[pct-l] Freeze dried or dehydrated food?

[Brick Robbins]

On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 8:27 AM, Cat Gunderson <cathi at cathigunderson.com> wrote:
> Which is better for nutrition and the "mold free"
> factor ­ dehydrated or freeze-dried? How about taste? Do they all tend to
> taste the same after awhile or do they retain their original flavors?

I dehydrated my own stuff. It generally tasted fine. Buying prepared
"freeze dried" foods is very expensive and not particularly
nutritional, and I really don't like how they taste. I never had any
"mold" problems with my stuff, but I didn't try to store it that long.
There have been long threads on the best way to dehydrate your own.
Just make sure you try out your meals before you pack them. Make some
extra and eat it on training hikes.

The only really bad meal I made was veggie chili. Not only was it of
marginal taste, it gave me the worst gas I've ever had. I couldn't
stand to be around myself inside my shelter. When Craig Giffen of PCT
planner fame came through San Diego on his Section hike way back then,
I gave him some I had left over. He even commented on the effects.....
:-(

Pre-soaking  the dehydrated stuff several hours in a plastic tub with
a tight lid (inside a zip lock), while hiking worked well, and keeping
it in the top of the pack actually provided a hot meal, at least in
the the desert sections.