[pct-l] pct-l Digest, Vol 43, Issue 4

[Suzanne Courteau]

Hey Brian--

I haven't used butter buds OR the bacon bits, so...what am I doing
emailing you, huh? Heh. Try packaging the butter buds and bacon bits
in the containers/bags you are likely to store them in inside your
pack while on the trail, but leave them on your kitchen counter or a
shelf or end-table in your house. Check them every day to see when
they turn. I bet you could get a week out of them before they do.

I have taken olive oil and individual packages of string cheese, which
I put into the instant potatoes -- along with a squeeze bottle of hot
sauce. Mmm. Have not had a problem with the cheese or oil going bad.
Have had a problem with pacing out their consumption so they last a
reasonable amount of time. (Damn, but cheese on the trail is good!)

Some of the instant mashed potatoes come with "butter" and bacon bits
inside the package.

As an aside, when I lived in (tropical) Mexico, I was astonished to
see no one refrigerate their mayonnaise! Even big ol' Costco tubs of
mayo, sitting out. I stayed away from it as long as I could but
eventually gave in and started eating it (slathered on street-treats
called elotes, or corn-on-the-cob on a stick). Never did get sick...!

Suzanne Courteau
"Bedouin"




> Message: 19
> Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 18:25:15 -0700
> From: "Brian Lewis" <brianle at nwlink.com>
> Subject: [pct-l] "should be refridgerated" foods that thru-hikers
>         carry
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Message-ID: <20070504012519.83CE76F105 at smtp1.pacifier.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"
>
> I'm hoping to through-hike next year, and being the engineer/analytical
> type, want to find and fix as many problems as I can well ahead of time ...
>
> Yogi's book has a few suggestions of meals that folks eat from items
> available in towns along the way.   One suggested meal involves Idahoan
> brand instant mashed potatos along with other ingredients including butter
> buds and the little bacon bits you find stocked alongside salad dressing.
>
> I tried this meal out at home (and it was indeed good), but then noticed
> that the packaging for both the butter buds and bacon bits said
> "refridgerate after opening".
>
> Worse, I used a pretty small portion of each for the meal, implying that I
> would be carrying them for quite some time un-refridgerated.
>
> Apart from the obvious idea of storing them deep in the pack, I'd appreciate
> any observations about this --- does it boil down to just ignoring the
> recommendation and using this stuff over a long period without
> refridgeration?  Do thru-hikers maybe get together in a store and split such
> items between them? (repackaging in ziplocks or whatever)  Or ... ?
>
> My vast outdoor culinary experience in recent years has involved such heavy
> lifting as heating water for Mt. House meals and for oatmeal (and eating
> C-Rations or LRRPs in the Army before that ...).  A cook I ain't, so thanks
> in advance for any feedback.
>
>
>         Brian Lewis