More Food

[MoreTime]

Without storage it's hard to extend camping trips too much. What tricks do you use in order to make your food supplies last longer, and stay fresh?

 

[Trailer]

Try taking mostly dried foods, as they last the longest. If you have a car to take with you, then the biggest worry is the fact that they tend to take up a lot of room.

 

[BCBabe]

Dried stuffs, as Trailer said... although powdered eggs aren't a big hit with me.

And home-vaccuum-packed goods that have been in the deepfreezer for a week: they double as ice in the cooler, take a few days to thaw, and are water-proof.

 

[Benny]

The vacuum-packed stuff and dried foods are good, but you should also try fishing to eat something fresh that you don't have to pack.

 

[dinosaur]

I carry ammunition and eat the local fauna.

 

[MoreTime]

That's an interesting thought, and I have to wonder why we never considered it before. Do you check before you go what local pollution is like (streams around here I wouldn't dream of fishing)?

 

[Judy Ann]

I guess that is where car camping has some benefits. I like to go to the local farmer's market to support the local economy and purchase fruits and vegetables. Grilled veggies are good hot or cold. BCBabe's suggestion about food doubling as ice in a cooler works with freezer ziplock bags too. I like to work from fresh to frozen and by the end of a trip canned, in jars, and dried. Any extra squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, fruit and herbs can be passed on to neighbors who like to cook before heading home...pay it forward. You never know when someone will help when you least expect it!

 

[SweetSassyLady]

Same here with the dried and canned foods. I also take a lot of non-perishables like dried fruits. We do stop if we see a farmer's market along the way. As far as the frozen stuff-we don't keep a lot of frozen. If we are close enough to a town-I may or may not make a trip to town. It really depends upon what the kids and hubby want. I don't mind a bit making a trip for some good ice cream.

 

[MoreTime]

I've shopped on the way in the past, but it somehow doesn't seem right to cut out in the middle of a trip to go shopping. Seems too much like normal life.

 

[overtheridge]

Seriously dinosaur? I don't think you can shoot your gun that close to other people. We take a lot of coolers and then keep buying ice to keep the food frozen or fresh and not spoiled. We have never had any problem yet with it.

 

[Stormypath]

When we go camping, we keep our cooler in the shade and we wrap it in blankets, we get about 4 days off a single bag of ice this way, we also minimize opening of the cooler.