[pct-l] Nuts/Granola in mail drops

[bharve at dslextreme.com]

Eric,

Can you beg, borrow, or buy a food vacuum bagging machine?  If so, vacuum
bag oil-containing solid food.  A good idea is to use a sandwich zip lock
bag as a measuring container, and to transfer each fill of that measuring
container to a vacuum bag before vacuuming and sealing.  In each resupply
box  include new empty zip lock bags along with the vacuum-bagged food,. 
At town stops, cut open vacuum bags and transfer food to zip lock bags. 
Two reasons for doing that transfer:  1. Sealed vacuum bags of food are
very  rigid bricks- not good inside the backpack.  2. Zip lock bags are
lighter than vacuum bags and also more convenient for opening & closing
several times.  However, vacuum bags bags can be used in the pack: cut
open on one of the two narrower edge and knead to soften the brick; fold
the open end several times; put a paper clip on the fold or put a rubber
band around the whole.

Got a good resupply helper at the home front?  Keep zip lock sandwich bags
of nuts and granola refrigerated and add to each resupply box just before
sending out.  Nuts last many months in the refrigerator without even a
hint of beginning rancidity (in my experience, at 40 degrees, as much as
ten months (possibly more) for walnuts and over a year for pine nuts.  If
granola and nuts are purchased fresh and refrigerated until shipment in
resupply boxes, you'll likely be totally satisfied.  There won't be more
than two weeks or so between a bag leaving the refrigerator and you
finishing off its contents.

A dried fruit & nut combo and Quaker brand '100% Natural' granola both
worked well for me on 2007 PCT thru hike.  Cost/unit weight was less than
bulk granola and nuts in open air bins at smaller stores.  I added rolled
oats and powdered milk to granola before vacuum bagging.  Purchased both
at a big box warehouse in large sealed bags with expiration dates.  Then
vacuum bagged at home.

Agreeing with another respondent, you'll find nuts at probably every
'town' stop, even Olallie Lake Resort.  If you're not picky about variety
of nuts or the cost in small 'towns', buying nuts along the way is
perfectly doable.

Regards,
geezer

Eric Payne
> I'm having trouble deciding how to handle shipping nuts for trail mix, and
> granola for breakfast in my mail drops.  Nuts are known for their weak
> shelf
> life, but I guess they can last a while if they are sealed in tins, but
> not
> when bought in bulk and stored in plastic baggies?  Granola is even
> trickier.  In Ashland when I buy tons of bulk granola for the rest of OR,
> will this granola stay fresh while out hiking and it's waiting in a PO for
> me?  Everytime I read about granola's shelf life, they always say seal in
> airproof container for no more than a week.  I know I've had granola stay
> fine for nearly 2 weeks, but I dunno about a month.  I can keep a huge
> stash
> of granola in my parents freezer for the state of CA to ship to me, but I
> can't have my OR/WA maildrop food frozen.  Does anyone have experience in
> this area?
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