Fish Jerky...

[Dazzy001]

Anyone know where to get Fish Jerky? Without making it myself. :-?

[minnesotasmith]

Anyone know where to get Fish Jerky? Without making it myself. :-?

A coworker of mine whose family is in the wholesale seafood business in Nova Scotia is trying to find that for me. (He suggests haddock, which is cheaper and milder than cod, yet still has the desired Omega-3 oils.) Likewise, I have emailed 11 companies in that line of business in Halifax, and periodically prowl wholesale food sites. The online versions of tourist traps are the only places I've seen it so far, and they're all prohibitive; 20.00/pound is about typical.

If I find a source (I'm looking for about 100 pounds myself), I promise to share it with everyone. The link will be on the "MinnesotaSmith 2009 Redux Thruhike" thread.

[Farr Away]

Courtesy of Google: http://www.caribbeanspecialtyfoods.com/fishjerky.html
I have absolutely NO experience with this company. (And it's even more expensive than the $20/lb that MS mentions).

I did see several sites with recipes, but that's not what you are looking for.

[minnesotasmith]

[quote=Farr Away;689961 (And it's even more expensive than the $20/lb that MS mentions).[/quote]

Since I'm looking for FJ in the 7.00/pound range (which my friend assures me should be findable), these people effectively don't have any FJ for sale.

Thanks for trying a little, though.
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Something to watch out for when searching for fish jerky is salted fish. It requires soaking/rinsing, and is useful in cooked dishes only. That is, it's not useful for a hiker as a more nutritious replacement for beef jerky. It seems to be most common in Mediterranean cuisine, especially southern Italian.

[weary]

The closest thing I've seen on the market to fish jerky is smoked salmon. The price will always be expensive. Fresh fish runs $6 - $12 a pound, and rising. Remove the water and you are talking $20-$50 a pound.

[minnesotasmith]

The closest thing I've seen on the market to fish jerky is smoked salmon. The price will always be expensive. Fresh fish runs $6 - $12 a pound, and rising. Remove the water and you are talking $20-$50 a pound.

Then, sure, high prices are to be expected. However, it used to be a food that all but the poorest people could afford to eat; obviously, if costs in packaging, spicing, pricy fish types, and marketing were WAY cut back on, then the costs should be down as well.

Hint: look for someone who will sell it in a single box of scores of pounds at a time, where you have to do your own repackaging for the Trail.

[rafe]

When you find it, let us know. Many moons ago I picked up dried, smoked salmon from a roadside stand on the coast of Oregon. Awesome stuff. It would make a great hiking food.

[weary]

Then, sure, high prices are to be expected. However, it used to be a food that all but the poorest people could afford to eat; obviously, if costs in packaging, spicing, pricy fish types, and marketing were WAY cut back on, then the costs should be down as well.

Hint: look for someone who will sell it in a single box of scores of pounds at a time, where you have to do your own repackaging for the Trail.
A few places on the coast of Maine still sell smoked herring and smoked alewives at fairly reasonable prices. Alewives, a large herring, is mostly used as lobster bait, so the fresh variety is pretty cheap -- and bony. Smoking seems to merge the bones into the flesh, making the stuff eatable -- to some anyway.

Since one eats the bones and all, it is probably a good source of calcium. I haven't tried to eat any in years, so don't take this post as gospel.

Weary

[weary]

Here's a link to a New Brunswick outfit:

http://www.leslieandsons.com/index.htm

[sarbar]

Trader Joe's carries salmon jerky in small bags. It is often hid - hanging from a shelf near the pasta.

[Streamweaver]

Take a look inside my fishing pack,youll find all kinds of fish jerky!:eek:Worm jerky:eek:minnow jerky:eek:slug ,eel and leech jerky too!MMM!!!:eek::eek::eek:

[mister krabs]

http://www.smokinannie.com/

http://www.justsmokedsalmon.com/wholesale.html

[camojack]

I'm glad I saw this thread, I just threw some marlin jerky into my food bag, thanks!
(I am leaving tomorrow to hike the Trail in MA)

Anyway, you can order it online HERE (http://www.kbnet.com/seafood/) or HERE (http://www.goodies-from-hawaii.com/marlin_jerky.html) if you're interested.

It's pretty tasty stuff; I get some when I go to Hawaii...

[PKH]

Something that is available in Eastern Canada is smoked haddock or cod. This dries very well and can be eaten as a form of salty jerky, or easily rehydrated for inclusion in soups, stews, rice dishes etc.

Cheers

[minnesotasmith]

When I make contact with him, if that's true and I can get the stuff from him, I'll let everyone know.

PKH, I've been trying to find just that, dried cod/haddock, by contacting companies in SE Canada, but with no success so far. If you know of a specific company (or even just a specific port) that is a source, please pass it on to us.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Anyone know where to get Fish Jerky? Without making it myself. :-?
Japanese food stores have a pretty wide selection of dried sea creatures. Nuttin better than a bag of dried squid to nibble on during a Godzilla v Mothra double feature.

[minnesotasmith]

Japanese food stores have a pretty wide selection of dried sea creatures. Nuttin better than a bag of dried squid to nibble on during a Godzilla v Mothra double feature.

I have on hand/en route to me around 60 small (4 oz.) packages of dried cuttlefish (has to be the mild kind, the hot is IMO inedible as is) which is a very close relative to squid. I only want so much of it; though; it's not really a major staple hiking food, so much as a supplement.


Anyway, dried chopped cuttlefish and sushi-grade seaweed are about the only Oriental foods that IMO work well for me while LD hiking. The lichee gelatin cups I also like occasionally are just too high in water content. Oriental dried fish is universally a bit nasty in my experience, and that's from someone who lived over 5 years in the Orient. I also have low confidence in quality control for non-Japanese origin dried fish.

I believe I still need fish jerky for my ideal (given budget, tastes, and perceived nutritional priorities) thruhike diet. That needs to be of Western origin, preferably cold-water fish that will contain Omega 3 oils.

[the goat]

ms- have you considered just taking along some capsules of fish oil and/or cod liver oil?

it's contains the health benefits of fish, it's much, much cheaper, and easier to carry.

[minnesotasmith]

ms- have you considered just taking along some capsules of fish oil

There appear to be some added advantage in getting at least some of the Omega-3s by eating actual fish. I also want the calories (not as simple carbs, either) and above all the protein. If I can get these without loads of pointless sodium, all the better.

[RITBlake]

My advice? Go to your local COSTO store and buy a 100 pack of snickers bars. Those should get you moving down the trail.

[minnesotasmith]

My advice? Go to your local COSTO store and buy a 100 pack of snickers bars. Those should get you moving down the trail.

Piles of sat fat, simple carbs, preservatives -- think I'll pass. (Yeah, I eat SOME Cadbury bars on the Trail, but that's like one every 5+ days.)

Like Ramen and hot dogs, IMO the serious aspiring thruhiker who wishes to maximize his odds of completion will go very easy on such foods. My rule is that at the very least, eating them once in a while if someone gives them to you is one thing, but NEVER buy any/mail drop any.

I think nutrition is way up there for why would-be thrus drop off the Trail. After running out of stoicism, motivation, money, or time, or getting hurt, that's got to be the main thing left IMO. What, 6 weeks and vitamin deficiencies from a crummy trail diet can start to kick in; that's around Damascus for the nonfasties, where so many bail if they haven't already...

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Amusing idea for trail magic to REALLY "get hikers moving": have really great pizza, burgers, etc. at a road crossing (all with pepper/halapeno), and offer nothing to drink with it but unlimited quantities of cold prune juice... :D

[RITBlake]

I think nutrition is way up there for why would-be thrus drop off the Trail. After running out of stoicism, motivation, money, or time, or getting hurt, that's got to be the main thing left IMO. What, 6 weeks and vitamin deficiencies from a crummy trail diet can start to kick in; that's around Damascus for the nonfasties, where so many bail if they haven't already...


Oh Yah I remember bumping in to a lot of folks who were getting off trail because they weren't getting enough B Vitamins. "ahh man I'm just not getting my B vitamins out here bro, I'm heading home"

Snickers are:

a. Delicious
b. Cheap
c. Packed with energy points
d. Available everywhere (no need to call some obscure Canadian processing center to find them ala Fish Jerky)

[minnesotasmith]

Oh Yah I remember bumping in to a lot of folks who were getting off trail because they weren't getting enough B Vitamins. "ahh man I'm just not getting my B vitamins out here bro, I'm heading home"

Snickers are:

a. Delicious
b. Cheap
c. Packed with energy "points"
d. Available everywhere (no need to call some obscure Canadian processing center to find them ala Fish Jerky)

So are French fries, hot dogs, lard, Ramen, etc. Guess that kind of garbage is all that you eat normally, as well as on a thruhike, right?

Re when aspiring thruhikers get off the Trail... Feeling weak/lousy/short of energy comes up with some frequency in the trail journals I've read. That's their body telling them they're doing something wrong. Whether it's using booze and drugs, not getting neccessary
vitamins/minerals/protein/etc. for month after month over the course of their hikes, not getting enough sleep, not gauging their daily pace over the course of their hike so they don't get overuse injuries from some too-long days, or just having lousy morale from running out of trail friends or motivation, there are lots of potential reasons for a hiker coming to feel that way. Why not eliminate or reduce them where one can?

Proper nutrition has nothing of consequence bad about it; it's like being the one who starts studying for final exams a night before everyone else does, who is the only one in his office that starts saving money or checking out other job openings when layoffs are looming but before they hit, who lugs the extra water for a known dry stretch of trail, or whatever. It's just smart prudence.

[max patch]

MS, I learned long ago that most hikers -- at least the ones on message boards -- don't know much about nutrition. Wasted effort -- similar to discussing politics -- to attempt to change anyones mind.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

I have on hand/en route to me around 60 small (4 oz.) packages of dried cuttlefish (has to be the mild kind, the hot is IMO inedible as is) which is a very close relative to squid. I only want so much of it; though; it's not really a major staple hiking food, so much as a supplement.


Anyway, dried chopped cuttlefish and sushi-grade seaweed are about the only Oriental foods that IMO work well for me while LD hiking. The lichee gelatin cups I also like occasionally are just too high in water content. Oriental dried fish is universally a bit nasty in my experience, and that's from someone who lived over 5 years in the Orient. I also have low confidence in quality control for non-Japanese origin dried fish.

I believe I still need fish jerky for my ideal (given budget, tastes, and perceived nutritional priorities) thruhike diet. That needs to be of Western origin, preferably cold-water fish that will contain Omega 3 oils.
I'm glad it's all about you on this thread now but actually my response was to post #1:)

[minnesotasmith]

MS, I learned long ago that most hikers -- at least the ones on message boards -- don't know much about nutrition. Wasted effort -- similar to discussing politics -- to attempt to change anyones mind.

When one hiker is negative about another hiker's choosing above-average-nutrition food (when there's no practicality issue such as it not keeping well or being loaded with water), beyond just saying they wouldn't care to eat it due to its taste or unconventionality, it reminds me of how some people are severely negative about really fast hikers (who can maintain their pace indefinitely). It even is reminiscent to me of when I was on the cross-country team in high school, and a couple times while running alongside a road some yahoo threw a beer or full-sugar soft drink bottle at me (missed me on both occasions, thankfully). It's not wanting to see someone doing something better than one's self, even if the achiever doesn't talk about it to them.

For anyone not convinced of the importance of good nutrition during a hike long enough to incur nutrient deficiencies, here's a challenge for you:

Look up any one of these words:

Rickets
Scurvy
Pernicious Anemia
Pellagra
Paresthesia
Keratomalacia (sometimes called Night Blindness)
Kwashiorkor
Normochromic Anemia
Megaloblastic Anemia
Hypokalmia
Seborrhic Dermatitis

Then, ask yourself if having 1/50th the severity of symptoms of one of those nutritional deficiency diseases would help or hinder the prospects of completing a thruhike. Morale, energy, mental acuity, resistance to becoming ill, speed of recovery from minor injuries/illness -- all these are related to nutrition during an LD hike, being susceptible to degradation from minor deficiencies over time.

[minnesotasmith]

I'm glad it's all about you on this thread now but actually my response was to post #1:)

My point was that chopped dried cuttlefish is helpful, palatable, inexpensive, and relatively easy to find at Oriental food stores, but that I don't believe it is a complete substitute in a healthy hiker diet for a fish or herbivore jerky. That was all I was trying to get across on that food.

[RITBlake]

Scurvy is for pirates...arghhhhhhh

[minnesotasmith]

Scurvy is for pirates...arghhhhhhh

It's been seen in inner-city elementary schoolchildren in recent years. Bet those kids don't pay attention in class or make any athletic teams...

[mudhead]

Scurvid pirates like nasty dried fish. Aaaaarrrrggghhh!

Snickers rule. Unless you like Payday.

[MOWGLI]

My point was that chopped dried cuttlefish is helpful, palatable, inexpensive, and relatively easy to find at Oriental food stores, but that I don't believe it is a complete substitute in a healthy hiker diet for a fish or herbivore jerky. That was all I was trying to get across on that food.

Here's my question. Based on previous comments, you clearly don't take care of yourself off of the trail. So why do you go to such extremes while on the trail? Wouldn't a little more balance make sense?

Regarding Snickers, I hiked with a nutritionist some in 2000, and she told me that Snicker bars were as healthy for a hiker as just about any energy bar on the market at the time.

[the goat]

Piles of sat fat, simple carbs, preservatives -- think I'll pass. (Yeah, I eat SOME Cadbury bars on the Trail, but that's like one every 5+ days.)

Like Ramen and hot dogs, IMO the serious aspiring thruhiker who wishes to maximize his odds of completion will go very easy on such foods. My rule is that at the very least, eating them once in a while if someone gives them to you is one thing, but NEVER buy any/mail drop any.

I think nutrition is way up there for why would-be thrus drop off the Trail. After running out of stoicism, motivation, money, or time, or getting hurt, that's got to be the main thing left IMO. What, 6 weeks and vitamin deficiencies from a crummy trail diet can start to kick in; that's around Damascus for the nonfasties, where so many bail if they haven't already...


ms- there are a great many successful thrus out there who didn't have nearly as tough a time finishing the trail as you did, who ate snickers once a day (if not twice a day) and have never so much as laid eyes on a piece of dried cuttlefish.:-?

[ed bell]

When one hiker is negative about another hiker's choosing above-average-nutrition food (when there's no practicality issue such as it not keeping well or being loaded with water), beyond just saying they wouldn't care to eat it due to its taste or unconventionality, it reminds me of how some people are severely negative about really fast hikers (who can maintain their pace indefinitely). It even is reminiscent to me of when I was on the cross-country team in high school, and a couple times while running alongside a road some yahoo threw a beer or full-sugar soft drink bottle at me (missed me on both occasions, thankfully). It's not wanting to see someone doing something better than one's self, even if the achiever doesn't talk about it to them.

For anyone not convinced of the importance of good nutrition during a hike long enough to incur nutrient deficiencies, here's a challenge for you:

Look up any one of these words:

Rickets
Scurvy
Pernicious Anemia
Pellagra
Paresthesia
Keratomalacia (sometimes called Night Blindness)
Kwashiorkor
Normochromic Anemia
Megaloblastic Anemia
Hypokalmia
Seborrhic Dermatitis

Then, ask yourself if having 1/50th the severity of symptoms of one of those nutritional deficiency diseases would help or hinder the prospects of completing a thruhike. Morale, energy, mental acuity, resistance to becoming ill, speed of recovery from minor injuries/illness -- all these are related to nutrition during an LD hike, being susceptible to degradation from minor deficiencies over time.Well, just for giggles, I started with rickets. I knew a little about it but I dug deeper to be fair. Are we on the same page here? Keeping an eye on your diet while burning a ton of calories is important. Implying that folks will get diseases that 3rd world children suffer from as a result of malnutrition during a thru hike is alarmist.

[ed bell]

Well, just for giggles, I started with rickets. I knew a little about it but I dug deeper to be fair. Are we on the same page here? Keeping an eye on your diet while burning a ton of calories is important. Implying that folks will get diseases that 3rd world children suffer from as a result of malnutrition during a thru hike is alarmist.I read your comments again and realized that you said even 1/50th of the symptoms would be detrimental. I agree but most if not all are vitamin deficient diseases. Why not this:http://www.centrum.com/product_detail_home.aspx?productid=CENTRUM

[weary]

Snickers has always been among my favorite candy bars over these several decades. When I started a thru hike in 1993, I checked Snickers and it seemed reasonably balanced. So I included them in every mail drop and every supermarket purchase on the trail.

I have never taken vitamins on a regular basis. I didn't on the trail, though once or twice I picked up bottles of "One A Day" at hiker boxes. I don't remember ever finishing a bottle. Most went back into the next hiker box. I was on the trail to simplify my life, not to add complications.

I did frequent "all you can eat" pizza and salad bars -- especially the latter. They were my vitamin pills. I indulged less frequently than most, however, My mail drops envisioned every six days for reprovisioning. Most then, and even more so now, talk about every couple of days.

IN 1993 I was older than most of those I met. I sense that were I hiking today at my age then, I wiould be even older, relative to other older hikers.

Weary

[fiddlehead]

That says a lot Weary. Thanks.
I sometimes read this stuff about how i should be taking vitamins and people telling me that is what's wrong with me when i'm not feeling good. ( just got over Dengue fever and heard it a lot)
But, I have never taken vitamins either. I feel that your body will crave what it needs.
Why do i want that bag of chips on a hot day after a long run? Or that big bowl of Penne and pesto?
I can't see that cuttlefish (squid or Pla Mook here in Thailand) would be a great trail food. I say that simply because the average Thai is skinny and squid is a big part of the diet here. I like the stuff but don't see myself getting the same energy from it like i do from a half o-chicken or Masaman curry with pork.

I think taking daily vitamins is a good marketing gimmick. Sort of like the drug companies and all that advertising they do. Where do they get all the money for that advertising anyway?

[RITBlake]

We need fish jerky in Damascus, I repeat, we are out of fish jerky in Damascus.

[Dazzy001]

I don't really know what when bad here, i feal the need to apologise for bring up this subject matter, I just wanted to know where to get some Fish Jerky!.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

ms- there are a great many successful thrus out there who didn't have nearly as tough a time finishing the trail as you did, who ate snickers once a day (if not twice a day) and have never so much as laid eyes on a piece of dried cuttlefish.:-?
If you have to eat em, eat em in the dark.:D

[minnesotasmith]

I don't really know what when bad here, i feal the need to apologise for bring up this subject matter, I just wanted to know where to get some Fish Jerky!.

The one with the family in the wholesale seafood business. Said if he can't find haddock/cod jerky for sale, he'll arrange to have some made.
He also said that if there's a demand for it from other people, especially a continuing demand, that he'll keep coming up with it to sell. :)

[max patch]

Regarding Snickers, I hiked with a nutritionist some in 2000, and she told me that Snicker bars were as healthy for a hiker as just about any energy bar on the market at the time.

I'd never say that a Powerbar is a "health food", but a chocolate Powerbar compared to a similar sized Snickers:

-has about 90% less saturated fat

-has almost 50% less sugar, and

-has more than twice as much protein.

[minnesotasmith]

I read your comments again and realized that you said even 1/50th of the symptoms would be detrimental. I agree but most if not all are vitamin deficient diseases. Why not this:http://www.centrum.com/product_detail_home.aspx?productid=CENTRUM

1) There are multiple essential nutrients not in any vitamin/mineral supplement pill, or not in nearly enough quantity. These range from Calcium (only about 10% of RDA common in multivits due to its excessive bulk) to Essential Fatty Acids (none) to some obscure minerals to the various essential amino acids.

2) There is reason to believe that synthetic-origin vitamins are less useful to the body than biologic-origin ones. 99.999% of vits (other than "E", which mainly comes from wheat germ oil) in multivits are synthetic, FYI. The reason is that the specifications on what constitutes a vitamin when synthesized are too lax. For example, synthetic Bs commonly are sold as a 50/50 mixture of "right" and "left" handed molecules, called in Organic Chemistry a "racemic mixture". As the body only uses one "handed" type (enantiomer, or optical isomer", the other half of the vitamin you paid for is waste at best, if it doesn't go on to interfere with absorption/utilization of the "good" kind (which it may).

3) There are nutrients not yet identified, so cannot be added in pure form to any multivit pill. It is an axiom of industrial microbiology (which I have worked in) that adding a complex nutritional supplement (cane or beet molasses, organ meats such as liver, blood, milk, etc., depending on the organism) to a fermenter will speed up growth beyond any "pure" nutrient mixture that can be devised.

4) There are a few desirable compounds found in certain foods worth going out of one's way to add to one's diet where possible. Examples include flavonoids found in blueberries/purple (NOT green!) grapes, lycopenes found in highly processed tomato foods, and of course Omega-3 oils as found in deep coldwater fish (haddock, cod, herring, nonfarmed salmon, sardines, mackerel, swordfish, anchovies, etc.) and to a lesser extent in flax products. Again, these will rarely if ever be in multivits at all, and never in sufficient quantities to get maximum benefit.

I do use multivits on LD hikes, but am keenly aware of their lacks.