Thread: Food ideas for family camping trip

Originally Posted by zeropak

I'm Curious why you have an aversion to freeze dried food (Back Country) My experience with it has been positive. Freeze drying retains 100% of the nutrient value of the food and the one I have tried have tasted great.

I don't mind it for an overnighter or two, especially when I've walked in, but I'll avoid it if I can. Crazy amounts of salt and farting!

Not to mention per meal cost for a family camping holiday!

We used to take corned beef, it kept well in a chilly bin and was easy to cook. used to get some funny but envious looks from other campers.

Originally Posted by MB

I don't mind it for an overnighter or two, especially when I've walked in, but I'll avoid it if I can. Crazy amounts of salt and farting!

Yep I understand the cost thing which @XR500 mentions. Freeze dried food is probably a more expensive option than some other alternatives but not so sure about the salt issue. I have just looked at the salt content on a roast lamb and vegetable pack, the 90gm 1 serve pack, it contains 1080mg of salt, that's about 0.2 of a teaspoon. This seems like the same sort of volume you would sprinkle on your ordinary type meal.
As for the Farting!! Not sure about that one.

@MB How many nights are you going for and how many of you? what have you got for cooking?

In the past I have frozen solid blocks of ice, freeze all the meat and in a iceteck 40L chillybin this will last for 3-4 days if keep in the shade and kids not opening up every ten minutes to get drinks

Go native boil in the bag meals are pretty good https://www.gonativeworld.com/ and use these over dehy meals when I go bush. They can be used with mash, rice, couscous, on wraps/burritos etc but might work out a bit expensive for a large family

Lots of cheaper options too like instant noodles, bake beans, tuna, wraps, cereal and long-life milk, parboiled rice etc

Originally Posted by zeropak

I have just looked at the salt content on a roast lamb and vegetable pack, the 90gm 1 serve pack, it contains 1080mg of salt, that's about 0.2 of a teaspoon.

The nutritional information does not list salt, but sodium content. For the meal you mention, they list sodium 2000mg. Those small meals are (surprisingly) small, so I would eat a regular size pack containing sodium 3840mg. That's nearly double the recommended sodium intake per day for an adult contained within one meal! It equates to salt 9.6g or well over 1.5 teaspoons. In context, I'm not a healthy eating freak. I like salt and use a lot, but this is too much for me both in terms of taste and dehydration after eating that junk for more than a couple of days.

Originally Posted by Fat belly Dog

@MB How many nights are you going for and how many of you? what have you got for cooking?

In the past I have frozen solid blocks of ice, freeze all the meat and in a iceteck 40L chillybin this will last for 3-4 days if keep in the shade and kids not opening up every ten minutes to get drinks

Go native boil in the bag meals are pretty good https://www.gonativeworld.com/ and use these over dehy meals when I go bush. They can be used with mash, rice, couscous, on wraps/burritos etc but might work out a bit expensive for a large family

Lots of cheaper options too like instant noodles, bake beans, tuna, wraps, cereal and long-life milk, parboiled rice etc

It's 5 nights. 2 adults and one child, but mixed up with other families, not sure how it's going to work with sharing food. We normally do the chilly bin thing, but keeping the kids out requires a full time guard and I'm a bit over chasing bits of cucumber around salt ice slurry!

By new year there should be fresh corn that can be cooked on a barby or fire to go with Kumera or new spuds. Couple of lettuces, carrots etc and a few wraps. I wouldnt over think it just take stuff that needs no refrigeration and is ok just sitting in the shade with a wet towel over it

Corn is a great idea!

Just to add, we've got one dude who really knows what he's doing line fishing plus two wannabes and three wannabe spearfishos, so hopefully we'll be OK on the fresh protein front.

As for hot drinks and the milk quandary, if I can't have real coffee, the Moccona sachets like cappuccino are the next best thing. Convenient and 100X better than the Nescafe version.

Originally Posted by MB

Corn is a great idea!

Yeah, and the left over cobs are fine for kids to chow on cold the next day, and if it was cooked with the husk on it doesn't need hygienic storage.
Watermelon ?

Originally Posted by MB

That would be awesome, but Urupukapuka is a "pest"-free island, so not going to work. We'll be fishing and spearfishing though, so hopefully the ocean will provide.

Take limes or lemons, garlic and salt.

You can make Ceviche from fish and shellfish.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1...afood/ceviche/

Originally Posted by 300CALMAN

Take limes or lemons, garlic and salt.

You can make Ceviche from fish and shellfish.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1...afood/ceviche/

That's funny, tonight's dinner! Made with trevally, island style. Forgive the sriracha, I seem to put it on everything these days.

Originally Posted by MB

That's funny, tonight's dinner! Made with trevally, island style. Forgive the sriracha, I seem to put it on everything these days.

Amazing! Our fishing trips usually end in a pig-out on ceviche and beer. We tend to make the South American style with lime, chili, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander, corn and kumara as a side. Island style is good also, trevally seems the best fish here for ceveche.