[pct-l] Re: Food for the long haul

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

Kurt said,

> How about some specific combinations and amounts, Jeff?

For the first two weeks...

3 oz of rice, cous cous, broken spaghetti pasta, etc.
3 oz of one of the three soups (split pea, black bean, curried lentil)
2 oz of kraft parmesian
1 oz 4% powdered milk

After two weeks

6 oz rice, etc.
3 oz soup
2 oz parmesian
1 oz milk

The parmesian is the "binder" that brings all the other stuff together.  I
throw in veges when I get them in bulk, about an ounce.  I also put in
dehydrated butter when it's cold.  I put in about three ounces of baco bits
into six ounces of potato flakes with the butter.  I also add scalloped
potatos.  This meal is my favorite, which means I don't eat it more than
once in every five days or so.

You can buy the soup in bulk, about $3.50 a pound at Wild Oats everywhere,
or Ballard Market in Seattle.  I haven't found an online, bulk source yet
for the soups.

I make these dinners before the trip, putting them in gallon freezer bags.
While I've not done it, I think you can pour the boiling water directly into
the bags and not dirty the pot.

Bring water to a boil, put in the soup, stir until it is has no chunks, then
the rest of the stuff.  Turn off the stove and let it sit for ten minutes.
You get used to
the amount of water to use.  I think I use about a quart.  Some days I want
real soup, and use more water.  Other days I want to chew, and put in less
water.  I've never measured water, so it's trial and error.

Again, you can vary ingredients so you don't eat the same combination for a
couple weeks.  I found I like the curried lentil best and the black bean
least.  Maybe that's because the black bean soup needs salt.  I've bumped up
the parmesian, but it gets to be overkill when more than two ounces.

I've eaten these meals a year after I put them together and they were fine.

Jeff Olson
Laramie WY