Fresh Foods.

[Molly-]

I need to Discuss the Disadvantages and advantages for a badge, some more ideas would be fantastic!
Thanks, Molly-

[whiskeylover]

Hi Molly,
Good topic. Many people prefer the easy to cook, quick to prepare, last for a long time, lightweight and don't get crushed while carrying them, freeze dried meals.
My husband and I, as he is a chef, prefer to take some fresh food, especially for the first few days.
The advantages are better taste, better for your health and gives you more variety.
The main disadvantage we find is, depending on the weather, some things won't keep for long.
We take a cold pack, you know- one of those flexible insulated foil lined small bags, mainly for our perishables like cheese, butter, a zucchini and maybe a carrot. I have even taken sour cream to use in the first two days in a meal. We also take fresh meat for the first two days. Usually lamb or beef - chicken is a bit risky - due to salmonella risk. Lamb goes off quick too, so we take that frozen, but beef is ok even if its looking a bit green at the edges, as long as it still smells ok.
Bacon is ok. Smoked salmon will keep out of the fridge for quite a few days, as will many other smoked items (smoking is an old fashioned way of preserving).
The other major disadvantages are that fresh items are often heavier to carry and that sometimes they take longer to cook, therefore using more fuel.
We usually take home dehydrated vegies for longer trips and lots of herbs and spices to give variety of flavours.
Good luck with your next badge.

[Charlievee]

Hi Molly. Hope you get that badge ! I too, like to take a bit of fresh stuff, if I can. At least for the first couple days. A fresh apple is a real treat after a couple days on the trail. Last weekend I took a couple of very small, very lean beef steaks. I froze them very solid, then wrapped them in a bit of newspaper (which we started our campfire with !) and ate them as a pure luxury protein item. Tasted SO GOOD ! A book I read suggested to take`a small fresh onion to add to your food every day. I guess it makes your dehyds taste a bit nicer. There is no denying that fresh food will weigh more and spoil sooner, because of the water still in the food. I hope this helps. Regards, CV

[rowan]

Easy to carry and hard to squash fresh foods are a treat on the track. I like carrots, oranges and onions, but I also like to eat native foods along the way so I don't have to carry much fresh food with me that can get heavy in a pack. I have tried eggs in those plastic containers - what a disaster. I fell on my pack, broke the container and had an awful mess.

[frank_in_oz]

Hi Molly,
We take quite a bit of fresh food depending on the length of the trip. For example the longer the trip, the less fresh food because it is heavier.

We often take meat such as fillet steak that has been vaccum packed and frozen pre trip. If you are hiking somewhere where it is cold, it will often take a couple of days for it to defrost. We choose meat that has no bones (so we don't have to carry them out and get the best return on protein / weight carried)

We often take smoked chicken breasts that last well.

In regards to fresh food I have copied a slab of text from an article our vegetarian daughter wrote a while back. It might help. The full article is here: http://ourhikingblog.com.au/2007/09/mor ... arian.html

LUNCH:
Wraps (those taco types, they don’t get too stale too fast, I like the taste
and they fill me up a bit more)
Then in them I add:
Tuna
I carry a block of cheese, just slice it up out there
sprouts (cheap and don’t go bad fast)
carrots
fresh beetroot
Avocado
sweet peas
tomato
dip of some sort
really what ever I feel like when I’m at the supermarket

DINNER:
I take fresh food which is different to Mum and Dad, I’m a vego, and love fresh veggies, so depending on the length of the hike I take as much fresh as I can.

Korma:
In a film canister I add together, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of
ground cumin, 1 tsp of chilli flakes and 1/2 tsp of turmeric.
I take a sachet of tomato paste
1 sachet of coconut milk powder
onion/garlic
array of vegies and dried mushrooms

fry up onion, garlic and spices, add mixed up coconut milk and tomato paste,
then add any vegies. Cook until vegies are desired texture. Serve with
couscous or rice.

It’s really light

I have also just started taking a packet Tom Yum soup with rice noodles and
adding fresh vegies to that.

Pasta and pesto with parmesan cheese is an old fav and again I just add some vegies.

I did an 18 day bush walk at the start of the year and it was amazing to see
what people ate, some people ate dehydrated spag bol for every second night, some
had fresh veggies and cheese for the whole time (“It’s fine just cut the
green bits off, I think a lot of people would pay for this cheese”),
I generally had each meal three times, once a week.

One girl just dehydrated fresh vegies and combined them in lots of different
ways (carrot, zucchini, and capsicum in one packet and broccoli, beans and
carrot in another for example), then each night she would add different
sauces, spices, pesto, or herbs to create different meals with different
grains.

I suppose there are just some other ideas using fresher ingredients. It is up to you what you enjoy or how much effort you want to put into preparation and cooking.

Hope this helps!
Frank

[Molly-]

Thanks guys, !
This has helped me alot, As im going a 3 Day hike & had no idea what to take, that is actully also light AND healthy, && with the badge heaps!
Molly-