[pct-l] Food for hikers

[ChsyHkr@aol.com (ChsyHkr@aol.com)]

Greetings,

As I prepare for a section C hike in May, food always becomes an issue.  Being out for only 8 days monotony is not a big issue.  I have the ability to be creative.

I like to dehydrate things.  I bought a dehydrator at Walmart some years ago. Basicly it blows warm air through racks that stack on each other. No knobs or adjustments, very simple.

Canned veggies dehydrate well, corn, all types of beans,and peas.  They are all very cheap.  Just add them to any dinner, rice, noodles whatever for variety. Vegetarian Chili dries well too.

Salsa and Bean Dip dry into leather quite well and can be added to many meals. Try the spiced bean dip!

Fruits work well too,  all types.  Just cut up and dry.

I have heard of people drying Yogurt into "cookies", but have not tried it.

Dry similar things together so you don't have pear  slices that smell like Salsa.

Add a little salt (or appropriate spices) to everything when you bag it. Your body needs it and it acts as a preservative.

Avoid drying fatty foods, they will not keep well. I have dried very lean beef into jerky. Cut very lean beef across the grain 1/2 inch thick, marinate in A1 or something like that for several days, and dry it. It is expensive but very good.  Chicken and turkey do not make good jerky. Fish can be good, but I have not made it myself.

There is still time to dry things. It is fun to experiment. 

Good luck,

David Craft
Greensboro