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Trooper
08-01-2009, 22:20
What do you usually eat on the trail? Any special prep needed?

Phreak
08-01-2009, 22:24
What do you usually eat on the trail? Any special prep needed?
I typically dehydrate homemade chili, stew, pot roast, casseroles,etc... or instant pasta and rice dishes.

Summit
08-01-2009, 22:32
After many years of instant pasta and rice dishes, I kinda burned out on them. Add my conversion to using a Jetboil a few years ago and I have been sticking with Mountain House meals for dinner. I grocery store bag everything else though.

Breakfasts: Flavored oatmeal or favorite cereal and powdered milk w/coffee - alternative: breakfast bars
Lunch/brunch/whatever: I've found snacking from mid-morning on to work better for me than having a heavy lunch - gorp, dried fruit, cheese (Monterrey Jack), beef jerky - eat a little every leg break (2 hours apart).
Dinner - Mountain House Meals for two (makes enough for one as a "one pot meal") w/Crystal Lite tea

superman
08-01-2009, 22:32
I do almost no prep and all my lipton meals vary between burned and soupy. The good thing is that no one...including the bears, would steal my cooked food. I have a long tradition of bad trail food.:)

ShelterLeopard
08-02-2009, 00:13
My trail food: Pasta Sides by Knorr (or maybe it's Korr) are really good, and they have variety, also discovered that they have rice dishes too. (Basically like the backpacker meals but actually taste good and cost so much less), also snickers and milkyways, oatmeal, cheese, pita bread, peanut butter and hummus (cheese and pita last ages, longer when it's cold out), dried michigan cherries, and sometimes salt and vinegar almonds (but only when I'm very near a water source). But NO GRANOLA for me. I hate granola in any form. Sometimes Ramen, if I feel like it, but it isn't very filling.

Also I get a bunch of stuff when I'm in town, like boxes of cereal, sandwich stuff (make 'em in town, plastic bag 'em and go- but I only really do that in colder weather), cookies, small amount of fruit, etc...

ShelterLeopard
08-02-2009, 00:13
Also, when I'm doing a short hike, like two or three days I make biscuits (beautiful golden brown, baked in my twiggy fire) and pancakes. But probably not for my thru.

Trailweaver
08-02-2009, 02:05
O.K. I confess. . . I carry heavy food. I like to eat well on the trail and I haven't found dehydrated meals that I like. I cook so well that people around me come to watch and drool. I'm a section hiker, and this makes a difference, too.

One favorite is fried catfish with a side of new potatoes. (freeze the catfish fillets, bury them in your pack the morning you leave, and they'll be just right for cooking at dinner) This obviously needs to be your first day meal.

I also fix chicken and dressing - a boxed dressing cooked as directed, a can or pouch of chicken added when dressing is almost done. Side of dehydrated peas. (O.K. - they taste like peas - all other dehydrated food I've had doesn't taste too well to me.)

Rice dishes with tuna or chicken added.

Chilli mac.

I'd be interested in seeing more "southern food" trail recipies. . . anyone got some they use?

The Mechanical Man
08-02-2009, 02:29
All you need is two cups of boiling water for most of the dinners, I eat em everytime. :)



#1 brand of backpacking foods for over 30 years, Mountain House.

http://www.mountainhouse.com/

ShelterLeopard
08-02-2009, 15:16
Mountain house is expensive though- and the pasta sides by Knorr taste better (in my opinion, of course)

I do admit, there are some pretty good mountain house meals, and it's nice that you can just pour the hot water in the bag, zip it and let it sit- great for if you're tired, and sometimes I'll put on in my food bag to break up monotony, but I don't like most of 'em.

bigcranky
08-02-2009, 16:15
Almost anything that comes in a bag or a pouch in the grocery store can be dinner. Knorr pasta and sauce mixes are good, as are rice and sauce. Adding a bag of chicken makes them even better. I like the Teriyaki Noodles and Sauce best -- tastes good, and not too much glop.

Many hikers make mac and cheese, maybe adding a pouch of tuna or salmon.

For weekend hikes I like making freezer bag meals (http://www.trailcooking.com/). Instant brown rice makes a great base for a lot of meals, as does couscous. I also like instant refried beans -- mmmmm, trail burritos.

IN summer, I just eat cold food, same as I eat for lunch. Crackers and cheese, tuna wraps, jerky, that sort of thing. Too hot to cook.

AggieAl
08-02-2009, 16:32
A cheaper way to do Mountain House dinners is to buy the #10 cans and repackage them in ziploc bags. This also has the advantage of being able to use the serving size you want.

Knorr stuff is good. You can add freeze tried meat for extra protein. This is also available in Mountain House #10 cans.

ShelterLeopard
08-02-2009, 18:08
I was thinking of trying some of the mountain house meals with meat- on most of my other long hikes I was vegetarian, so now I have a whole new avenue to explore. MEAT! Besides, I've only ever done a 1-2 week solo (everything else has been with other people or shorter), and the first two weeks for me are the weeks when I'm not hungry, so I have a feeling that after week three, I'll be demolishing everything I've packed. So I need to figure out how much to bring.

And thanks about the mountain house idea- I didn't know that they come in larger portions.

summermike
08-02-2009, 19:15
Colcannon with gravy and TVP; paneer curry with pilao rice; black beans with corn and cilantro; cheddar & broccoli noodles; stroganoff with Quorn; burritos with corn tortillas, cheese and Tabasco; cheddar & zucchini quesadillas.

mister krabs
08-02-2009, 19:38
Colcannon with gravy and TVP; paneer curry with pilao rice; black beans with corn and cilantro; cheddar & broccoli noodles; stroganoff with Quorn; burritos with corn tortillas, cheese and Tabasco; cheddar & zucchini quesadillas.

where do you get corn tortillas big enough to make burritos without tearing? I much prefer corn tortillas over flour and would love to do this.

Wise Old Owl
08-08-2009, 10:35
where do you get corn tortillas big enough to make burritos without tearing? I much prefer corn tortillas over flour and would love to do this.


Uhh I thought you just made them smaller - sounds like you are over stuffing them.

Hoop Time
08-08-2009, 11:06
One favorite is fried catfish with a side of new potatoes. (freeze the catfish fillets, bury them in your pack the morning you leave, and they'll be just right for cooking at dinner) This obviously needs to be your first day meal.

I have done the same with good sausages (particularly like a smoked apple sausage one of our local farmers' market stands makes) or German franks (not your Ballpark franks type hotdogs, but top quality natural skin casing franks -- preferably Hoffmans brand from Syracuse, NY).

The great thing about sausages is you can cook them on a stick and don't need a pan big enough to hold them.

I also like to take the added step of freezing a small bottle of water, which I put inside a ziploc with the meat for a little added refrigeration, which becomes a very refreshing cold drink by dinner time that first night.

Add a side of instant roasted garlic mashed taters, with some good aged cheddar mixed in, and you have damned near a gourmet feast.

summermike
08-08-2009, 12:17
where do you get corn tortillas big enough to make burritos without tearing? I much prefer corn tortillas over flour and would love to do this.

I use the small ones and make several.

sarbar
08-11-2009, 10:05
Out here I can find corn tortillas that are pan sized! And they are thinner, making rolling easier.

LaurieAnn
08-11-2009, 10:21
O.K. I confess. . . I carry heavy food. I like to eat well on the trail and I haven't found dehydrated meals that I like. I cook so well that people around me come to watch and drool. I'm a section hiker, and this makes a difference, too.

My food is fairly light but I carry good food that I have dehydrated myself - generally as a whole meal. I'm a section hiker too (Bruce Trail) so there is a difference.

Some of our dinners include...

Moroccan Chicken Stew
Crab or Salmon Cakes
Quinoa and Spinach Soup
Chili with a side of Bannock Bread
Lentil Soup (Greek Style)
Lentil Soup (Mulligatawny - Indian Style)
Hungarian Goulash
Pasta Puttanesca
Pasta with Tomato, Garlic, Basil Sauce
Pizza (only on some trips)
Chicken Stew and Dumplings
Beef Stew
Quinoa with Veggies
Couscous Primavera
Pasta Carbonara
Chipotle Pulled Pork
Baja Chicken with Beans and Rice
Minestrone
African Chicken and Groundnut Stew
Cuban Pork Stew
Linguini with Clam Sauce
Clam Orecchiette
Ginger Mango Chicken with Cashews
Garlic Shrimp with Orange and Balsamic Sauce
Ravioli with Red Sauce
Tortellini Soup

TD55
08-11-2009, 10:35
where do you get corn tortillas big enough to make burritos without tearing? I much prefer corn tortillas over flour and would love to do this.
Try steaming them first. Just lay them (one at a time) over the top of your pot. Do both sides. I empty my pot of the ingredients and add water. When you are done you have hot pot washing water.

sherrill
08-11-2009, 15:17
I admire you guys (sarbar, laurieann, et. al.) that make your own dinners. I hope when I don't work so much I can experiment too, so I appreciate all that you guys put out there for info on this.

Anyway, me and the wife did a hike this weekend and cooked up a couple of Knorr Spanish Rice sides, and on a whim, cut up some summer sausages and threw 'em in. It was damn tasty!

LaurieAnn
08-11-2009, 15:45
I admire you guys (sarbar, laurieann, et. al.) that make your own dinners. I hope when I don't work so much I can experiment too, so I appreciate all that you guys put out there for info on this.

Anyway, me and the wife did a hike this weekend and cooked up a couple of Knorr Spanish Rice sides, and on a whim, cut up some summer sausages and threw 'em in. It was damn tasty!

Thanks sherrill. Often times I am merely dehydrating leftovers from our suppers at home. That takes a lot of the work out of it. I guess I am lucky that this is part of my career so I get to play around in the kitchen more often.

I bet the Spanish Rice and Summer Sausage was tasty. I tried the Knorr Sante Fe Rice the other week. It was one of those new Knorr Sides Plus Veggies things and I could see a spicy sausage working with that too.

spindle
08-11-2009, 15:59
What do you usually eat on the trail? Any special prep needed?

On the AT? Whatever catches my eye when resupplying. Usually in quantity. I've been sectioning it in 140-160 mile chunks and will only carry a couple days worth of food at the most to minimize weight. Instant rice, instant potatoes, or Ramen as a base and toss in pouch tuna, chicken, summer sausage, Spam.

I've been known to order pizza when it's an option. Or pack in pizza/subs/sandwiches/whatever from town.

Lunches are usually gorp, jerky, string cheese, tuna & crackers.

Breakfasts are instant oatmeal, grits..or more instant potatoes.

For non-AT trails I preprepare FBC using Sarbar & Dicentras books for ideas. Or if really lazy, order Enertia meals. :D

Always, always minimal preparation. Boiling water is enough thanks. At the end of a 15-25 mile day, fussing with too much cooking stuff is irritating.

sarbar
08-11-2009, 19:59
I eats whatever sounds good at the time. I change by the week on what sounds good :D

sarbar
08-11-2009, 20:03
But I will admit that my meals are based on if I have the boy and or the husband with me. If Ford comes along then the meals are quite bigger and usually have a large amount of protein.
Ford and I do FBC nearly always, if the husband is along I will usually do a one pot meal since he likes pampering - and it gives me a chance to try out new ideas. As well, we don't do miles on those trips - they are usually photography and/or video trips with me carrying all the family gear.