Bush Food

[Gerry in Idaho]

I used to do quite a bit of day trips out of a backpack and on occasion a 3 day trips.  These were a few yrs ago when my back was good.

Here are some of the items I enjoyed taking along and in no particular order.

Breakfast was instant hot oatmeal and my JetBoil compact cooker had water boiling in 60 seconds.  It was also nice to enjoy a hot Ramen Noodle in the evening.  If I was not up for a quick cooking, just slam a Protein Drink and go.

Day munchies included individual cheese (will last a week without refrigeration), Slim Jims/Jerky, Trailmix and figs.

Dinner was individual Beef Stew packets, or Tuna/Chicken packets and half a bagel with peanut butter.

In fact to this day I carry most everything in the pics in my truck 24/7 except the cheese.

As other have mentioned, a water purification straw is nice as well.

If available, I like to take stream water and use powdered Gatorade for hydration.

Today I usually have my truck within reach and like to keep a bag of apples or oranges.

The fruit/vegetable that holds the most water is a cucumber 96%, and they actually last a few days in the field.  But some folks are not into their flavor.

The next best thing most people enjoy is a watermelon and it is 92% water and very good for you.  Only problem is that size and weight of watermelon, so I keep it at the truck.

Field Knowledge - FIGS..  One of the best fruits for you, very high in natural sugars.  They prevent cramps and optimize hydration.  Figs are a true superfood, containing antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like Potassium and Magnesium. Potassium also helps balance out sodium concentration in your blood to lower blood pressure.

Water - and plenty of it.  Hard to take gallons with you on a pack, but if you are in desolate areas, I'd make sure water is with you at all times.

Now when I detect with good friends.  I make sure Chef Rusty comes along.  As long as his trailer can get there, we'll have eggs/bacon/hash browns toast or waffles in the morning.  His famous burgers with fresh sautéed mushrooms, or cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos, or chicken cacciatore, or prime rib and twice baked potatoes.  He has the best baked beans you'll ever get your lips on and don't dare even think of asking for the recipe.  He finishes the evening with a plate of warm berry pie and old fashion vanilla ice cream.  At Chef Rusty's camp, all I'll bring is a roll of toilet paper and a bottle of antacids. Oh...and my electric blankie, favorite snuggy pillow.

At my age, I'm leaning more towards the Chef Rusty style of camping.

 

[geof_junk]

Due to the fact that we were outback for months we had a food dehydrator and had a lot of dried fruit and veggies in the van as fresh one were not always available. Jerky was a lot cheaper when you made it yourself.   

[mh9162013]

Commercial freeze dried pouches are nice due to taste and convenience, but they can be expensive.

One cheaper option I've come across are Knorr Pasta Sides and Knorr Rice Sides. These cost about $1 USD and require  you to add the contents to boiling water, then cook for 10 minutes. Or, you can put the contents in a heavy duty (freezer) resealable bag, add boiling water, then finish the cooking in 10-20 minutes in an insulated coozie (cozy?). Adding additional ingredients, such as fresh/dehydrated veggies, dehydrated/freezedried meats, instant mashed potatoes, ramen, etc. are also options. The only hesitation I have with this option is the use of boiling water in a plastic bag. I dunno if chemicals are being leached into your food, but a lot of people do this and seem to be ok with it...

Some through hikers swear by the "ramen bomb" which has varying ingeredients, but basically consist of a cheap ramen brick, ramen seasoning packet, cut up hot dog and instant mashed potatoes. Quick, easy, high calorie...and cheap. Some even swear by the taste, too.

[geof_junk]

Here is a bit of free tucker in the west Aust out back.

The dinner table.

Catching it  first.

Cooking it when fresh

 

Done.

Ready to eat.

I am not sure the eggs might be protected these days

 

 

 

 

[Sheppo]

5 minutes ago, geof_junk said:

Here is a bit of free tucker in the west Aust out back.

The dinner table.

Cooking it when fresh

I am not sure the eggs might be protected these days

 

 

 

Redclaw are amazing, tail split and placed meat down on a barbeque plate with garlic butter.

[Goldseeker5000]

Hey tboykin, the fish in a can combined with bears is why I always burn all cans in the fire pit. Every where I hunt, there are big grizzlies. Two places I hunt, 15 miles apart have 3 boar's over 800 lbs. And a sow around 700 lbs. Where I hunt and how I set up my campsites, along with my food and camp kitchen I have to follow a very strict camp procedures that I don't allow myself to get lazy with. Knock on wood, I have never had a grizzly in camp, ever. Where I will be for a few months this year has me nervous, so I will use my parimeter Carolina reaper trip alarms and I am going to invest in an electric bear fence.

[Goldseeker5000]

Steve, are those tasty bite food bags good? I have two flavored pouches of those and I still haven't tried them. It's been over a year and a half now.

[Hard Prospector]

2 hours ago, Goldseeker5000 said:

Hey tboykin, the fish in a can combined with bears is why I always burn all cans in the fire pit. Every where I hunt, there are big grizzlies. Two places I hunt, 15 miles apart have 3 boar's over 800 lbs. And a sow around 700 lbs. Where I hunt and how I set up my campsites, along with my food and camp kitchen I have to follow a very strict camp procedures that I don't allow myself to get lazy with. Knock on wood, I have never had a grizzly in camp, ever. Where I will be for a few months this year has me nervous, so I will use my parimeter Carolina reaper trip alarms and I am going to invest in an electric bear fence.

Bear fence = good night's rest.  Have used mine often, don't be grudge the extra weight a bit.

[chuckwalla]

I like wolf brand chili, bring some sourdough bread and throw bits of that into it (sometimes fritos). I also like to put some of those uncrustables sandwiches in my cooler. I like a big 5-liter bag-in-box of merlot (they last for a month after opening). I usually have a few cans of various types of beans - baked, fried, etc. Some freezing cold lemonade is nice too.

Sometimes I'll bring my ooni pizza oven - do some wilderness pizzas, nachos, quesadillas, calzones, etc. I've got a cast iron pan for the oven so I can throw a steak in there as well and it cooks in 5 minutes.