What Are Your Favorite Foods For Longterm Storage?

[Squidward]

Expecting a lot of snow this weekend, so tomorrow morning I'm headed to the boat to spend the night. I'll be able to work on my projects and shovel snow as needed, but once I arrive I'll probably be stuck for a bit. So bringing a few TV dinners and Kraft Mac&Cheese and Eggos and stuff.

Actually been meaning to fill out the boat's pantry for awhile. Sometimes you get peckish while cruising, sometimes plans change and you wind up somewhere that you can't easily resupply.

What do you like to keep onboard?

 

[Simi 60]

Define long term

We stay out full time and reprov can be several months appart.
Freezers have us still eating fillet steaks, pork roast, rump steak curries, pulled pork and and and.

Fresh greens are the only problem.

 

[Squidward]

For a season or longer I guess.

 

[Delta Riverat]

You guys are way ahead of me.

I was thinking canned fish (kippers - tuna), microwave stuff, cup-o-noodles, the 1.5 cu-ft freezer...

Three months? Yeah, not there yet.

 

[AlaskaProf]

For a season or longer I guess.

I always kept a large base store of non-refrigerated imperishibles, canned chili, soups, Spam (honest! properly prepared, as good as bacon) dried, pastas, smoked fish, spices jarred sauces and dressings, etc. All of these to be rendered edible by eventual introduction of fresh comestibles.

Pre-departure shopping was a quick and easy matter of a few meats, eggs, potatoes, onions, cabbage and shove off.

Habits developed in 20 - 23' sailboats with a 1-burner Sea-Swing stove served me well even when boats got bigger and galleys more sophisticated.

And I still like to prepare "homemade canned pea soup."

 

[O C Diver]

Freezer space for me is key. Meats and frozen vegetables occupy 2 smaller freezers. Non refrigerated storage includes pasta, rice, soups, oatmeal, canned meat, canned vegetables, and other canned goods. Between a Crockpot, microwave, grill, and rice cooker, I can usually make something.

Ted

 

[mvweebles]

Cabbage will keep several weeks in the bilge. There are several different salads that can be made with cabbage beyond traditional mayonaise-based slaw. Carrots, onions, and potatoes also keep well. We wrap each in a paper towel and stack them loosly in a milk crate down low. Legumes such as lentils and dried beans. Lentils can be sprouted in a few days and are a nice addition to salads and such. Assortment of grains such as quinoa, barely, and rice. Assortment of pastas such as orzo and pearl couscous.

We find that having hi-flavor profile additives helps extend a larder. Small cans of chipotle peppers; green chiles; etc. Hi-quality parmagiano reggiano cheese goes a long way in the freezer (the rinds are used in soups such as lentils).

Peter

 

[Nick F]

I like to carry long-life milk (pasteurised - lasts forever without refrigeration), but I cant find it in N America these days.

 

[rslifkin]

I like to carry long-life milk (pasteurised - lasts forever without refrigeration), but I cant find it in N America these days.

Check some of the lactose free options. At least some are ultra-pasteurized. I've never tried keeping them out of the fridge, but they last quite a few weeks in the fridge (compared to a week or so after opening for regular milk).

 

[mvweebles]

I like to carry long-life milk (pasteurised - lasts forever without refrigeration), but I cant find it in N America these days.

Shelf-stable milk is hard to find in the US. Usually near the baking ingredients and is expensive. In Mexico, refrigerated milk is tough to find- everything is shelf-stable cartons. It's pretty inexpensive - the Krkland/Costco brand is about $10 for a case of 12 liters. Using it was a bit of a oddity at first since I had only known refrigerated milk all my life. Taste and texture is identical. Works really well for me as I use if for granola in the morning, and even then only a couple times per week. Anything larger than a quart would go bad before I finish.

Would also add yogurt to the list as it stays decent for well over a month and can be used for several things beyond standard yogurt type stuff. I guess add nuts, jams, and condiments such as ketchup and mustsrd to the long term list too as they last a long time and require no refrigeration (except for jam).

Peter

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Meals are one of the highlights of our boat traveling. We rarely use the microwave except for popcorn.


Even with only a small freezer you can easily store a few weeks worth of meat items, especially for just one person. Steak, chops sausages, burgers, etc. We cook most of our meals on the rail mounted BBQ.

Mac and cheese and spaghetti stuff have a long shelf life. Beef Jerky and candy are good snacks and supplements.

A grocery store deli every few days is a good variety builder, roast chicken, etc.

pete

 

[Bacchus]

My mate stocks " hurricane supplies" when cruising or motorhoming. EZ meals that will store well w/o refrigeration and provide "fillin" when provisioning isn't convenient.
Canned clams & can of red or white clam sauce and pasta a favorite.
Canned tuna can be used different ways... sandwiches, casseroles, salads
Sardines similar
Jar of chipped beef... appetizers or main meals
Jars of sauce & pasta lots of options.
Shelf stored bacon... breakfast, lunch or dinner options
Soup mixes, boxed casseroles, Mac & cheese
Smoked meats keep very well for shorter periods

 

[Marco Flamingo]

The improvements in powdered milk have made shelf-stabile cartons obsolete. I was amazed when I first tried powdered whole milk. Having not drank anything but 2% refrigerated milk at home, and remembering the gag reflex caused by Carnation Instant Milk, this stuff is great. It dissolves best in room temp water, then refrigerate for drinking or use right then in coffee, clam chowder, scones, etc. It's a space saver and always nice to have a gallon of whole milk aboard.

I probably have two weeks worth of food onboard at any given time. Some canned, but other stuff in pouches (like tuna fish, already cooked rice, curry sauces). Nothing in the freezer, too much hassle. Actually, I keep Blue Ice blocks in the freezer so that we can turn off the fridge every night. We are in the quiet boat club. For meat onboard, I can it at home. We tend to eat a lot of fish caught along the way. Our fridge is basically for produce (and white wine).

One of my latest finds is True Lime, a powdered crystallized lime juice in little packets. It's intended to be added to water to add some zing. Powerful stuff. I haven't tried this yet, but I think it would work just like fresh lime juice and be great for ceviche, one of our favorites.

Eating well is one of our boating pleasures. I'd sell the boat before eating boxed macaroni and cheese.

 

[jleonard]

Spam, of course.

And if you can find fresh eggs that have never been refrigerated, they will last several weeks on the counter.

 

[Crux]

Spam, of course.

And if you can find fresh eggs that have never been refrigerated, they will last several weeks on the counter.

And, never been washed...

 

[AlaskaProf]

An example of zero refrigeration cuisine.


Central is the smoked Alaska salmon. Foil sealed, it keeps forever. I usually kept at least a couple in long-term stores. Get it at Costco.

 

[Piratefoxy]

One of my latest finds is True Lime, a powdered crystallized lime juice in little packets. It's intended to be added to water to add some zing. Powerful stuff. I haven't tried this yet, but I think it would work just like fresh lime juice and be great for ceviche, one of our favorites.

I'm not sure True Lime would have the right amount of acid to 'cook' the fish in ceviche, but it certainly works well as a fresh juice alternative for plenty of other things. We use it all the time even at home because it's just so much easier to have on hand than fresh limes that go bad. We also have True Lemon and True Orange, although I really only use the orange for adding to water to change the taste. The True Lemon gets used as a lemon juice replacement same as the True Lime.

(I'm not saying the True Lime definitely wouldn't work for ceviche - I'd just test it with a tiny amount of fish first so if it doesn't work you haven't messed up a whole batch of food. You can also get just plain powdered citric acid, food grade, which would allow you to trivially tweak the acid level of the True Lime as needed, so that might be something to consider?)

Oh, btw, in the US for shelf-stable milk look for smaller (single-serving size) tetra-packs often from Horizon brand. I've found it at CostCo in the past. We keep some in our RV as an emergency back up in case we end up going longer between supermarkets than intended.

 

[long-cours.62]

On the former boat our project in 2014 was try to pass the NE passage...but our president cancel the sale of two war ship and for our visa and authorization to stay in the north of Russia ....the answer was negative.
But for that we had more than 18 month of food for two people...
And now some of this can remains on board ! Still good no problem of storage. In France we have a various type of can "magret de canards" " Cassoulets" " manchon de canards" all type of fish can, also "corned beef" even if year after year the quality of this became worst and worst at the origine you have a real part of beef inside now only fat and meat miked :-(.
Of course all type of noodle, rice, Ebly, couscous etc and ..chocolate !!!


No problem of storage if stay in dry place except for the can of tomato "sauce" they absolutely don't like waiting long time after the limit date ...fermentation it became a "bomb"
Also one year we got an invasion of "mites alimentaires" first time in 45 year !

But we lost "flocon d'avoine" "semoule fine" flour ... and some chocolate

 

[Lollygag1]

We grow Butternut squash and have them all winter
Also frozen bags homemade spaghetti sauce along w bags of frozen clams in juice

 

[nobles9596]

Remember its not just fresh eggs it is UNWASHED fresh eggs. May times fresh eggs are washed because they get poop on them. Once they are washed, even if they are fresh it washes the membrane off the egg that prevents air from getting inside and the egg to spoil

 

[kthoennes]

Cabbage will keep several weeks in the bilge...

I'm not sure I'm coming to dinner on your boat anytime soon Peter. Or if I do, I'll bring my own cabbage.

 

[Benthic2]

In the US ALL eggs have to be refridgerated, by law.

from the USDA: Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on earth and can be part of a healthy diet. However, they are perishable just like raw meat, poultry, and fish. Unbroken, clean, fresh shell eggs may contain Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. While the number of eggs affected is quite small, there have been cases of foodborne illness in the last few years. To be safe, eggs must be safely handled, promptly refrigerated, and thoroughly cooked.

The US processes eggs differently than other countries resulting in a shell that is porous. Because of this it is also not a good idea to let eggs warm up to room temperature as condensation on the shell can carry salmonello inside the egg.

 

[kthoennes]

Huh -- I was interested to read Marco's post about improvements in powdered milk. When I was a kid only poor people used powdered milk and it was always gray and watery (no matter how much powder you used) and triggered my gag reflex too. Even on cereal it was disgusting. My grandmother used it and my mother always said it was a holdover habit from the Depression when they'd also wash used aluminum foil and smooth it out with the back of a spoon so it could be reused. On the other hand, Gram's chicken carcass soup was delicious, Depression recipe or not.

 

[socalrider]

We've had no issues using US eggs kept at room temp for several weeks (2-3 probably). I've heard of people coating eggs in vasoline to keep them fresh for months without refrigeration, but never tried it ourselves.

Our secret no-refrigeration ingredient: a really good block of Pecorino Romano cheese, which can be grated over just about anything to make it more delicious.

We tried the whole powdered milk thing last year & found it pretty difficult to mix properly. One of my daughters is lactose intolerant anyway so we don't use much milk anymore.

 

[bpgt3]

Have any of you ever used almond or oat milk? We exclusively drink almond milk and can get it in unrefridgerated cartons. We cook with it too. I'm sure it isn't the same but I prefer almond milk now.

 

[Crux]

We've had no issues using US eggs kept at room temp for several weeks (2-3 probably). I've heard of people coating eggs in vasoline to keep them fresh for months without refrigeration, but never tried it ourselves.


Yes, that's true.....some say use mineral oil.....the early circumnavs Roths and Hiscocks always mentioned it....

For really great taste, try farm fresh duck eggs!

 

[tpbrady]

Costco pretty much always has shelf stable milk, whole, 2%, and almond. As for long term, we always have Pilot Bread on board and at home. Easy to find in Alaska, not so much any where else other than Amazon.

Tom

 

[Benthic2]

Peanut butter and jelly on saltine ( or Ritz ) crackers !!!

 

[Marco Flamingo]

The mention of pilot bread reminded me of something else. Vacuum sealed food. We vacuum sealed pilot bread for a wilderness kayak trip, in part because it kept it waterproof. Found some of it a few years later. Still as good as new, but then it is pilot bread. How do you tell when it goes bad?

We still use our vacuum sealing machine for a lot of perishable foods on board. Most of you have probably read about weevils in the boat's food in the olden days. Well, weevils are still around. They are smaller than you think, so it's possible to just take off your glasses and they go away.

 

[gilbertpark]

24h rat pack

I live in England and use my boat all year. The boat is next to my house but is tidal, so if I miss high water or get stuck on a drying mudbank (we have a lot of these in Chichester harbour) I am stuck on the boat! For such "emergencies" I have on board an Army 24h Ration Pack.

I have tried them from various nations and not surprisingly the French ones are best. I have never tried an American one, but they will have everything you need (including matches and toilet paper as well as snacks). The ones I buy have a shelf life of 2 years and are really small. Might be worth having a look to see if you can buy them in the USA.

I guess we are lucky still to have longlife milk available at every grocery store.