Camping Grub!

[Wildfisher]

Was not sure where this would be best posted, so let?s try it here.

At the weekend we were talking about camping food and keeping the weight down. Sandy had some good ideas  involving noodles / packets of soup etc, some of which I have now tried at home using quick cook macaroni etc. OK, it?s not something you would want to live on, but for  few days it is perfectly acceptable.

Here is one I prepared earlier:

Boil 1  cup of water, add one cup of quick cook macaroni, simmer / soften on the stove for about 4 minutes. Then add ?  a packet of dried soup, (I used minestrone) add another cup of water, simmer for 5 minutes. The result is a gluttonous mess but it is edible and most importantly very filling and packed with carbohydrates. It also weights next to nothing when carrying it on your back.


What?s your tip for food while wild camping / backpacking?

[Fishtales]

The one thing I would worry about is cooking times. Rice and pasta take a while to soften when cooking which uses a lot of gas. That is alright for an over night but for longer trips you don't want to be carrying light weight food and extra gas to cook it.

As Fred says I tend to use noodles and dried soups. All I do is boil enough water in the kettle (this comes with practice) to make tea/coffee, cover the dried ingredients in the pot and some left over to go in the pot when I am finished eating to make it easier to clean. When the water boils make the tea/coffee, pour water over the dried ingrediants and put it on the gas to simmer, in all it probably takes about 4/5 minutes, which is about half Freds' time, and uses less gas. This way you maximise the gas use, you have tea/coffee, dinner and washing up water from the same gas, and if you like two cups just add a little more water.

[Wildfisher]

Good point about fuel  usage Sandy. The quick cook option spaghetti  / noodles only take  5 minutes max. This can be part combined with cooking the flavouring ingredient (the soup) so even my concoction should be doable in 5 minutes with a bit of practice.

Then there is the old standby of dried tatties such as  ?Smash? although its more difficult getting something lightweight to carry to go with it, unless of course you use a few troots and some dried veg!

[Wildfisher]

As for a stove - I use a swedish-army-surplus trangia.  They're about ?8 from ebay - ideal for the purpose.  100% reliable (nothing to go wrong) and they run on meths which is cheap/silent/available everywhere - can't recommend it enough.

I think that?s what John Doig had with him last weekend. He thinks they are great.

One point for fishing/camping in wild places - please remember to scatter your litter, especially beer cans, about the place.  Really adds to the atmosphere and gives anglers a good name.

Good point, although at Ba, the ?cairn effect?  beer cans were very picturesque, that technique might be preferable  to  ordinary scattering and might even  be up for a Turner prize with a bit of luck.

[Wildfisher]

There were some nice ones at voil at the weekend.  Only one or two, but stategically placed in an otherwise pristine environment, the effect can be out of all proportion to the actual number of cans.

Blackwitch

Quite. I was pre-warned about Ba and in truth it was not nearly as bad as I visualised it. Still fcuking annoying though and as you say it just takes on or two cans and bottles  to hit you like a kick in the dangley  bits  in such  a wonderful wild place. I say keep litter where it belongs, at the stockie dug-oots.  :lol:  (just kidding)

[hibsman]

I use one of these stoves:
http://outside.away.com/outside/gear/buyers-guide-2004.tcl?Gear=Camp-Stoves-Canister-Stoves-MSR-Windpro&v=7&sv=27&g=155

It's great for brewing up when it's windy :wink:

... and got given this stove set as a present:
http://www.gear-zone.co.uk/eshop/Lifeventure-Stainless-Steel-Pansets.html

The small pot is not used.  I can pack the stove & brew-kit into the larger pot which snuggles nicely in the carry case.  I then pack a tin cup and gas cannister into my rucsack and I'm cooking ......

If I'm needing more than a cup of coffee I pack soup noodles and add meat and veg (salami, bacon, mushrooms, peppers etc), add salt and pepper and your laughing.  Once the water boils, kill the gas and keep the lid on, this is enough to heat the noodles - I think it tastes great!!

You can also do something similar with rice and stock - rice takes longer to cook (= more fuel) but I think tastes better.  

Porridge is light and quick cooking -  great if you like it, I'm not keen and find it bland.

For the first few days of a trip, I like to carry in sausages and steak  ... mmmm.

I can carry enough gas, noodles, rice, bacon, salami, bread,  cheese, chocolate etc. to last a week.  The real problem is drinking coffee, I drink loads and brewing up a lot puts pressure on fuel!  

This is not a week of luxury I admit and I will get hunger pangs but there is always trout  

All this talk of fodder is making me hungry!

Chris

[Richy]

I use a hexy burner that I got from my nephew who is in the forces. He also supplies me with the boil in the bag food which is good and is packed with all the stuff that would keep you going at a "Rave" never mind a weekend in Rannoch. Again the good thing about the bag food is that it keeps for years.  :shock:  :shock:
The tablets heat up your pan of water which your bag of food is in, and then the water is used for your brew.
The wee burner itself is only 5"x4" by 1" thick so space in ruckie is nothing. Only have to carry a small aluminium pan to boil up the stuff.
Might be swayed by the fact that I get all this for free but beats carrying stove/gas and the food in the bags is bloody good.

All the best

Richy

PS Find a squaddie and buy him/her a few beers      The rewards are great.