Storing food in camping and field conditions. Packing food for a hike, storing and transporting food on a camping trip Non-perishable food items for a hike
Product packaging serves several purposes:
- The safety of the product, be it its shape or suitability for consumption.
- Ease of use on the go
- Compactness
It is important that the packaging does not become excess weight. Those. It is necessary that the weight of the package be small compared to the weight of the product.
Lard, sausage and cheese
They do not tolerate polyethylene or other similar non-breathable packaging.
In addition, they easily deteriorate in heat. From here they take hikes:
- well-salted raw lard is wrapped in cloth, and then only in polyethylene (but it’s better to do without it)
- raw smoked sausage, wrapped in oiled paper or coated with mustard and finally wrapped in cloth
- It is advisable to buy cheese as a whole piece in wax. Packing by wrapping in fabric.
Small bulk (sugar, cereals)
Everything is obvious here - the best containers are plastic bottles. The larger the grain, the larger the neck diameter should be.
Even if you managed to stuff the horns into a plastic mineral water bottle at home, it’s far from a fact that it will be convenient to remove them from there on a hike. Moreover, it may not be convenient to cut the bottle; for example, you will need to take a couple of handfuls for soup.
Salt
- Must be taken with one and a half reserve.
- Must be worn by two different people.
Rusks, cookies
Rusks are usually poured into a fabric bag. But if you want them to keep their shape (for example, you prepared them in a clever way), then watch how the cookies are packaged.
I think the best packaging for cookies is boxes of tetra packs for juices and milk. The cookies are placed tightly in one, and the second, the same, but trimmed, is closed. Can be fixed with tape.
Candied berry
Grind the berries in a blender or, at worst, in a manual meat grinder (the small pieces of the berries are not rolled, which can be dangerous, see below).
Sugar: berry = 1:2 for WINTER
Sugar: berry = 1:1 for SUMMER
It is especially worth paying attention to currants, this berry easily ferments and can tear the bottle along with the backpack in which it lies (no joke, this has happened!). There should be no dirt or whole berries, otherwise it will definitely ferment.
Honey
Be sure to pack in a plastic container with a wide neck (a spoon should fit easily) and depth so that the spoon can easily reach the bottom.
Watery and watery, humid and wet, dripping and soaking wet, damp and condensing... What else is it, a water hike? Various: interesting, funny, etc.And food products “go” with people on the hike. Different, some, confident in the future and protected by tin armor tin can, waterproof tanks, are least susceptible to the vicissitudes of the surrounding reality. But next to it are weak and susceptible to the influence of the environment refined comrades, such as, for example, sugar and instant coffee.
These friends need help, they need to select equipment, pack them at the highest level in super armor that will allow them to overcome the vicissitudes of the tests prepared by wet nature.
What is this? How to package them, these “pre-loved foods”?
1. Tin “tanks”: stewed meat, condensed milk and other “frames” in tin cans. Leave them in original factory condition. Without damaged waterproof packagingJ. Don’t forget to eat them before the worst underground enemy, rust, manages to reach out to the tin with its hand of destruction.
2. Plastic and flexible bags with ketchup, mayonnaise, condensed milk, jam, etc. An upgraded version of the twist-top pouch will provide a lot of fun for your drinker. And the economic riverboat kayaker will once again rejoice at the “double-edged impermeability” of the packaging.
3.
Cereals. We dress loose cereals in plastic armor. For this, rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, etc. carefully, using a funnel, pour into dry plastic water bottles, etc.
We pack cereals in bags for cooking
. We do not open the convenient bags! We don’t oversleep! We leave the option of throwing the cereal into the water directly in the cooking bag.
The packaging is disposable - opened and thrown away, so cereals must be packaged according to meals. One meal - one package. We take the bags of cereal, take them out of the paper box, and put them in a clean bag. We tie the bag, releasing the air in parallel. Another package and another. Stuck without air. And now they have wrapped it with tape until it is “waterproof”.
4.
Granulated sugar and salt. We pack them in the same waterproof armor: bottles, containers with screw caps, etc.
5.
Bread and cookies are terribly bulky and weak “wet” products. In hermetic bags or bags using the above technology. Or both. But it’s better to just put the bread in a hermetic bag so that it can breathe (not mold) but not get wet.
6. Sausage, lard, cheese. We do not remove the factory packaging (in spring and summer there is a different approach to transporting these products). The main thing that needs to be protected from is debris: sand, pine needles, etc. We pack it in a bag, but not hermetically, so that it is possible to “ventilate”, but at the same time not collect all the dirt “on the sticky sidesJ».
7. Garlic, onion. Ideally, a cotton bag (breathable) with a drawstring, and on top - several bags that can be “opened and closed.” Garlic rots in an airless environment (you have to walk it), but it also suffers from wet barrels.
8. Candies. They are most susceptible to a terrible invasion called “hungry locusts at the festival of the belly.” Store securely in waterproof bags.
9. Tea (infuser) - plastic container with a lid. Dense and impermeable to water. Remove the packaging, transfer it to a container and make sure that you brew it with water only from the pot, and not river water or rain water.
10. Packets of soup - in bags and tape over the bags.
The most important thing to achieve is ease of use and ease of eating. If you have several bookmarks (several meals), pack them separately, label the day and meal (lunch, dinner or breakfast).
Keep any products that may get wet away from water. Water can pour from the sky - rain, from oars and boots - and accumulate in the kayak. Take this into account.
And further. Products not only tend to dissolve not only in water, but also in stomachs. And if people can restrain themselves and usually do J, then exhortations do not work on forest rodents (they are mice, they are chipmunks, they are...). Keep food close to your body - inside the tent and be vigilant for outside noises on a dark forest night...
I've laid out a few options, any reasonable creativity is welcomeJ. I think there may be many of them and someone can offer their own developments.
Today I would like to talk about such an important and beloved issue among tourists as food. After all, after a long trek over rough terrain, you always work up a serious appetite. And in order to provide the entire group with a hearty breakfast-lunch-dinner, you need to be able to deliver and store all the products during the entire trip.
First, let’s figure out what tourists most often take with them when outdoors. Of course, it’s difficult to imagine any real hike without stewed meat; sometimes it is also replaced with raw smoked sausage or basturma, which quickly gives you a feeling of fullness. Various cereals are usually used as a side dish: buckwheat, wheat, rice, millet, barley. They also take quick-cooked muesli with condensed milk on hikes. For a snack, various sandwiches with cheese, sausage, canned fish, you can also add dried fruits and nuts. For dessert, usually chocolate, sweets, cookies, and tea and coffee. That, in general, is the entire simple supply of a tourist.
Today I would like to talk about such an important and beloved issue among tourists as food. After all, after a long trek over rough terrain, you always work up a serious appetite. And in order to provide the entire group with a hearty breakfast-lunch-dinner, you need to be able to deliver and store all the products during the entire trip.
First, let’s figure out what tourists most often take with them on outdoor activities. Of course, it’s difficult to imagine any real hike without stewed meat; sometimes it is also replaced with raw smoked sausage or basturma, which quickly gives you a feeling of fullness. Various cereals are usually used as a side dish: buckwheat, wheat, rice, millet, barley. They also take quick-cooked muesli with condensed milk on hikes. For a snack, various sandwiches with cheese, sausage, canned fish, you can also add dried fruits and nuts. For dessert, usually chocolate, sweets, cookies, and tea and coffee. That, in general, is the entire simple supply of a tourist.
And all this needs to be laid and packaged in such a way that the necessary products survive until last day hike, and all participants were well-fed.
How and what can spoil these precious reserves? For example, cereals can easily become damp and soggy, even with a small amount of moisture. Heat and extreme cold can ruin sausage and cheese. Cookies and bread will crumble and also become wet. We should also remember about our smaller brothers, who can also climb into things left unattended and feast on them to their heart's content.
Cereals. Most often, so that they do not absorb water, they are laid out in plastic bags, which are quite fragile. In this case, it is better to scatter all the cereals over plastic bottles. As the contents are used, it can be deflated so that it does not take up much space in the backpack. For products that have a large diameter, such as muesli, you can use wide-necked juice or kefir bottles. This is a more convenient and reliable way to store all bulk products while camping.
Sausages and cheese. Horse sausage is considered the most “long-lasting” sausage on a hike; it is also more nutritious than all others. It is better to take smoked cheese in sealed original packaging. But even they can easily become unfit for food if they lie down and get hot from the sun. It is better to put it in a backpack closer to the back of the hiking backpack. This way there is a greater chance that they will not overheat, and at the same time they will not be crushed. In winter, you should also protect from severe frost, for example, at night, place your backpack in food near smoldering coals. Once frozen, the food will not become inedible, but may lose its taste and nutritional value.
Cookies and chocolate. It is also better to store these products close to cheese and sausage inside the backpack. You rarely take chocolate on a hike in hot weather, otherwise it will simply melt. The cookies are placed on the very top so that nothing heavy can crush them, turning them into crumbs.
Another important point is rodents, who will also be happy to feast on your supplies. There is no exact advice on this matter, because they helped some, but not others. Definitely, you can’t leave all the food open or in just one bag; they will chew through it and eat it along with the bag. Try to put everything away at night, for example, inside pots or kettles, that is, places that are too tough for little thieves. Some people recommend sprinkling food bags with something strong-smelling, like hot pepper or tobacco. You can simply cover the entire crop with stones at night, blocking rodents’ access to it.
Here, perhaps, are all the little tricks that we can tell you. Have a nice and satisfying meal active rest Outdoors.
First of all, this article will be of interest to those readers who go on independent hiking or cycling trips and want to somehow diversify their diet. At the same time, they are not ready to shell out a lot of money for special factory-made concentrates and dry mixtures, and are also not lazy about doing something with their own hands.
The complexity of organizing meals in camping conditions is determined by several factors.
- Food should be of high quality, that is, nutritious, healthy, rich in vitamins. During a hike, the human body experiences extreme physical exercise, so it is very important to fully replenish energy losses. Otherwise, a person very quickly begins to feel a loss of strength and a deterioration in his emotional state.
- Products should be fairly light. You can, of course, come up with as many different dishes as you like, but it’s worth remembering that you have to carry all the ingredients for them on your back.
- It is necessary to ensure the safety of supplies. This is especially true for traveling in the hot season, when some products can spoil in just a few hours.
- Food should be varied. Agree that eating exclusively cereals and sandwiches for a whole week or two does not bring much joy.
Finding products that meet all these conditions is not easy, but it is still possible. Especially if you put in a little effort and take care of everything in advance. Here's what you can do while preparing for your trip to be able to cook yourself delicious and healthy meals.
Vegetables and fruits
Not all even experienced tourists pay enough attention to vegetables. And completely in vain. From my own experience, I can say that it is vegetables that make camping food healthy, tasty and varied. Once you even add a little onion, carrots and herbs to the banal “Mivina”, it turns into a pleasant homemade soup.
Of course, I don’t encourage you to carry bags of carrots, potatoes and onions with you. You just need to dry the required amount of vegetables: they will become practically weightless and will take up five times less space. For example, an average head of cabbage, after cutting, drying and packaging, will be comparable in size and weight to a tennis ball.
You have to finely chop the necessary vegetables into pieces, slices or strips, and then place them in a thin layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. For 6–10 hours, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about 40–60 °C and ensure constant air circulation, for which modern electric ovens have a special mode. If you are using a regular gas oven, you need to leave the door ajar. And don't forget to stir the vegetables periodically.
Cabbage, onions, carrots, peppers, and beets perfectly tolerate drying and decrease in size by 3–5 times, while maintaining taste and vitamins. On a hike, you just need to put a pinch of dried vegetables in hot water, and literally before your eyes they will become saturated with water, swell and become almost indistinguishable from fresh ones.
Stew
Stew is an indispensable product in any tourist destination. However, the options offered by stores in Lately They deteriorated so much that it became simply impossible to buy them. Most often, under the guise of canned meat, we are offered a hellish mixture of tails, hooves and internal organs unknown animals, which has no right to be called the proud name “stew”.
There is only one way out - to prepare canned meat yourself. I make this in an antique pressure cooker, but you can replicate the same thing in a modern slow cooker. Depending on the machine you have and your tastes, the recipe may vary significantly, so I think there is no point in providing a step-by-step guide here: there are enough detailed recipes on the Internet. The main thing is that the pork, beef or chicken stew you prepare will definitely be of higher quality, tastier and more natural than what is sold in stores. And much cheaper.
Particular attention should be paid to the packaging of the finished product. It is clear that glass jars are completely unsuitable for camping. Therefore, homemade stew should be packaged in plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Their volume should be small, since canned food in an already opened jar spoils very quickly in the heat. If the lid is tightly closed, then your stew will definitely survive until the very end of the trip.
Biscuits
If you go to a sparsely populated area, sooner or later you will run out of bread. Homemade biscuits will be an excellent substitute. To prepare them, you will need to grind one stick of creamy margarine or butter with flour. Then add a little water or sour cream to make a stiff dough. Roll it out into a thin layer and cut into squares. Bake in the oven until golden brown.
Energy bars
Energy drinks are an extremely convenient tourist food that will come to the rescue in those moments when you have little time or are too lazy to cook. They are easy to make, take up little space and are very, very tasty.
To prepare them, you will first need dried fruits (prunes and dried apricots), as well as nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, sesame seeds, and so on). The bar can contain any of the listed products in any possible combinations and proportions: don’t be afraid to try different variants. You need to grind all the ingredients you have in a blender, then add oatmeal and condensed milk to this mixture and mix. The resulting dough-like substance is placed on a baking sheet and placed in the oven for 20–30 minutes. As a result, it dries and hardens. Then you need to cut this cake directly on a baking sheet into bars weighing about 100 grams and pack.
Combustible mixture
This is the name we gave to the nutritional mixture of our own production for its extraordinary properties. It consists of extremely healthy and rich products, thanks to which it perfectly replenishes strength in moments of fatigue.
To make this magical elixir of vigor, you will need prunes, dried apricots, walnuts, honey and lemon. All this is crushed in a blender and mixed. The result is an unappetizing-looking brown gooey mass, which, however, has an excellent taste and is great for snacking.
Travel has always been of great concern to our editors - we devote more and more materials to this issue on the site: stories of the publication’s heroes, advice, unexpected finds. Once we already ventured into the territory of specialized outdoor publications, writing about. Today we continue to delve into this topic and talk about how to store meat while camping (especially freshly caught meat).
It doesn't matter if you're on a hunting trip, accidentally stranded in an impenetrable forest, or just traveling in an authentic, extreme way - these basic tips will be useful in any case.
How to store meat
in field conditions
To store meat, experienced hunters use preservation: they salt, smoke or marinate the meat of killed game. But all these methods, firstly, require preliminary preparation, and secondly, it is not always possible to carry additional cargo with you in the form of large vats or jars, salt and ingredients for preparing the marinade. Therefore, we will talk about how to preserve meat obtained from hunting using literally improvised means.
Preserving Game with Herbs
First of all, you should remember that waterfowl spoils faster than wild game. A duck, if you don’t gut it in time and throw it in a backpack, will spoil in ten hours, or even earlier. At the same time, grouse without any manipulation with it can easily remain fresh for 24 hours.
To slightly extend the shelf life, killed game should be carried in a game bag or tied to a belt so that the wind constantly blows on it. But this is just a half measure.
At the first opportunity, the shot bird should be gutted and stuffed with nettles or juniper. The leaves will provide air flow while preventing flies from getting inside the carcass. In addition, nettle or juniper leaves will release bactericidal substances, which will extend the shelf life.
Primary processing of meat from large animals
The first rule of handling animal meat is to immediately bleed and gut the carcass. It would be wrong to talk about how this is done correctly within the framework of such material, so we will limit ourselves to reminding you that this needs to be done. IN otherwise the meat will be hopelessly spoiled and it will become impossible to eat it. At the same time, the meat of a large animal cannot be eaten immediately - it must “ripen” by lying for 10–12 hours. The main task at this time is to prevent damage.
Several methods are used for this. First of all, you can build a canopy of gauze or mesh, which will provide air access but prevent flies from getting to the carcass. This is done so that a dried crust forms on the meat, which will serve as a natural analogue of a protective film and allow the meat to be stored for two to three days in a cool place.
Freezing
During the cold season, there should be no problems with storing meat - all of nature becomes a refrigerator. But even here there are some nuances. The faster the freezing occurs, the better the meat will be after defrosting. However, for harmful microorganisms seeking to spoil your prey, the most destructive temperature is from minus 6 to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
To ensure that the meat of large ungulates does not lose much of its taste when frozen, it is cut into pieces, dipped in water and only then hung for freezing. The resulting ice crust allows you to avoid freezing out the juice from the meat and prevents it from becoming airy.
Storage in cold running water
If there is a pond with cold running water nearby, it can be used as a makeshift refrigerator. The meat is cut into pieces and laid out on a flooring of branches and pressed on top with the same flooring, after which it is immersed in water. It is assumed that meat can be stored in water at a temperature of plus 3–4 degrees for up to a week. True, after meat is taken out of the water, it spoils very quickly, so when using this method of storage, care should be taken to cook the meat quickly.
Smoking
For quick smoking, four stakes about a meter high are driven into the ground. You should get a rectangle with sides one and two meters. Two longitudinal poles are placed on the forks of the stakes, and then rods are placed on them. The main thing is not to use rods coniferous trees. All fat must be trimmed from the meat and then salted properly. The meat prepared for smoking is hung on rods, and the bark of a non-resinous tree is laid on top as a thick layer.
First, the meat must be fried over low heat for two to three hours, not allowing the flame to touch it. Cooked pieces should be moved along the rods away from the fire, and uncooked pieces should be moved towards the fire.
The meat obtained in this way can be safely stored in a bag, periodically removing and drying it. Its taste properties leave much to be desired, since the quick method cannot be compared with hot or cold smoking, but it will save a lot of time and is suitable for preserving large quantities of meat.
Drying meat using soot
Meat can be dried using soot. To do this, pour 400 grams of soot into three liters of water, then boil under a lid until the water boils by half. The resulting liquid is infused for 10–12 hours, after which it is drained through gauze. Next, the coal-black water is properly salted and the meat cut into pieces is placed in it for five hours; If the piece is large, then you need to soak it for 24 hours. After this procedure, the meat can be hung to dry in a ventilated, shaded place.
Kourma
This method came from the south - from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. By the way, it is excellent for storing meat in any climate, even the hottest. Its essence is that the meat is cut into small pieces, fried, placed in a separate bowl and poured with the fat melted during the frying process, mixed with salt. When the fat hardens, it becomes a natural preservative that prevents air from reaching the meat, and therefore prevents the development of microorganisms.
There is a story that during excavations archaeologists found a pot of kourma, and after analysis it turned out that the meat was quite edible. And it lay in the ground for hundreds of years.
