Cold food

[Papa Bear]

To save weight on my upcoming bushwhack/traverse of the Pemi, I am cutting everything possible from my load (subject to safety concerns).

One thing I can live without for one day is hot food - so there goes the stove and fuel. But throwing in a pile of apples, cheese, and energy bars would add back some weight since these contain lots of water.

Any suggestion on DRY food that can be reconstituted with COLD water and still have a semblance of palatability? I don't have a home dehydrator so I'm looking for store bought stuff.

Thanks
Pb

 

[jul]

couscous is good cold, but I must admit it's better with dehydrated veggies in it.

Also, you can get dry (dehydrated) hummus at natural food stores. That's tasty cold.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

I believe you can rehydrate any food with cold water... just takes a day instead of 15 minutes.

 

[afka_bob]

Instant pudding w/powdered milk! Five minutes.

If you carry canned food, make sure it has a lot of fat, not just water -- corned beef hash works cold, at least as well as cold couscous.

Salami and cheese are no problem in the summer for day hikes.

Bagels and peanut butter.

Snickers bars have more fat than water.

 

[NYBRAD]

I believe that you can buy bulk dry beans and soak them in water.

 

[brianW]

Fantastic instant refried beans spread on a tortilla with some cheddar.

 

[Mark Driscoll]

Hi,

You can go to RET and they have a few dried foods that you add cold water or no water; they are mostly cereals or desserts. Ah eating desserts for every meal!!!

You could also bring your own favorite cereal and some powdered milk, just add water.

Mark

 

[stoopid]

I use MREs for this reason -- warm meal, little added weight (compared to the weight of a stove).

Beef jerky is a good protein source, granola and fruit-based trail mix if I HAD to live for a day without any fire/heat...

 

[woodstrider]

A good idea is...

instant Mashed potatoes and throw in some cheddar (not money).

TVP-a soy protein that is light weight.

 

[Gris]

Not all "dry food," but all relatively light weight no-cook favorites of mine:

Breakfast - Add your favorite dried fruit and some powdered milk to granola or Muselix and put in a sturdy zip lock bag, then just add water and eat right from the bag. Don't forget a spoon/spork!

Lunch - Old fashioned crunchy peanut butter, dried apricots and/or raisins and honey mixed together in a sturdy zip lock bag. Take along a half loaf of good firm unsliced bread or some muffins from the bakery. All you need is a knife to help cut/tear the bread, unnecessary w muffins.

Snacks - Take some nuts. The fat will take the egde off your appetite.

Dinner - A loaf of french bread and some good white cheese. Better yet throw in a tin of deviled ham or corned beef and some restaurant mustard packets.

Dessert - Fig Newtons. Eat them slowly.

Don't go too overboard on the food weight savings. Gotta have god fuel baby!

 

[IndianChris]

Pepperoni and crackers works real good with some heavily enhanced M&M gorp for desert...mmmmmm. Wouldn't want to eat it three meals a day though.

I went with a buddy one time who ate nothing but granola bars and cliff bars all weekend - I don't think he shat for a week. I find that eating a lot of gorp and grainy stuff binds me up too. I solve the problem now by taking a spoonful of fiber-all with a glass of water before and after the trip - works miracles. Sorry to get off track.

Good luck and let us know what you wound up packing and the pros/cons when you get back.

 

[Rick]

Papbear,
This isn;t dehyd, but it is pretty light for a nice meal.

You cold always make chicken or tuna salad with dry pack (Sweet Sue brand comes to mind) chicken or tuna and some small mayonaise or mustard packets. Squirt the mayo & Mustard into the plastic pouch, work it over by squeezing the pouch and then spread on crackers, bagels or even cheese.
Reseal the sweet sue bag and pack it out. I think tops your at 3.5-4.0 ounces plus a bagel.

 

[MichaelJ]

Whatever you do, try it first at home! Tastes vary tremendously (for example, unlike Jul (no offense) I think rehydrated hummus is nasty) and you don't want to find out too late what you like and can't stand.

BTW - I want to second the instant pudding idea for ANY backpacking trip. Bring one of the really big zip-loc bags preloaded with the mix. At your campsite, fill it with the right amount of water, then put the whole thing in the stream or spring to chill. Makes for an excellent, tasty dessert in a half-hour or so.

 

[Tahawus]

Fantastic blackbean dip for me, with some flat bread or tortillas and cheese. Mix it up in the morning or the night before, put it in a baggy and it's a filling meal on the trail. also jalapeno sardines on Wasa crackers are great too. Wasa crackers are tough as nails, very light and great tasting.

 

[Remix]

Oatmeal, grits, and bacon bits!

 

[Dugan]

NYBRAD: depends on the beans. Soaking most legumes for a day will not get them soft enough to chew. Without cooking, you'd need to let them sprout which takes days. Some of the small, fast cooking legumes (lentils, split peas, or mung, maybe soy grits) might be okay with just soaking.

For grains that don't need cooking, you'd need to use cracked (like a whole grain meusli mix), then soak for hours. An instant rice (Minute) might be okay with just soaking. Personally, I wouldn't want grains ground more finely than a coarse polenta, otherwise the result is gluey.

Whole Foods has good instant refried beans, dehydrated black beans, and other dehydrated soup mixes that can be rehydrated with just soaking, though their instructions recommend cooking. They've also got a couple of cracked grain cereals than can be "cooked" with just soaking, but you've got to start them the night before.

Another instant dessert treat... instant cheesecake mix!

 

[Big Oaf]

i like to bring a tin or bottle of anchovies and some hard crackers. good fats/carb/protein. the olive oil can be used to top a salad too.

 

[Jim lombard]

I agree with Remix, grits and bacon bits are great. What about good old peanut butter and pita? Didn't some lady hike the whole AT eating just peanut butter?

 

[Mad Townie]

Jim, I'm not sure "somebody hiked the whole AT eating only . . ." is the best recommendation. A couple years ago there was a young guy who hiked the whole AT eating only frosting from those tubes you buy at the supermarket.

The Shaws wouldn't let him leave their place for a few days while they fed him and fattened him up a little!

I like the pita-and-PB routine, though. Light, easily packed, nutritious and tasty (if you like peanut butter).

 

[ecc]

You can also use a pepsi-can stove with denatured alcohol to heat up water for dehydrated hot food. The stove and fuel weigh only a few ounces–the stove weighs .4 of an ounce. Percious from this forum makes and sells them on e-bay and they are also available from anti-gravity gear on the web.
ecc