Outdoor Herbivore

[Scott Penman]

I stumbled across the Outdoor Herbivore and got pretty excited about the veggie/vegan options offered. I was about to place an order to give a few samples. Before ordering I emailed them — no response. I tried calling today — no answer.

I searched and found some older forums here and found nothing recent.

Does anyone have recent experience with their meals to share? Older forums are luke warm on the quality and taste.

Welcome recommendations for alternative veggie trail meal sources.

Thanks!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Scott, I tried them out a few years ago, when they were new to the market. I liked the meals – but – and a big but, if you don't like hippy fare, you won't be wowed. It is very earthy food ;-)

[Rex Sanders]

When Outdoor Herbivore dinners are good, they are very, very good.

But they seem to have quality control issues. Several reviewers complain about meals not cooking completely despite following the instructions. I've had some meals come out fine, others come out crunchy. One of my favorite meals I had enjoyed several times before, gave me a very upset stomach on a later trip – and it wasn't bad water or food poisoning.

Portions are a little small.

I'm going back to my own boring but consistent recipes, and add more spices.

— Rex

[Scott Penman]

Thanks for the input. I am okay with earthy. NOT okay with bad food.

I swung through REI yesterday and grabbed a couple of samples from other brands: MaryJanes Farm and Backpackers Pantry. Hoping might be good veggie options but the calorie count is pretty low for actual meals.

Anyone with recommendations for alternative veggie/vegan meals please pas along!!

Scott

P.S. — I ultimately did receive response to email from Herbivore.

[Jerry Adams]

http://www.packitgourmet.com/

get some flaked pinto beans, bell pepper, tomatoe, onions, add some spices

or, get Nile Spice soup from grocery store, add bell pepper, tomatoe, onions

2 ounces of beans (or Nile Spice soup), 0.25 or 0.5 oz each of the veges, 10 or 12 ounces of water. I just boil water, put on simmer, add dried stuff, stir, let simmer for maybe 15 seconds just to make sure it boils, let sit for 10 or 15 minutes

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I add in the cooked and dried beans and lentils from http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com which REI carries their starter kit :-)

[Jerry Adams]

I think I heard about packitgourmet from Sarah : )

[Scott Penman]

Thanks for the input. Gearing put for spring/summer trips with the kids. They are generally great eaters but if I'm hoping to hook them on the outdoors feel like we need to avoid some of the meals I have suffered in the past. Sampled the MaryJane items today. A couple worth repeating with the addition of some oil and additional flavors. The toughest part is these are not very high calorie meals — with little kids each bite needs to count. Unsurprisingly the cheesy noodle meal was the clear winner.

Sarah you have a lot of amazing recipes and suggestions on your sight! Thanks for the ingredient source recommendations.

[Sumi Wada]

How about Indian dals? There are all kinds, some are chick-pea based, some are lentil-based, and overall pretty nutritious. You can dehydrate it yourself or buy "quick" or instant dal. I like adding a handful of free-dried green peas. Pair it with dehydrated/instant/quick basmati rice.

[Anonymous]

+1 to Sumis' suggestions.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Thank you Scott :-)

[Brian Crain]

+1 on http://www.packitgourmet.com/ – we eat them regularly. Quality has always been top notch and we've been guilty of raiding the BPing stash and eating them for regular meals at home. Portion sizes are very generous.

[Scott Penman]

Packit seems to have some nice products but the veggie options are not extensive.

Sumis – great suggestion.

Looks more and more like time to break out the zip locks and mixing bowls.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com :-)

[Lindsey Sommer]

I've always been really curious about Outdoor Herbivore, but the price seems kind of steep. Plus, sounds like it's kind of hit or miss. If at all possible, I think it's well worth the money to invest in a dehydrator to make your own food (plus, then you sort of have more control over the ingredient quality, which is important for me).

[Sam Sockwell]

yes it's veg/vegan info on BPL!

Glad to see this.

We just ordered several items from Outdoor Herbivore, and I will be glad to report back, though it's a while before we head out. We are ready for an alternative to the Mountain House Louisiana Red Beans and Rice, a classic that I imagine all of you have tried. Their Pad Thai is ok, but not great.

This topic interests us/me a lot. We have our staples-couscous, pasta, ramen, instant brown rice, oatmeal- which all of you prob eat. We have not gone the do it yourself food dehydration route.

But it is interesting, and if anyone knows a worthwhile intro for reading pls advise.

Sam.

[Sam Sockwell]

just noticed there is info on this area of BPL. Odd, but I never thought there might be many vegans on BPL, so I never even looked. Sigh.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

There actually are a number of vegans/vegetarians here :-)

I consider myself a "plant based diet" follower.

[Sam Sockwell]

plant based people on BPL. "Vegan" is kind of a weird word, not my first choice, but it does describe my diet. Sarah: saw your profile and will checkout the blogs/websites. Also, since your locale is listed as in the shadow of Mt Ranier, any thoughts on relative amnts of snow vs mosquitos vs flowers from July 23-Aug 1 this year? We got a Wonderland permit, a hop from Boston.

Sam

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Ooh, great period to be here!! That week is almost always sunny! With all the late season snow we got in the second half of winter, the snow is holding wonderfully. That means if it keeps up we will have peak flowers around when you are here. Just bring bug dope if you hate bugs – although at Rainier I find bugs to only be an issue in areas near water or in hot forest. The winds keep them at bay in the meadows/ridgelines :-)

I hope you have a great trip!

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