The League Against Ration Packs

[Steve M]

... and other over flavoured, salty, dried 'food' which tastes like underpants jerky.

As a bit of a foodie, I really can't stand all that prepacked and over processed nonsense.

I love cooking out, but have only recently got into light weight camping. I thought I'd start this thread to talk about technique, rather than recipes.

As I've said before, I've often camped with a car, but those days are changing. Normally, I'd take a whole stew or soup with me if it's for today. I might take something frozen (in the shape of the pot) if it's likely to go over quickly or I am travelling far. All quite heavy, and a lot of the weight is in water. I have been known to carry in vegetables, but would like to avoid the weight as much as possible. Clearly for longer trips, fresh meat and dairy don't last long, unless there are cunning techniques.

I'm interested in what you take into the field to supplement the food you gather to aid you in creating food of pleasure. I have been know at one point or another to take Salt, Ground Pepper, Sugar, Herb Mixes, Bay, Curry Spice Mixes, Olive Oil, Tomato Purée, Stock Cubes, Dried Mushrooms, Rice, Pasta, Lentils, Pearl Barley and even Dried Beans for soaking over night. Cous cous and thing noodles are also brilliant, cos you only have to pour hot water or stock over them to hydrate them. What sort of thing do you take?

Breakfast has always been a challenge for me. I also acquire milk and have cereals or porridge. Is milk powder in porridge a good thing? Obviously, nuts and raisins are also good here, but I'd prefer to get into collecting them in the right season. I've seen Mr Mears make all sorts of flat breads, biscuits and the like. What basic ingredients have you taken for this sort of thing? Egg powder (which I have seen used to make omelettes in a posh food court!) seems a horrible ingredient to me. Does it have its uses?

I'd also be interested in the preparation you do at home. I read with great interest the article on Dehydrators and can see potential there. Does anyone dry or partially dry stuff to take? All of a sudden, I was thinking about dried carrots, celery, (possibly prefried) onions, and how that sort of makes a ready mirepoix and that with herbs and stock cubes makes a really good soup, sauce or stew base.

I was thinking about curing and smoking too. Do people cure or smoke anything themselves? How long will salami or parma ham last outdoors? How about vacuum packing? That's gotta keep the germs at bay too. I've never tried it.

I'm really interesting in hearing your innovative and flavoursome supplements and techniques. Anything but those dreaded ration packs.

Cheers

 

[Shewie]

Breakfast has always been a challenge for me. I also acquire milk and have cereals or porridge. Is milk powder in porridge a good thing? Obviously, nuts and raisins are also good here, but I'd prefer to get into collecting them in the right season. I've seen Mr Mears make all sorts of flat breads, biscuits and the like. What basic ingredients have you taken for this sort of thing? Egg powder (which I have seen used to make omelettes in a posh food court!) seems a horrible ingredient to me. Does it have its uses?

A good basic recipe for bannock is ...

2 parts plain flour
2 parts milk powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder (don`t forget)
Then add a little cold water to mix to a dough.

And then you can throw in what you want. I add raisins and brown sugar or honey etc. Whatever you like really, if you fancy savoury you can add cheese or fried bacon etc etc.

 

[rik_uk3]

Rat packs are a wonderful thing for a solo trip overnight or even two, but I too tend to cook from scratch. Say the phone goes and a mate says "can you come out for an overnighter now", no problem, pick up you overnight bag (which I'm sure you always have to hand) and add a rat pack and bottle of Brandy and your off.

First step for you is get a dehydrator, I've posted the link in another thread. Fantastic weight savings to be had. You will have fun drying pre fryed onions as the oil slows down or even stops the drying process. Fry some onions in a good olive oil and zip lock them and the oil will keep them fine for a few days fresh onions dry easy. Your stock box looks OK, add fresh coffee if you like, tastes even better outdoors. Bannock bread is easy to make but to be honest I'm now using long life Naan bread or Chapati's.

You'll get loads of ideas from your post I'm sure, have fun with your food.

 

[akabu]

http://www.camprecipes.com/

 

[trail2]

Mostly food I have dried at home. I have thrown in the odd smoked duck if I know I'm going to be on my own (selfish I know) At breakfast I usually have oatmeal made with dried milk and fried salt pork and coffee. You can get coffee bags that make six cups from Maxwell House. Just drop into the pot and boil.
Always take cornmeal as well. That I can make into "bread" in the pork drippings.
If I have my boys along then I add some Thai noodles and seasoning as they like a little spicey supper before bed.
Jon R.

 

[Cobweb]

http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/
Lots of recipies and lightweight too. Have a look around their site.


No affiliations ect...

 

[mick miller]

I use a lot of Look What We Found, pre-packed but yet very tasty food, albeit a little pricey. Otherwise it's mainly dried foods, pasta mixed with tomato paste and salami, or tinned foods.

I don't try and get all gourmet when I'm out and about. I'd love a dehydrator then I'd be able to take along all manner of dried foods but can't justify the cost really.

 

[Nat]

BAH! Rat Packs are food of the gods

However, i also use a dehydrator and prep veggies and the like for a long camp. Usually take flour, raisins, etc for bannock, along with worcester sauce mixed herbs, and non dried veggies and meat for a nice stew.

Sometimes however i do live on the rat packs and other dried foodstuffs. For 4:50 a ratty will do me unlike Wayfarers or Look What We Found which i refuse to pay the over inflated price for.

Rats are good for keeping down on weight.

 

[Dexter]

Powdered milk in porridge is definitely a good idea! Infinitely better than just water anyway. Throw in a handful and seeds and a few squares of chocolate and you're good 'til lunch.

 

[helixpteron]

Jordans Organic Porridge Oats taste just fine when you only have water to add.

Surprisingly nice in fact!

Travel Lunch freeze dried meals are very good, which they should be at £3:99 each, so I'm following the discussion on dehydrators quite closely.

 

[rik_uk3]

There are some very good meals (boil in the bag) here and free delivery on orders over £30

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Ready-Meals.html

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Its like a lot of things - Its horses for courses
I like the no thinking pick it up and go of Rat paks, But I do love "proper food" when on a family trip we eat just as well under canvas (nylon really) as we do at home.

 

[Toddy]

Home dried fruits, pear, apple, strawberries, all cut up small before drying, are excellent added to bannocks, muesli, (not to my porridge, I'm a Scots housewife, all that's added to mine is salt ) and pancakes.

I use ground almonds for milk and for the nuts to be added to bannocks and biscuits. Cocoa powder is excellent and honey in a squeezy bottle

Grated good cheddar cheese is another standby in the pack. Great with baked veggies, excellent in scones and bannocks and toasted sandwiches.

Dried salami type sausages for the meat eaters seem to go down well. Lots of uses for them.

Home dried veggies..........onion, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes, fresh peas (unlike marrowfat which take forever to rehydrate and cook properly ) the little frozen Birds Eye ones dry well if they are out of season in the garden. Julienned carrots, parsnips, beetroot, all dry well too.
Weigh nothing in the pack yet add so much to the food when out.

Marigold stock, Just Boullion veggie gravy powder, a small bottle of good olive oil and a selection of herbs and spices.

That lot with oatmeal, rice, pasta, broth mix with the marrowfat peas taken out, sr flour, veggie suet or grated frozen butter with a shake of flour, some smash, and you can feed a family of four on less than 2kg weight for a long weekend.

If you want to make your own gravy powder, stir an assortment of ground herbs to your taste into a small bowl, add a tablespoonful of smooth peanut butter, mix well. Add a tablespoonful of cornflour and mix again. Line an eggcup with clingfilm and scrape the mixture into it. Put it into the freezer to firm up then twist the clingfilm closed. Keeps for a couple of weeks quite happily in this weather. In summer a wee tub like the ones that come with pakora sauce is maybe a better idea. Just add water and bring to a simmer while stirring. Great with sausages or over boiled veggies with grated cheese. Better yet if the dried mushrooms and peppers are soaked first and then the gravy mix added

cheers,
Toddy......who seems to be going the other way these days and is taking everything including the kitchen sink

 

[w00dsmoke]

Powdered milk in porridge is definitely a good idea! Infinitely better than just water anyway. Throw in a handful and seeds and a few squares of chocolate and you're good 'til lunch.

We're all doomed! Sassenach!
Well I used to think that until I revisited it and oats eaten the traditional way-water and a touch of salt are in fact pretty good, even better if you drop the salt and chuck in adrop of honey. Water makes the oats "soapy" and if you've tried it you'll know what I mean. I think they taste better that way although SWMBO prefers 50/50 milk/water mix.

I tend to avoid rat packs after food poisoning from one...so unless I know the source and they are well in date I won't touch them and even then as a last resort.

so a typical menu for me would be:

Breakfast

Oats
Flat bread/salami/vegemite/cheeese in tube/block
Tinned Smoked Fish
Bacon Grill
Hot dogs

Lunch
Cupasoup
Flatbread/salami/cheese in a tube
Gnocci ands cheese sause granules with salami
Tinned smoked fish

Dinner
Lentils
Rice
Couscous
Mash
Gnocci
Cheese Sauce Granules
Tomato puree
Trout
Venison
Corn Beef
Hot Dogs
Bacon Grill

Sundaries:
Hot choc
Decaf Coffee
Sweetners/honey
Condensed milk in a tube if traveling light as it's milk and sugarStock
Stock cubes
Salt
Paprika smoked
Chilli Sauce
Sauce granules cheese/curry
Jam in a tube

Dry biscuits
Boiled sweets


Man I need a diet! :notworthy

 

[dwardo]

Woodsmoke can you really get through that lot in one day

If i know that when i arrive i will only have a few hours before dark then i will grab a ratpack for the first night. Its not that i like them a whole lot but after cutting enough firewood for the night and setting up your camp little time is left at this time of the year.

If i am out for a few days, then its usually coffee and cake for breakfast, bacon and eggs for 11`s`s then a good beef stu with a few foraged bits thrown in and cook for atleast 3-4 hours.
I too take fresh coffee and if the pot is left close "ish" to the fire it will keep warm. (yup melted a few perculators in the past )

The stu can be picked at all night and usually is after a few Rum`s, same with spag bol, chillie, mince n taties etc.

 

[andy_e]

... Decaf Coffee...

Decaf???

 

[durulz]

Down with ration packs!

As someone else said, a good brekkie is a pack of instant porridge (I like the golden syrup one, myself).

Also, for bannock, don't waste time adding both plain flour AND baking powder - use self-raising instead!

 

[BigShot]

http://www.onepanwonders.com/

I quite like that site.

 

[Wink]

For lightweight use:-

Breakfast, "Oats so Simple", golden syrup flavour! Boil a small amount of water, add milk powder, then pour in the oats and stir. 2 mins later you can eat, luvverly. I use my titanium mug, non-stick, so a quick swill round with some water (and an optional finger) and straight back on for a brew.

Lunch, Cup-a-soup, pitta bread and oatcakes with Primula cheese or tuna from those John West sachets (much lighter than tinned). I go for lime and coriander dressing flavour. Oh, and Tuc biscuits, the sort with cheese sandwiched in the middle. A chunk of malt loaf to round off with a brew.

Dinner, Flavoured cous-cous or noodles with some pepperami or chorizo sausage, or some of those chicken satay style skewers that come vacuum packed and last for days out of the fridge. Boil water, add meat, warm through, add cous-cous or noodles to pot, wait three minutes, delicious! Serve with garlic and coriander naan bread warmed on the fire. You can also buy resealable packs of olives to throw in for good measure. A fishy alternative would be those vacuum-packed smoked salmon trimmings. Added to hotcous-cous the salmon cooks through in moments, quite salty though.

I also tend to carry a packet of granary bread mix. Just mix with water, knead and let rise by the fire, then make sausages and wrap them round sticks and cook aover the fire. The outside goes crusty, but when you pull out the stick, the inside is steaming and soft, with a hole that can be stuffed with olives, sausage or chocolate.

If weight isn't an issue, then stew! Potatoes, diced beef, venison or pheasant, onion, carrots, olives (yes, I like olives), stock cube, something green added near the end. Or chicken curry and rice (cook chicken on skewers over fire befor adding to sauce. Breakfast can be bacon and sausage, served with fresh bread as above.

I must stop now as I'm feeling peckish...

 

[xylaria]

I use a lot of Look What We Found, pre-packed but yet very tasty food, albeit a little pricey. Otherwise it's mainly dried foods, pasta mixed with tomato paste and salami, or tinned foods.

I don't try and get all gourmet when I'm out and about. I'd love a dehydrator then I'd be able to take along all manner of dried foods but can't justify the cost really.

I use "look what we found", on most trips. Like "look we found nettles, bulrushes, cleavers, rosehips..........." . I use light dried foods, but what makes bushcraft fun to me to is using what I can find in the way of wild food. I love the challenge of cooking strange new foods. i have never used a rat pack in my life, and considering I normally bring three other mouths to feed I proberly never will.