On provisioning, good food and saving money

[Ross]

I haven't fixed Boston Baked beans for several years now and was feeling needful. So last night I put two pounds of beans to soak and today I got started. I drained the soaking water and rinsed the beans and added enough water to cover them by an inch or so and brought them to a boil and then simmered them for a couple of hours. I peeled and diced four large onions. I drained the beans and saved the cooking water added the onions to the beans and mixed 2/3 cup each of brown sugar and molasses and a tablespoon of dry mustard and four teaspoons of salt into the cooking water and mixed that with the beans and placed them in a couple of deep large covered baking dishes and added enough water to cover the beans. I baked them for 3 1/2 hours and added water as needed to keep them just covered. When they were finished I ladled them into 7 pint jars and processed them in my pressure cooker and had a quart left for the table. The total cost with the pound of bacon that was included was less than 6 dollars for what will be 9 meals for two people, 18 servings. Some of those will go on the boat and some will stay home.

 

[Rob2435]

funny, I just made fresh pasta; it took all of 45 minutes to make several servings. I didn't keep track of the costs but I don't think I spent over $5 and I still have some ingredients left.

 

[Stu Jackson]

A pressure cooker woulda saved a ton of cooking fuel. Enjoy.

 

[Ross]

Stu, They gotta slow bake for a long time. They get an hour and twenty minutes at 10 psi when processed in the pint jars. I must have used 30 cents worth of natural gas. But they need only be heated on the boat to be ready to eat.
The pressure cooker saves cooking time but you have to use a larger fire.

 

[Benny]

Ross, fair WINDS!

 

[Ross]

Benny, Not a problem if they soak long enough and cook long enough. It is the under cooked poorly processed legumes that cause problems.

 

[sailaway78]

Good enough

Ross,
Those sound good enough to eat. Maybe we need to start a thread on provisioning and good boat recipies.

 

[Mike B]

Ross, the other option is to count out the beens and stop at 239. Otherwise it will make them "two farty". Gosh we haven't had musical fruit to eat in some time.
Mike

 

[Ross]

Ross,
Those sound good enough to eat. Maybe we need to start a thread on provisioning and good boat recipies.

I keep trying. When I make a good stew or soup, I can what we don't or won't eat in a couple of meals and take it to the boat come summertime.
With canned beef and turkey and roast pork you can have a lot of variety in a cruising diet without spending much cash. I recently bought 10 pounds of boneless beef chuck on sale for 18 dollars. Some of that will end up in jars as beef stew. It is all in the freezer now.

 

[sailaway78]

Canned goods

My biggest negative for canned goods on the boat, is the worry that glass jars will end up getting all broken, should mama nature decide to throw a little tantrum. And we all know that sooner or later she will.

 

[sailingdog]

If you store the glass jars in some sort of padding—socks work well—and then put them into a plastic crate so they can't move...there is very little chance of them breaking.

My biggest negative for canned goods on the boat, is the worry that glass jars will end up getting all broken, should mama nature decide to throw a little tantrum. And we all know that sooner or later she will.

 

[Roger Long]

Maybe we need to start a thread on provisioning and good boat recipies.

Yes, absolutely. The way this thread is starting the subject, I expect it will drift off into the subject of ventilation as well

 

[Ross]

If you store the glass jars in some sort of padding—socks work well—and then put them into a plastic crate so they can't move...there is very little chance of them breaking.

We have always used socks for padding the jars and canning jars are much stronger than the one time use store jars which should not be
used for home canning.

 

[bffatcat]

Sailors Chow Message for Ross

Well done Ross Nice recipe. I kind of figured you were a Dinty Moore`s canned beef stew
man. It used to be the main stay of the cruising sailor a few years back.

 

[Ross]

Fatcat have you looked at the price of Dinty-Moore stew lately? potatoes, carrots and onions are less than 75 cents per pound and beef can be found for less than two dollars and water is free.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

If you're not into canning (I'm not)...

Freezing is a good way to store many foods. I love to cook, but cooking for one can be more trouble than it's worth and I refuse to buy convenience foods because of their ridiculous cost ($2.50 for a single serving of spaghetti and meat sauce that can be made at home for about $.50/serving...$3.00 or more for a piece of grilled chicken breast and a couple tablespoons of veggies that can be made at home for <$1.00 WITH a lot more veggies) and the preservatives, MSG etc that are added to 'em.

So I make "vats" of soups, stews, chili, sauces, etc and put 'em in single serving freezer containers...when I need more than one serving, I take out the number I need. I do the same thing with meats--which, btw, can be marinated before freezing...I buy in bulk, then freeze single servings for most things. I even make lasagna and freeze it in single servings..I "build" it in a large baking dish EXCEPT for the top layer of cheese. But I don't bake it then...instead I freeze it just till it's "set" enough cut into servings. When I want one, I thaw it, then put the top layer of cheese on it and bake it.

I found this worked well for the boat too...'cuz the frozen foods provide the "ice" for a cooler and keep the fridge cold without the need to use as much battery power.

And btw, single servings of cooked pasta and rice can also be frozen in zip lock bags. When ready to eat, a few seconds in the microwave and it's just like freshly cooked again. No microwave on your boat? Put the bags in hot water...but not while it's boiling...ziplocks melt in boiling water (don't ask me how I know that!)

 

[Ross]

I make chicken or turkey noodle soup and leave out the noodles when I can it. That way the noodles get added when I heat the soup and they don't get over cooked. I believe that pasta in all of its wonderfulness is essential on a boat.

 

[sailingdog]

You shouldn't use ziplock bags to cook in. If you're going to do the boil in bag routine, there are plastic bags that are made for this. Some of the vacuum sealer bags are made for this specifically. Some of the ziplock bags have plasticizers that can leech out in high temps—which isn't good for you or the food.

Freezing is a good way to store many foods. I love to cook, but cooking for one can be more trouble than it's worth and I refuse to buy convenience foods because of their ridiculous cost ($2.50 for a single serving of spaghetti and meat sauce that can be made at home for about $.50/serving...$3.00 or more for a piece of grilled chicken breast and a couple tablespoons of veggies that can be made at home for <$1.00 WITH a lot more veggies) and the preservatives, MSG etc that are added to 'em.

So I make "vats" of soups, stews, chili, sauces, etc and put 'em in single serving freezer containers...when I need more than one serving, I take out the number I need. I do the same thing with meats--which, btw, can be marinated before freezing...I buy in bulk, then freeze single servings for most things. I even make lasagna and freeze it in single servings..I "build" it in a large baking dish EXCEPT for the top layer of cheese. But I don't bake it then...instead I freeze it just till it's "set" enough cut into servings. When I want one, I thaw it, then put the top layer of cheese on it and bake it.

I found this worked well for the boat too...'cuz the frozen foods provide the "ice" for a cooler and keep the fridge cold without the need to use as much battery power.

And btw, single servings of cooked pasta and rice can also be frozen in zip lock bags. When ready to eat, a few seconds in the microwave and it's just like freshly cooked again. No microwave on your boat? Put the bags in hot water...but not while it's boiling...ziplocks melt in boiling water (don't ask me how I know that!)

 

[mutualfun]

I think Peggy as some good ideas. I am sure we could all learn some new ways to provision from each other here and some new ways to cook and store food.
Randy

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

You shouldn't use ziplock bags to cook in.

I didn't suggest cooking in 'em. In fact, they melt in boiling water or in a microwave at higher than "defrost." However, some things--including rice and pasta CAN be reheated--or perhaps more accurately, re-warmed--in a ziplock without harm.