View Full Version : Food Variety
blackbird04217
11-11-2008, 01:28
Well, I am very well on my way to committing to my very first thru-hike, GA->ME, and don't have much experience. I am hoping to learn a lot on the trail. I was looking through this topic and some other articles here and haven't seen all that much variety in foods, at the moment food is the only concern I have and I would like some more input on what people carry for foods and can resupply in towns.
From my reading I've learned that cooking times matter, and should be kept to a minimum, which kinda surprised me. The only foods I've really seen are the fruit bars thread and another about dehydrating pasta, which brought me to wondering whats the difference between dehydrated pasta and uncooked pasta? Perhaps the cook times? My current plan was ramen noodles, they are light weight, semi small and just pouring hot water on them will cook them.
Any thoughts, or did I miss a big sign pointing to a massive list of foods?! Thanks in advance.
in a word, sarbar
approx 180 days of ramen will drive you up a wall.
read through the cooking and food section. lots of good ideas and thoughts there. Find sarbar;s web page and buy her book. you will be redy then.
Grinder
Personal preference is such a huge factor in food choice that it's impossible to lay down simple rules. One person may hike for months eating the same thing day after day. Others are more finicky, and are easily put off their feed by repetition. Still others have particular requirements--vegetarian, no wheat, etc. Budget is a big determining factor.
My chief suggestion is that you spend as many weekends and holidays between now and your intended starting date doing short backpacking trips. Experiment.
There's the cold food route: bread/bagels/tortillas/pitas with peanut butter/honey/jam/apricots or cheese spreads of various kinds; energy bars; Carnation Instant Breakfast; Pop Tarts; apples and peeled carrots; candy bars (my personal favorite); foil-packed tuna/salmon/chicken breasts...
There's a world of packaged foods you can cook: Rice-A-Roni, Lipton Sides, ramen, instant mashed potatoes, the traditional mac and cheese... Some people do pre-soak regular pasta, but I personally find that disgusting. It is fun to cruise the grocery store aisles to see what quick-cooking stuff you might adapt to trail cooking.
There's also the just-add-water school. (No pot cleaning!) There are many commercial brands, such as Mountain House. You can order those in bulk, which cuts the cost considerably. Or you can make your own. Search "freezer bag cooking" in the toolbar.
Food can be a key ingredient (!) in making your hike enjoyable. It's rather fun to experiment with, too. Enjoy, and
Welcome to Whiteblaze!
It all comes down to what you like food wise. Some people could eat the same meal for 6 months and others would get bored and revolt if they had to eat a meal more than once every two weeks ;)
As for cooking/fuel it comes down to what you are happy with carrying. Will you be using an alchy stove? A canister stove? Are you going UL or traditional pack weight? Will you carry a real pot (say 2L) or just a small kettle to boil water in?
Are you going to do mail drops or eat out of stores on the way?
After you know what type of cook you are then start thinking about what you like to eat at home! Most likely you will want quick meals. If you do actual cooking, try to keep it under 5-7 minutes for fuel use. You can help that by using a pot cozy even with pasta (bring to a boil, cook for a couple minutes, then put the pot in the cozy for 10 minutes or so to finish cooking).
Obviously, I do a lot with FBC - the recipes I create work well used in freezer bag, insulated mugs or one pot style as well.
And hey, ramen isn't horrid if you dress it up ;) I just know I couldn't eat it every day though.
peakbagger
11-11-2008, 17:44
My normal supper meal was a Lipton (now Knorr) noodle variety that I mixed in dehydrated veggies that I bought in bulk and usually dehydrated chicken. Most store carry at least 12 varieties of Liptons and I swear there must be 30 out there as I always find different ones in different stores.
Most store carry at least 12 varieties of Liptons and I swear there must be 30 out there as I always find different ones in different stores.
Regional blends :) Stove Top Stuffing does that as well!
blackbird04217
11-11-2008, 19:10
Well guys thanks for answering my question and pointing me to some addition sources that I had missed. I believe I would be capable of eating the same old, but I am quite a picky eater in the beginning so I am trying to find things I can't mess up. As far as cooking utensils go I haven't quite figured out what will work best and be in the budget.
Also what is the typical walking distance from the trail to a grocer to resupply food. And maybe some worst case scenarios for that. I am not planning on being an ultra-light packer, and I really don't feel like spending a lot of time walking in to/out of towns. But thanks for some ideas on different foods it will help! Taking this one step to a time, and for now its research and planning.
Here's a thread about food and how to get variety. Should help you out.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=40746&highlight=Lunch+dinner
Blissful
11-11-2008, 23:38
The only cooking utensil you need is a Lexan spoon for eighty cents at an outdoor shop.
You will very much like walking down the road when your stomach is craving a burger or that deli sandwich... :) Check AT guides like the data book, ALDHA companion, etc for distances to resupply. Distances vary like the stars.
Serial 07
11-12-2008, 00:01
bagels and cream cheese...i love cereal and powdered milk...you break out the lucky charms and people notice...you'll learn while hiking...
Dicentra
11-13-2008, 10:43
It all depends on how much energy you want to put in at home or in camp... Do you want to make full meals and dehydrate them? Do freezerbag cooking? Do real (one pot) cooking on the trail? Are you happy with slim jims and pepperoni sticks or do you want something more "gourmet"?
My suggestion would be to look at a few backcountry cook books and the recipe websites that are available (mine, sarbar's) to get some ideas.
I would start practicing in your kitchen at home with your kettle and a pot cozy. There are many good meals you can prepare by just boiling or near boiling water and then pouring it onto your food in an insulated pot. When you are just trying things out for taste it doesn't matter, but if you are testing your cozy system you could pop it in the fridge. Once you get a sense of the food you like, then you might figure out what sort of stove you want and start practicing with it. I would test a cheap homemade alcohol stove system first because they are cheap and fun and safe and you can always try a more expensive stove later.
brooklynkayak
11-13-2008, 12:21
My current plan was ramen noodles, they are light weight, semi small and just pouring hot water on them will cook them.
Ramen soups and many other quick meals are mostly air and take up too much space in the pack for long trips.
It takes 3 or 4 of those ramen packets to fill me and the nutrition sucks. Not very satsifying if you are going to be on the trail a while.
Real white rice, oatmeal and angel hair pasta with dehydrated meat, cheese, nuts and veggies take up far less pack space and only take a little longer to cook.
I have found that the freeze dried meals like Mountain House also take up too much space for long hikes, besides, they almost always have to much salt and not enough seasoning for my taste.
stevie