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[Ben Crowell]

John wrote:
>So, if you'all could share what you take/make/concoct when it comes to
>non-cooked food, for the rest of us just getting started in this, that would
>be awesome!!

I usually go no-cook when I'm solo.

Cheese has high energy density, is good on crackers, tortillas, etc., without
cooking, and keeps well. Hard cheeses keep best. You can coat them in wax if
you like. Olive oil and pesto are also very high in energy density, but you have
to be careful how you store them to avoid a mess. All of these things get their
calories mainly from fat, which could be a problem. It's really easy to improve
your energy density by using lots of foods that are mainly fat, but the standard
nutritional advice is to shoot for 50-35-15 proportions of carbs, fat, and protein.
Other foods in this category are nuts and ghee (which keeps very well). If you
find wild onions, they can be good with one of the fat/carb combos as a sandwich.

I run potato chips through a food processor and eat them on the trail with a
spoon. Mmm! High energy density, too.

I usually prefer to eat vegetarian, but it is much easier to get the required
amount of protein if you bring meat. Not saying it can't be done without meat,
but it's just much easier. No-cook possibilities for meat include jerky and
dry salami, which keeps very well and has high energy density (mainly from fat).
I once met a PCTer whose resupply seemed to consist of 50% Slim Jims and 50%
dehydrated milk :-)

You can dehydrate your own beans and lentils, and you don't need a special food
dehydrator. I've only done this once, and I wasn't as successful as I could have
been, but I think that was because I didn't dry them thoroughly enough. Here's
the procedure I followed for lentils:
Put cooked beans (either drained, canned cooked ones, or ones I cooked) on cookie tray.
Put in oven on lowest setting, about 135 F. Check every hour. Once they start getting
drier, stir them every now and then. They may split open. Test by breaking in half and
checking if dry inside. When eating on the trail, rehydrate with cool water (1:1
proportions) and wait 10-12 min. I found the lentils surprisingly enjoyable to
eat cold. However, they started getting moldy and nasty by the end of the first week;
probably would have kept longer if I'd dried them better.

No-cook is a great way to save weight -- but a lightweight alcohol-stove setup
really doesn't have to be very heavy. Mine is 18 oz, including burner, pot,
fuel bottle, and 9 days' worth of fuel. The longest I've gone no-cook is 11 days,
and by the end of that time, all I could think about was pizza. Variety makes food
more appetizing, and you don't want to lose too much body weight.

  Ben