caltexflanc
Guru
Canada has some excellent grocery chains (Costco too) as does Mexico. Small islands anywhere tend to be problematic. But when cruising we do like to focus on that, not going shopping.
That was part of the reason for my initial question and is behind our reasoning. When cruising in the US, we can find fresh vegetables and fruits and berries along the way and generally do ok, but meats are a gamble so we prefer to stock all we can from a source we know and trust. When cruising outside the US, finding good meats in a grocery store is far less likely.
That acquisition was 2013, and you've never been back again?
I just replaced my fridge (and freezer) after the unit died full of bait! I gotta tell you.....that really stinks! I'll spare you the details!.
I was in Sam's the other day and noticed all the fresh chicken was Tyson branded, so the comment about the quality makes sense. Might be why even though its over an hour farther than the hour we are from three Sam's, Ann always waits until we are going by a Costco to stock up on meats. We are on the last of a "six pack" of thighs I got a few months ago and they have been really good. Anyone who's seen some of the boat food pix I've posted here knows we take it pretty seriously.
By the way, Kroger owns a bunch of local chains, including Harris Teeter here in the southeast, as well as Ralph's out in SoCal, Fred Meyer in the PNW, so some of you have likely been in one. I've always found the quality to be acceptable, and found the post-acquisition Ralph's near where I stay in LA much better than the "pre"on my visit earlier this month. Still went to Gel$on'$ or Whole Food$ for produce though, nice to have a choice, not that the stuff at Ralph's looked "bad".
Here in east Podunk, NC, HT has been the only somewhat upscale choice vs. Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Walmart, but Publix is about to bring some competition; though I have to say the pork products at the Pig are pretty good (and about the only thing that is).
When you are cruising full time, one doesn't always have the optimum choices, which is why strategic vacuum seal freezing is great when you do.
You describe my wife to a T. It amazes me how can we agree on a specific shopping list, representing the ingredients for a carefully planned (by me, but agreed by her) series of meals, and she shows up with three times as much food. She also shows up with three times the clothes she needs covering every possible occasion, even though most of them (including even formals and funerals) aren't even a possibility. The reality is that we already have all the food and clothes we need on board for at least 2 weeks, even if we don't catch any fish for dinner. As a result (and thanks to the fact that I have a commercial quality vacuum packer), our main freezer has 9 cubic feet of professionally sealed food of all sorts (or at least all -- there are a few items, like mushrooms, that are apparently unsafe to vac pack), dating back years. Surprisingly, I find that steaks and other meat are (almost) imperceptibly identical to their recently frozen counterparts.
I think that's a great idea!
I got one for Christmas and love it but you've got to be onboard to hear the alarms. This happened during my 2-week hiatus from the boat after my daughter's wedding.
I plan to only set the alarms during extended periods aboard, but love the dual temps and alarms. I set one to each fridge for easy reference.
I find the advantage of the commercial machines to be their ability to do volume. If you're sealing 10 packages, then you'll have to give the Foodsavers a brief rest along the way. Also, the Foodsavers won't hold up to commercial volumes.
A single ice try fills our boat's freezer. Good we drink wine and don't fish other than at the supermarket.
We have nothing in our freezer currently.
Hubby's new toy at home is a freeze drier so he's been freeze drying everything under the sun and storing it all in Mylar bags with oxygen scavengers.
The very first thing he freeze dried when he first bought it was ice cream. Lol
not a bad idea. One of my customers wanted dried honey. Claimed he saw it in a store and thought it would work great on his nut products. I laughed because honey is 18% water the water is the catalist that carries the simple sugars anitoxidents and nutrients that comprise honey. I found the product it was, Aunt Patties Organic Honey Crystals and was sucrose not honey. I called the company and they got mad at me so i called their organic certifier and they wouldnt talk to me so i contacted the USDA that certifys the certifiers and they told me the word honey can be used on anything because there is no legal definition of honey.
So I'm sure you could find a market for dried ice cream
He's done hamburger patties, pork chops, steaks, various fruits, and eggs so far.
What's it like when it's rehydrated? Does the food return to its original texture and taste?
He's done hamburger patties, pork chops, steaks, various fruits, and eggs so far.
What's it like when it's rehydrated? Does the food return to its original texture and taste?
if you remove the 18% water from honey you have sugar crystals not honey.Well NASA's got the market on that already...the astronauts eat it in space.
Pretty sure freeze drying honey wouldn't work very well. As an experiment and because for some reason we had like 6 bottles of It, hubby tried to do bbq sauce. It was a disaster.
He's done hamburger patties, pork chops, steaks, various fruits, and eggs so far.
Good on a shelf as long as it's sealed up for like 25-30 years.
He's done hamburger patties, pork chops, steaks, various fruits, and eggs so far.
What's it like when it's rehydrated? Does the food return to its original texture and taste?