At Wilderness Inquiry, camping food means real food, fresh food cooked outside. We don’t rely on packages or freeze-dried fare. Sure, planning for meals when you’re a good day or so from the nearest grocery store can be a challenge, but well worth the little extra time it takes to think ahead. Following a vigorous day, there’s nothing better than a delicious meal, cooked from scratch. We believe that the delicious simplicity of quality food triumphs over anything outrageously fancy. After more than 35 years of doing this, we’ve learn what meats, cheeses, vegetables and fruits keep best on trail. Here are some of our favorite packing tips. What are yours?
Fresh Meats:
- Note: Red meat (beef, pork, buffalo, venison) is less perishable than poultry.
- Plan on brining fresh meat just for the first night (or at the most 2 nights) and buy it several days in advance of your departure. Repackage the meat and discard the Styrofoam trays or cardboard boxes. Wrap steaks, chops and larger pieces in freezer paper (shiny side in) and seal with freezer tape; pack ground meat or loose cuts (chicken thighs or breasts) in plastic zipper bag and then overwrap in freezer paper.
- Freeze the meat for at least a day (or until solid).
- Wrap the frozen meat well in several layers of newspaper and tuck it into the center of your food pack just before you leave.
- Depending on the weather, the meat will be thawed by the first night. Cook and enjoy it right away.
Smoked Meats:
- IMMEDIATELY discard any meat that looks or smells suspicious (has a green edge, turned gray, smells off).
- Smoked meat keeps better than fresh. Bacon, Canadian bacon, ham, should be kept cold in a cooler and will keep up to 3 days on trail.
- Dried meats and sausages such as pepperoni, sopressata, and Genoa salami will keep about 6 weeks or even longer if kept cool.
Cheese
- Note: Aged cheeses tend to keep better than fresh, soft cheeses. Store cheeses wrapped butcher paper, parchment paper or waxed paper. Not in plastic bags or wrapped in plastic. Plastic holds in moisture and makes cheese slimy, expediting decay. Cheese needs to breathe.
- Cheeses that keep relatively well on trail without refrigeration: Parmesan, Cheddar, Aged Gouda, Pecorino
- Cheeses that keep well if kept cool: Mozzarella, Havarti, Muenster, Chèvre, Gouda
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