Sticker Shock, need a new plan

[Yak Attack]

It wasn't quite that bad, $3600/$1800 per family total during their Black Friday special. It was from a company called "harvest right".

It's quite a nice machine. I can post a link to their site assuming that's permitted here?

[Bob Gross]

Yak, I found it. Very interesting. The price is a fraction of the last one that I had seen. Plus, the capacity is just about right for some serious home use, at least for backpackers in the off season. Still, that is a few bucks.

–B.G.–

[Yak Attack]

It wasn't cheap for sure. Between us and the other family we've used it a fair amount. I expect it to run almost around the clock over the summer, between our gardens, berries, and fruit trees.

It also gives some options for left overs. Not everything turns out perfect but so far we are pretty happy. I'm getting ready to make a few whole meals for our short summer trips, like red beans and rice, jambalaya, etc. meats have been the nicest things, along with eggs.

Sorry for the thread hijack OP.

[Kimberly Wersal]

I have to agree with Roger here: I don't eat the Mtn. House meals, but not because of price issues (I dehydrate and make my own FBC style meals). What do you spend on a home cooked dinner? I rarely eat a dinner at home that costs me less than $6 -$8, so a dehydrated meal for $10 doesn't seem unreasonable.

[Paul Magnanti]

Don't forget, a Mountain house meal is essentially for one person. Or $20 for two.

**** Warning..tangents ahoy! ****

When I cook at home, I almost always have left overs.

Let's say I go to my friendly neighborhood Costco. ( Yes..there is a membership fee..but it is where I buy much of our food. :) )

A frozen whole chicken is $5 ea. That's many meals right there. Roast it with olive oil, garlic, some rosemary and little salt and pepper. Call it $2-$3 worth of spices, oils and herbs I've used. My wife grows rosemary on the balcony.

OK, lets chop up some baby carrots and toss it with some potatoes, onions, Brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Again, a little bit of olive oil. A little salt and black pepper. Add some red pepper flakes for a bit of of a bite. Roast it. Easy.

Carrots are $5/bag for 5 lbs. Lets say I use one lbs of carrots..or 1$.
2 lb bag of sprouts is $5.
24 oz mushroom is $5
Add another $2 for oil, spices and such used (that is being liberal)

Potatoes and onions? I don't use the in bulk enough. So let's go to the local grocery store. IIRC, red potatoes are about .80 a lb right now. Likewise for onions. Call it four lbs for both combined. Let's round up to $4 as I like to keep things simple

My theoretical meal just cost me $25. We'll easily get a dinner, a lunch and another dinner (at least) out of this meal. Six meals for two of us. Or a little over $4 a meal! That's not counting turning the leftover chicken carcass into soup…

I could go on (macaroni and beans with spinach and/or other veggies? $25 would feed an army!)

So, in conclusion:

1. $10 for one person for way mediocre food? Bleech… Yeah, that is a lot.
2. What the hell are you guys cooking for dinner at home? A family of four would be $40 a meal with no leftovers. :)
3. Damn..glad Grandma taught her grandsons how to cook. :D

[J-L]

Just wait for Campsaver or Backcountry to have a big food sale. It seems to happen every 2-3 months.

A few weeks ago, I purchased 14 meals for $79.55 from Campsaver

Free shipping, no tax. Comes out to $5.69 per meal. Not bad.

[Ken Larson]

I second the option previously spoke to that you get involved if you desire meals to your liking you AND desire to save money if you do lots of adventuring! There is a LOT of help for the beginner (meal planning, meals & how to) and one to start you on your way:

GO HERE

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Do you "need" a dehydrator? No. You can do plenty without one. Will it make life easier? Maybe. To be honest, I don't use my dehydrator often….and I make a living developing hiking recipes. I use it for items I can't find commercially or where I want a specialty item dried. You can use your oven to dry food, and see if it is what you want to do. Then, if yes, go invest money. As mentioned, Nesco is fine to use. Affordable, made in the USA and between $50 to 120 on average.
My intro on dehydrating is here:
http://www.trailcooking.com/dehydrating-101/

If you want to make meals that are similar to commercially made meals, you want FBC meals (Freezer Bag Cooking). http://www.trailcooking.com/recipe-home/ will take you to the FBC recipes. Good luck!

[Jerry Adams]

I was just at Winco and they had a #10 can of dehydrated onions – 30 ounces for $10

that would require 300 ounces of raw onions. 18 pounds. I can maybe buy onions for $0.50 a pound so that would be $9. Not worth dehydrating myself to save $1

[Charley White]

Valerie E: "Another meal I'm planning for this year is "Thanksgiving on the Trail" — Cornbread stuffing, turkey gravy, FD/dehydrated chicken, FD/dehydrated veggies, and dried cranberries. Yum!"

Thanks for that great idea. Back when I had bread crumbs in my "asssembly" line I thought of stuffing, but never tried it. I will amend with something I did enjoy a lot: roux balls. Fried up some flour with chicken fat, salted, for a gravy nugget. Also would make chicken or turkey jerkey with deli slices, also dried in the fridge.

My average meal cost, for the three years ending 2011 (can't get to newer ### on this computer) is $3.04.

Re cost of meals:
We charge everything and record every slip. "Groceries" averaged $6,298 a year (no extraction for TP, towels, or wine). "Dine"–eating out with wine & tip avg. $358 a year. Divide $6,656 by the two of us, 3 meals a day, 365 days, or 2190.

[Edit to indicate quality of these numbers: accounting via quicken, includes business so all bank and charge cards reconciled as of 12/31 annually :) ]

[Bob Shaver]

If you don't want to weigh things and put together your own meals, which is pretty easy, and you just want meals that you can add hot water, try some meals by Pack-it Gourmet. They are delicious!

[Sumi Wada]

A couple of thoughts.

Take a walk down the pre-made pre-packaged food aisles in your local grocery store. The big budget-type stores are the best. You'll be amazed at the volume of freeze-dried meals and ingredients you can find. (I'm guessing most of us hikers/outdoor types are generally more nutrition/fresh-food conscience and rarely venture down those aisles.)

Aside from the typical Asian noodle items, things that have worked for me on the trail are Indian foods (spice bases, quick basmati rice, etc), Mexican dishes/soup bases, stuffing, soup bases/bouillon), powdered gravy and sauce bases.

Organic grocery stores are usually a good source for freeze dried vegetables that you can purchase in bulk.

If you need more calories or protein, you can supplement with freeze-dried meet (bought in bulk) or foil packs of chicken.

For instance, I get a grocery store "instant" spicy black bean soup mix and add some freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried corn, chopped stale corn tortillas and dried cilantro (spice aisle). Instant soups are usually too salty, so by adding extra dry ingredients and doubling the water, I end up with a pretty decent tortilla soup.

Another example. I mix an instant dal mix (usually lentils or chick-pea based), some foiled chicken and some Indian spice mix. Pour over instant basmati rice.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Jerry, I totally agree – certain things you save nothing by doing yourself. Onions? You couldn't pay me to stink up my house and cry while making them. Buying them is smart.

[Anonymous]

"was just at Winco and they had a #10 can of dehydrated onions – 30 ounces for $10

that would require 300 ounces of raw onions. 18 pounds. I can maybe buy onions for $0.50 a pound so that would be $9. Not worth dehydrating myself to save $1"

Plus, dehydrating 18 lbs of onions would take awhile. The amount of electricity needed, might almost bump it up that extra dollar, assuming one doesn't have solar etc.

[Tim Zen]

To echo what "Tiger Fan" said, I look in the bulk spice area or maybe you have a specialty store. In Detroit there is a bulk spice store (Rockys) where I can buy cheese powder, dehydrated mushrooms, TSV, etc. Better than a number 10 can.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Also consider using http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com – they have high quality ingredients, ranging from beans, veggies and fruit, in dehydrated and some freeze-dried, in 3 sizes.

[Bob Moulder]

As Sumi Wada mentioned above, lots of stuff there. Those instant mashed potatoes are excellent and can be used as a base for a lot of stuff.

Just tested something today, Kraft "Cheesy made Easy" microwave Mac & Cheese. Cost $3.50 at BJ's Wholesale Club (similar to Costco) for a 4-container pack. Two containers make enough for a hungry backpacker and provide 440 cal. Add 3 oz of cut up summer sausage and some black pepper and you've got a 700-calorie dinner that costs less than $3.00. Removed from the original packaging and transferred to a sandwich Ziploc, the contents of 2 containers weigh 4.3oz and are very low in volume.

[Bob Shaver]

I had a meal this past weekend made by Mary Jane's farm. It was organic chilimac, just add water to the package and wait 10 minutes. It made two cups, and I couldn't finish it all. I ate about 3/4 of the two servings. It was delicious. Very good. I'd eat it again. $8.

http://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/Chilimac

[Kate Magill]

I agree that Mtn House, etc. are too expensive for regular use, especially since they're just not that much better than what you'll find at the grocery store. $10/person is restaurant territory. At-home meals in my house range from about $2 – $5 per person, although with leftovers it get tricky to calculate.

I have a hard time with straight glop, but glop-on-a-wrap, that I can do:

1 part dehydrated beans (black, refried, lentil, etc. — available in the bulk section of most Whole Paycheck type stores, and some mainstream supermarkets)
1 part instant mashed (I use the plain ones, but if you're a salt fiend go for the cheezy flavored varieties)
1 or 2 tortillas
cheese–fresh or dried (optional)
olive oil (optional)

Pour boiling water over beans and potatoes. Cover and let sit for ~5 minutes. Stir in olive oil if you need the calories.
Spoon onto tortilla (s). Add cheese if desired. Fold and eat.

Also, the tomato powder from Harmony House is invaluable for bumping up flavor. Can be added to any savory dish.

[jimmer ultralight]

If I am planning a long trip, I try to put the work into doing at least half my meals home cooked and home deyhdrated..Its a lot of work, though..

So, I have a list of "old standby" store bought meals. The base mixes are about a buck and the add ons generally bring that up to about $2.50.

All of them cook in about 10 minutes or less

1)" Deluxe" Ramen amped up with dried vegies some meat and spices..

2) Knorr sides… Usually Cheese and brocolli noodles with a Tuna packet and a bit of olive oil..2With sine crushed potatoe chips on top while it cools down. It makes a close approximation of my moms Tuna casserole from the 1970s..

3) Another Knorr cheese brocalli and rice with either ham or chicken and some dried veggies.

4) As per Bob above , I did the same thing last fall with the Kraft microwave dry Mac and cheese. Two packs plus some milk powder and ham or spam chunks make a great meal.

5) Tabooli mix with chicken and dried tomatoess and olive oil.

6) Mashed potatoes with buttermilk and cheese powder and bacon bits and olive oil.

7) Idahohan Four cheese instant potaties with a packet of smoked salmon mixed in it.

8) Small Bowtie pasta with tomato powder, italian seasoning and pepperoni chunks covered with parmesian cheeze.

9) Knorr Spanish rice with rehydrated Beef Jerky , tomato powder and a bit of olive oil and a dash of red pepper flakes.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I have YET to find any supermarket dehydrated soup, be it Knorr, Lipton, etc. that is not loaded with gross amounts of sodium.

I have tinitus (ear ringing) and too much sodium makes it much louder.

What's worse, after 3 days of a high sodium diet I begin to lose my balance. (I once had serious Menier's Disease.)

[Stuart R]

I'm surprised Dal Bhat has not had a mention. Quick, easy and very cheap.

Dal: split red lentils + sun-dried (or dehydrated) tomatoes + spice mix.

I use equal quantities of turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger and mustard seeds for the spice mix.

Bhat: quick cook rice.

Add boiling water and 'cook' together FBC style or separately, as prefered.

Footnote: combining pulses (lentils) and grains (rice) gives you an almost ideal mix of essential amino acids (i.e. almost as good as animal protein).

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Buy both books on Freezer Bag Cooking.

LOTS of great and far less expensive meals there.

Make yourself a fleece cozy to hold the 1 qt. freezer bags while the food "cooks" for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ex. "Thanksgiving Diner"

> 1/2 cup dehydrated cooked chicken white meat (needs 1/4 c. boiling H2O)
> 1/2 bag instant mashed potatoes (buttery flavor works best here) (1/2 the required H2O) -> OR Stovetop stuffing
> 1/2 pouch of gravy mix (1/2 required H2O)
> 1/2 c. Stovetop Stuffing if not using mashed potatoes (use amount of boiling H2O needed by that amount of stuffing)
> 1/4 cup Craisins (needs 1/4 c. H2O, boiling or cold) Craisins are sweetened, dehydrated cranberries and are great dry, like raisins.

* soak Crasins in water for 2 hours OR, if you want them hot, put 1/4 c. boiling water on them in their own freezer bag & set aside

*Put chicken, mashed potatoes OR stuffing and gravy in 1 qt freezer bag (bag is in cozy)
*Add necessary amount of boiling water for each item and stir thoroughly
*seal freezer bag and cozy and let set for 10 minutes.

Enjoy with Craisins, hot buttered rum, etc.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

[Dustin Dawson]

I love to eat well, but I hated how long it took to put meals together. What I started doing was to have some basic supplies on hand at all times then when I needed a meal, I call it my pantry system. I throw the ingredients together quickly to make a meal. This is what I have on hand at all times:
dehydrated rice, dehydrated mixed vegetables (from harmony house foods) and Flavored TVP(from harmony house foods. In addition to that I have several powdered sauces on hand that I can use to make some great tasting food. The formula that I found that works for me and my family, who are all big eaters, 1/2 cup starch, 1/4 cup dried vegetables, 1/4 cup protein, 1/4 cup sauce powder. I can use the same basic food ingredients and mix up the sauce to create a completely different meal. If you don't want to make the sauces, you can buy any of the powdered soup or pasta packets at the grocery store. For about $50 you can make 16 meals that are very light and tailored to you.

I have recipes for the sauces at http://www.backcountrycuisine.net. The up front time is not as easy as the prepackaged meals, but it is way cheaper and way more tasty then any freeze-dried meal I have had. I make these meals when there are no leftovers for work. I try different combinations and remember the good ones for future trips. If they taste good at work, they will taste amazing on the trail. I can make a meal in about 3 minutes.

Let me know if you have any questions!
Dustin

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Eric,

I know you probably have seen it but my Cream of Mushroom Soup mix is ultra low sodium if you use my dry broth mix in it :-)
http://www.trailcooking.com/dry-mixes-seasonings/dry-cream-mushroom-soup-mix/

And the broth:
http://www.trailcooking.com/dry-mixes-seasonings/savory-broth-powder/
It has some salt added, just leave it out if desired (it is 1 tsp to the entire batch)

[Author]

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