridgeration was a conspiracy. Refridgeration is a way to keep your cheese good for 3 weeks instead of one.

Something tells me in the middle ages, cheese wasn't the big killer. I think it was the lack of understanding science, praying for their open sores to heal on their own and oh yeah, Plague.

Kanati
02-25-2009, 15:42
My pack still smells like melted, firmented, cheddar cheese from last summer. Carrying it too long is not the problem. Eating it too soon and running short, now that's the problem !!!!! Your hiker appetite will negate any possibility of spoilage.

This year I'm adding to my larder, smoked venison summer sausage made for me by Woods Smoked Meats, Bowling Green, MO. It last for weeks with no refrigration. This stuff is so good, I am sure I will run out too soon!

Hike and eat. Eat and hike. That's what we do.

Happy hiking. :sun

The Weasel
02-25-2009, 16:45
My guess would be that, in the middle ages, cheese was NOT the #1 killer of otherwise healthy people. :rolleyes:

Your guess would be right. But spoiled food - and cheese spoils - was a major killer. Big time. Chaucer wrote about it, and many of the so-called "poisonings" of royalty were probably from food.

Cheese makes a wonderful medium to culture yeasts and molds, even if it is salted cheese. At warm temperatures, they multiply with exceeding rapidity. You may have an immunity to some, or even most, or once in a while even all of them. But you're taking a real chance, and some of those molds are toxic.

As for "yeah, in olden days it was kept on the counter in the store," well, in olden days people did a lot of things they didn't have choices about. We do.

But if you wanna go for a Darwin by seeing how long you can let cheese separate, mold and get strange, it's your body. Have fun.

TW

Sly
02-25-2009, 16:56
The Weasel, the chance of dying from bad cheese on the trail is about as equal to dying from hantavirus. Slim to none.

hoz
02-25-2009, 16:56
But if you wanna go for a Darwin by seeing how long you can let cheese separate, mold and get strange, it's your body. Have fun.


Hahahaha, no one said that, but if you wanna hike without enjoying the heavenly taste of cheese it's your choice, Have fun.

The Weasel
02-25-2009, 17:18
The Weasel, the chance of dying from bad cheese on the trail is about as equal to dying from hantavirus. Slim to none.

I ain't worryin' about dyin' from it. I'm worryin' about getting so freakin' sick from bad food that I don't die and wish I would. If you think I'm kidding, go to Chichen Itza and have a long drink of water from the tap.

TW

Unclegorb
02-26-2009, 16:49
I ain't worryin' about dyin' from it. I'm worryin' about getting so freakin' sick from bad food that I don't die and wish I would. If you think I'm kidding, go to Chichen Itza and have a long drink of water from the tap.

TW

Your at a much higher risk of getting sick at T.G.I. Fridays (or the like) than getting sick from eating 3-4 day old cheese.

Tin Man
02-26-2009, 17:13
Your at a much higher risk of getting sick at T.G.I. Fridays (or the like) than getting sick from eating 3-4 day old cheese.

I am sick from reading his posts. Does that count?

The Weasel
02-26-2009, 17:28
Your at a much higher risk of getting sick at T.G.I. Fridays (or the like) than getting sick from eating 3-4 day old cheese.

You're referring to the maggot in my wife's Rotini Salad at Maggiano's a few months ago?

I'm not worried about 3-4 day old cheese. It's when it gets past a week or so....

TW

Tin Man
02-26-2009, 17:31
You're referring to the maggot in my wife's Rotini Salad at Maggiano's a few months ago?

I'm not worried about 3-4 day old cheese. It's when it gets past a week or so....

TW

Maybe you should refrain from mentioning you are a lawyer and sharing your politics until after the meal is served. Just a thought.

Jack Tarlin
02-26-2009, 17:38
Gotta agree with Sly......the imminent threat to hikers from funked out cheese is greatly exaggerated.

And Weasel, I spent a lot of years studying the Middle Ages.

While lots of folks died at a younger age than they do today, you'd be amazed how few of them died from lousy food. After all, people have lived without refrigeration for a very long time.

What Weary said is right. Good hard cheddar is sold all over New England to this day unrefrigerated, and if people are regularly dropping dead as a result, I haven't heard much about it.

In short, cheese is fine on the Trail. Chicken or fish? Not so good. But cheese? Take it, and enjoy.

JAK
02-26-2009, 17:40
There are many good cheeses, and cheese is one of those wonderful traditional travelling foods. Try different cheeses. Good cheese is expensive, but its a great treat. Doesn't have to be a main staple. A Newfoundlander friend of mine got me started on eating cheese while drinking black coffee. Its really good. I particularly like that stuff with caraway seeds in it, but any good cheese should last until its eaten. Its all good.