Can't eat dehydrated meals

[Pro953]

Think about how you eat and home, and how you can best maintain that while hunting (with added calories and hydration as needed).

So often you hear that dehydrated meals or backcountry food options do not sit well when hunting.

If you eat fairly clean year round then change to chili Mac and beef Jerky for a week when hunting, no wonder your stomach is pissed and you feel like crap. You could do that and be in the office and it will still mess with your stomach.


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[rayporter]

dip in boiling water for a couple minutes

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OP.cAogBMXxCMZ09Q474C474&o=5&pid=21.1&w=130&h=106&qlt=100&dpr=1.5&bw=6&bc=FFFFFF&c=17

 

[KsRancher]

dip in boiling water for a couple minutes

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OP.cAogBMXxCMZ09Q474C474&o=5&pid=21.1&w=130&h=106&qlt=100&dpr=1.5&bw=6&bc=FFFFFF&c=17

We do this a lot anymore. We use beefaroni and Hormel chili.

 

[Backyard]

We do this a lot anymore. We use beefaroni and Hormel chili.

These are kinda heavy for backpacking though. Quick, but wet.


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[Jethro]

Foil packs.of chicken. Tortillas.lettuce. and BAM. You have tacos!!

Do you really carry lettuce in your backpack?

 

[Overthenexthill]

I’m with you on that. But it’s nearly the only lightweight option. Unless you freeze dry your own.

 

[Stillness0039]

I hear you OP. Could you clarify, are you looking to move away from freeze dried meals, dehydrated products, or both?

For solid foods, it is hard to beat Backcountry staples like cheeses, summer sausage, and packable fruit like apples. Others have mentioned. Minimal trash to pack out compared to Tins and foils.

For non-freeze dried but dehydrated options, I like steel cut oats with dehydrated milk, with nuts of any kind.

When I need new ideas, I browse the bulk foods section at WinCo and get creative. Recent additions have been dehydrated hummus, just needs water, with a bag of carrots, healthy and cheap.

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[rideold]

Near East Couscous is a pretty decent alternative. One can only eat so much Ramen

 

[Mike 338]

The OP said dehydrated I think he meant freeze dried (store bought). Some years back, I picked up a dehydrator. Cooked up a bunch of ground beef and dehydrated that. Made a bunch of spaghetti just the way I like it and dehydrated that. Mixed the two and portioned in freezer bags. Tastes like Mom's cooking. Did the same thing with chili with steak cubes. Worked out great and actually looked forward to chow.

Nothing is as easy as freeze dried. I mean... just add hot water. Any easier and you'd have someone there to spoon feed you like a baby. Dehydrated... less easy. You gotta cook the food first. Then it takes about a day to dehydrate it. Portion. Then the big secret: you gotta re-hydrate it in advance. Guys who say rehydrate 20 minutes before heating and serving probably don't know how food is supposed to taste. The way I do it: I take a freeze dried meal for the first night. When I make a dinner, I splash some water in tomorrows dinner bag. When I get to it the next night, it's perfect. Or, you could just have a wet bag of food on the pack in and skip the freeze dried chow the first night. That's a lot of planning though and just pulling out of the driveway is hard enough so I go the less complicated route.

You can dehydrate your meals early, like a month early and just pitch them in the freezer until you put them in your pack and head out. The advantage of dehydrated is it's home cooking.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Make them at home. Start with very lean red meat or chicken and make what you normally eat at home. No oil or fat of any kind. I've dehydrated chili, chicken stew, beef dishes and all kinds of other stuff. It's cheap but somewhat time consuming. You can make them taste however you like them.

 

[elkliver]

Do you really carry lettuce in your backpack?

Definitely! Fresh greens taste amazing in the back country and there is zero weight to worry about