Know any PCT food ideas website?

imported
#1

So I’m the type of person that gets really bored with Liptons and mashed potatoes, and have found diet to be a big part of whether I’m mentally in a good spot when hiking.

That being said, having done trips with mailing resupplys ahead before, I don’t really want to mess with the tedium and time required to do it again. So I’m sort of just looking for ideas of meals I can slap together at supermarkets that take advantage of a little creativity and good ingredient selection. The book Lipsmackin’ Backpackin’ has helped quite a bit and I have been able to pull a bunch of couscous and sauce packet recipes, and things of that nature, from it.

Now I’m just wondering if there are any good websites that do something similar to this. You know, have a past thru-hikers food ideas all laid out in a centralized location. Thanks in advance for any help.

Novakaine

#2

My website is www.freezerbagcooking.com, I have a huge amount of recipes on the site. (And while my thing is doing in freezer bags, the recipes can all be done in a normal pan). Most of the recipes are supermarket friendly, with little prep needed.

sarbar

#3

Hey Novakaine - I share your boredom with Liptons and I can’t ever eat another Mountain House (they all taste alike after a few). And my mental strength as well is dependent on a good food reward at the end of a 20. However, I don’t share your view on maildrops – I like the foundation it offers when supply choices are slim. With that in mind, check out Trailfoods.com (Enertia Trail Foods). Alleghany Alfredo, Mousilauke goulash and Grand Canyon Cheesecake are awesome. Experiment. I’m not a salesman, but I play one on TV. That’s the scoop.

Postcard

#4

I used several of the recipes from freezerbagcooking.com on my short trip last summer. I found them all easy to prepare, tasty to eat. I’d recommend looking through that site and try a few recipes at home to see if you like them.

Jim

#5

I’ll second the good recipes of both Lip Smackin’ Backpacking and Freezerbagcooking.com, I’ve used both with success.

That said, they are still limited resources if you’re any kind of cook (and I am, both at home and on the trail.) That’s not meant to run down either one, but no cook works with just one or two cookbooks, however good. What we need is a good online trail recipe database, like Cooks.com or RecipeLink but with a trail orientation, where those of us who don’t have time or inclination to write cookbooks can share what we’ve developed. It could be a great resource for the average (non-cook) hiker, who wants to eat well and with variety but has no real idea of how to cook creatively with what’s available. Recipes anybody can follow, and you can borrow the creativity of a whole lot of other people to make for a good trail experience.

The question is, how to start one? Maybe it could be a section here at Trail Journals? Maybe another long distance hiking site? It shouldn’t take much for someone with the hosting resources to put up, as the software must be easy and cheap (given the vast number of recipe sites on the web now.) I’d gladly contribute every recipe I’ve ever developed for the trail, and that’s a fair number. Anyone know of someone who might put this into action?

Strategic

#6

That is something I’d like to work on-we are taking our site to a bigger server in the near future, and I will have a huge amount of storage space/bandwidth. Many of the recipes on my site are ones that were sent to me (and sometimes tweaked a bit) by other hikers.
we are hoping to have a recipe submission area on the site, and the ability for people to save favorites, etc (similar to cooking sites). I add a couple recipes a month still to my site, but with the new server, we’ll be able to have people search and have the recipes as hyperlinks.
So if you have recipes, let me know! I’d love to give them a home on my site :slight_smile: (I have a section of non-freezerbag recipes I am working on putting up, but that are one pan ones).
Most of why I started my site back in 2004 was to give back to other hikers :slight_smile:
Sarah

sarbar

#7

Sarah,

I’m pretty excited that you’re planning on this. I’ll gladly send what I have, though it may take a few days as I’m in mid-term grading territory right now. There are a few I have that can be copy-and-pasted, but most will need transcription.

I’m curious as to what your organizing scheme will be for the database. How will you make the initial divisions between recipes; by cooking type, by food type, by any of a dozen other criteria I can’t think of off the top of my head but you’ve probably already thought of? I know it’s a bit technical, but being an historian I take an interest in such things.

One more quick note to Novakaine (I know we kind of hijacked your thread, sorry); to have what you need to spice up just about any supermarket offering, try getting condiment sized packages of everything you can find. www.minimus.biz carries single serving and condiment sizes of everything you can imagine, even stuff like balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Well worth sending these to a mail drop, just to keep resupply food varied.

Stewart

Strategic

#8

That is definitely something the husband and me are still working on!
Most likely I will have a separate section for traditional recipes, versus the FBC recipes. I also plan to have them flagged for being Vegetarian (so a person could search just Vegetarian), and the same with gluten free, low sodium, etc.
It is definitely going to take some time! But I figure, when we get done, it will be a massive database for everyone to use.
Another thing we are working on will be a recipe rater, so users can leave their thoughts. (After all, just because I can eat something, doesn’t mean Hiker Bob wants too :wink:

So anyways, if anyone is interested, by all means drop me an email! My email is ssvienatyahoodotcom (just change the address to work) or I can be contacted thru our website. And yes, all recipes sent to me if posted will have your name with them! I am especially looking for more vegetarian ones, as I get asked often for them. I also love recipes for “whole foods” cooking, so if you are a health nut like me, let me know!

Sarah

sarbar