Backpacking meals update – taste tests

I may have worked at a nonprofit called Peoples Food once while living in a treehouse overlooking the bluff in Solana Beach once, but I was too young to be a hippie. Nuts, dried fruit, and string cheese. None of that tofu stuff though.

I thought there might be a big company behind a lot of the freeze dried meals that I see advertised. There’s just

to many of them being promoted. All with catchy names.

I love Co-Ops and I’m a founding member of the one in my town. I’ve been a member and volunteer at a co-op wherever I live since 1986; cheaper if you volunteer. As a member  you also get the heads up on special sales just for members. And I love tofu, which I’m eating for lunch today.  And my trail name is Granola so it all fits. Live your truth!

I find a lot of good options for backpacking at my co-op, like bulk instant hummus, bulk instant black and pinto beans, lots of bulk snacks, bulk instant soups, dried fruit I can’t find elsewhere like jackfruit, papaya,  some fun flavored granolas (although I make my own 90% of the time, hence my name), and meat sticks with no nitrates and nitrites.  Produce is on par price-wise with our other grocery stores. Packaged foods like cereals or crackers are more expensive brands,  but I don’t buy a ton of that stuff anyway. Our store is small, so it isn’t a trader joe’s type place, but it has quite a variety.

My current co-op has good fresh soups and bread products for an inexpensive lunch while shopping.

I love that they hire disabled people specifically, and are located in the poor neighborhood, although it takes me longer to drive there. And I wonder how many working class or poor class people can really buy anything there anyway. The store also hires folks who might have difficulty getting jobs elsewhere; it’s a good place to start working. It takes a business to take a chance on some kinds of employees, and everyone needs to work.

I was tempted by the latest Mountain House sale, but what I really need is less food and more time to go hiking!

Thanks AK Granola chick!  Will see if we have one locally.  Um, you need to share your fave Tofu recipes.

Terran.  I think Pinnacle (my favorite by far) remains small.  Stared in thier garage and have grown, but still remain small batch.. I know, because sometimes they are out of stock and I am bummed ;^)

https://pinnaclefoods.co/about/

I’ve heard good things about Pinnacle. The price has scared me off, but I’ll save them for a treat in between the ramon and pistachio butter. Trying the jambalaya, the jalapeno biscuits , and the beef burrito bowl.

I never knew how to cook tofu correctly. I felt it was kind of bland. Granola is definitely hippie food. Street food. It was nutritious and could be carried around. Like trail mix.

Pistachio, pecan, jalapeno beef jerky butter with raisins. Made with red palm oil. I usually use a little olive oil as well to lubricate, but I forgot it at the store. The jerky was an experiment as well as the raisins. 👍 I  usually use a bit of brown sugar, sometimes chocolate as well, but I wasn’t looking for sweet.

I always figure when I go out to eat Im spending 14-15$.  And when Im packing, exhausted, and hungry, what better time to eat”go out and eat.”  Can’t think of a better time to treat myself.  And Im addicted to the Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta.  My kids ask for it randomly for dinner.  Not happening.  And I do buy when on sale, and stockpile ;^)   Plus, I always feel like I want these people (esp, if garage grown) to make a living.

Recipe for Pistachio, pecan, jalapeno beef jerky butter with raisins. ”  Minus raisins (yuck).

Trail Goods Company:  Chicken Chile Verde.  Its a keeper for me, above average.

Great flavor, not super salty, filling, satisfying.  Going 7/10 on this one.  Have a couple more to try for this company.

Only slight complaint, doesn’t look like the picture.  Would love to see more greens and reds as in pic.  I double all soak times, so it’s a tad sticky since it’s mainly rice-based.  But it was good, felt like rice with some stuff in it.  I ate it all, quickly, thumbs up.  Not Pinnacle level, but a good addition.  IMO, YMMV.  ;^)

Almost no meals rated here a 10/10. Maybe that’s only the burger, fries and beer after the hike.

I always figure when I go out to eat Im spending 14-15$.

I already use that reasoning for buying gear.

I doubt if I repeat the recipe. It was my own take on pemmican while making nut butter. Not bad. I powdered up the jerky for flavoring mashed potatoes or Mac and cheese. Maybe add to dehydrated beans. Next step is making my own jerky.

I have been buying meals that are hitting the $19 mark now. Which, yes, is pricey. However, the truth is you often get what you pay for. The really pricey freeze-dried meals are usually the lower-carb ones, with no thickeners, gums, and such. You are paying for a lot of meat, which is the priciest part of hiker meals.

While I review a lot of carb heavy meals on TrailCooking, I don’t eat a lot of carbs at home. Hiking is different though. But I cannot stand ones that use the nasty parboiled rice in them – it is so weird in texture – I much prefer a true long grain rice if I am eating carbs…and Minute Rice is the closest you will get for that commercially.

Do you cook rice, then dehydrate it?

Co-ops are terrific. All the instant soups and beans and hummus are fabulous for backpacking.

Granola? This is the ultimate hippy food, and I should know! I used to make it in my stove. But I’ve certainly gone off store bought granola for years. Way too much sugar! and frankly, I find good ol’ oatmeal with some nuts and/or dried fruits to be healthier and tastier. out on the trail, you can boil enough water for oatmeal in about a minute, add the oatmeal, cover and let sit with the burner off. It’s not a high fuel consumption meal by any means. for me, it goes down easier and helps with regularity, if you get my drift, more than granola. Plus, oatmeal absorbs and then releases a lot of water into your body. Granola? not so much. And finally, uncooked oatmeal packs down really well in a canister. You can package it into small single day sleeves or simply use good quality pre packaged instant oatmeal and slip these into the sides and empty spaces of a canister. My research indicates that even Quaker oatmeal is whole grain, if so advertised. It’s not processed, other than grinding.

Jerry,

I do cook and dehydrate certain rices – red, brown, bamboo, etc. For basic white long grain, it’s always “Minute Rice” brand for me. It works perfect every time, so why work hard on that. Lol!

That makes sense, yeah, a lot of work cooking and then dehydrating rice.

I have philosophical problems with eating minute rice.  That stuff can’t possibly be good can it???

Is it really even rice?

Jerry, the best part about Minute Rice is that it has a lower glycemic index than fresh-cooked rice, due to the dehydration process. They also make Jasmine Minute Rice.

My experience making and dehydrating plain old white rice is that if you get the amount of water right when rehydrating, it is 95% of fresh made.

I use Minute Rice in my FBC recipes.  There’s no added salt but it somehow takes a bit salty to me.  Still works well.

There’s also a basmati Minute Rice, I plan to try that one soon.

Hmmm… that all sounds good, I’ll have to try that

Lol.  Pinnacle Foods is finally getting the attention they deserve ;^)

Bowl & Kettle is one of the best out there.

Mocha pistachio butter on graham cracker.

12 oz. Shelled pistachios. Roasted and salted.

Heaping tablespoon chia.

Honey to taste. Semisweet.

1/4 cup +/- Red palm oil + avocado oil.

Heaping tablespoon dehydrated cream.

Handful coffee beans. ~125. Expresso strength.

Blended well. KitchenAid or equivalent. Don’t try to double it. Cut in half for smaller blender.

I’ve read eating 28 coffee beans is equal to 3.5  cups of coffee. About 8 beans/ cup. One batch of butter makes about 15 graham cracker sandwiches . Based on the 8 beans per cup figure one sandwich is equal to roughly one cup of coffee.

All measurements are estimated. Everything can be substituted or left out. I used medium roast. It has a very bold flavor. A light roast may have a milder flavor.

That sounds yummy.  Going to try that recipe.  Does the  pistatio butter and gracker goes in blender as well, correct?

Everything goes in the blender except the graham crackers. It’s not an exact recipe. Adjust to your own taste. I don’t make it too sweet. Spreading it on the crackers adds sweetness. Adjust the oil for consistency and to lubricate the mixing. It may harden slightly overnight. Just add a tad more oil and reblend. Pecans would have been good mixed in. Milk will froth it up, but gives it a limited shelf life.

Pure Balance freeze dried dog food. Beef. Two tails up. Half the weight. 8.0

Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried dinner patties for dogs. Chicken. 8.5 flavor. 10 for convenience.

Nut butters