Trip Food, the Solution

My brain is not always filled with silly arguments. Sometimes, it works and chews on various problems, eventually spitting out a solution or two. I just had a brilliant flash of inspiration, a way to resolve multiple problems easily.

Problem #1: I have too much perishable food (everything in the refrigerator or freezer) for us to realistically consume before we hopefully move this summer.

Problem #2: We are planning a cross-country road trip in a while to check out relocation possibilities. This two week trip only exacerbates Problem #1.

Problem #3: My CSA commitments have been double last week and this, resulting in an extra share each week. The plan was to give the extra share to the friend taking care of our place while we're gone as pre-payment. Last week, she took only about 2/3 of the food (which is why I have so much fresh stuff right now). Today, I called her to remind her I'd be bringing food this evening and she doesn't want it. Her significant other forgot and went shopping yesterday. This means I'll have even more perishable produce as of tonight!

Problem #4: The trip expenses are mounting between rental car, projected gas costs, and hotels. The thought of having to eat in restaurants for a couple of weeks was unacceptable, but we didn't have a good solution yet. Most nights, we will have a microwave and refrigerator in our hotel room. We planned on taking dehydrated food, a few seasonings, and supplementing with fresh produce and bread from local stores. Spending money on food with Problem #1 hanging over our heads would be aggravating.

Solution: Prepare the food now and take it with us on the trip. It worked last year.

• I can freeze meals for the first few days. With dry ice, food will stay frozen up to 5 days.


• I'm also going to pull the pressure canner back out and try canning some soups. (Thanks for the inspiration, Heather!)


• I have a book on dehydrating meals for backpacking and will pull that out for ideas on drying complete meals.


• I may even be able to vacuum pack some foods and keep them fresh for a few extra days.

This will mean quite a bit of extra work for the next few weeks, but the payoff - solving multiple problems - will be worth the effort. The delicious homemade food will also keep us happier on the road.

I am going to keep a running list here of food I'm packing for the trip. An asterisk* denotes food I preserved.


Note: see recent update on food choices!


Breakfasts - free hotel breakfast most days
Soymilk
Cold cereal (for days we're on our own)
Instant oatmeal (for days we're on our own)


Lunches - buy bread, lettuce, & tomatoes locally
Pomegranate jelly*
Prickly pear jelly*
Peanut butter
Dehydrated hummus*
Dehydrated great northern bean-red pepper spread*


Dinners - plus buy fresh vegetables locally
Vegetarian Baked Beans (can)
Fantastic Kitchen soup cups
Backpacker's Pantry dried meals


Snacks - plus buy fresh fruit locally
Dried banana chips*
Dried mulberries
Pumpkin leather*
Prickly pear leather*
Melon candy*
Pumpkin seeds*


Seasonings
Salt & pepper
Mrs. Dash Table Blend
Tabasco sauce
Nayonnaise