Anyone coming up here for the short term absolutely needs to bring a cooler, so I'm going to go through the basics of filling it.My friend D is looking at coming up in the new year, and as such I'm writing this for her.
The Basics:
First of all, your primary goal should be to stay within your weight limit. The charge for overages is between 150 and 200 bucks. Therefore, two things are your enemy- water and packaging. Meat and fish should be vacuum sealed by your butcher (and yes, you should find one, or have one already). Styrofoam boards take up space and weight. Cardboard does too. Water and cans are an absolute no go.
Meat Selection:
Pick cuts of meat that have bones to make stock out of, but minimal exposed ends, because that can puncture vacuum bags. You'll want the bones to make stock out of for stews and soups, because it gets cold up here and you may not have time to cook. I got real lucky when I got up here- there was a slow cooker in the apartment.I could make a couple of nights worth of dinners while I slept. Anyways, I recommend chicken thighs or quarters, pork ribs, or beef short tibs for your boned meat, and steaks, beef cubes, sausages, and bacon for your unboned. Chicken breasts are also an option, as is tofu. You can get ground meat up here, so I wouldn't be terribly in a hurry to pack it. Buy nice, stuff, as meat will keep you warm and full, and is far and away the most expensive and lowest quality item up here (that's still edible).
Vegetables and Fruit:
The options for fresh food up here have been pretty dismal. Garlic is often rottted, asparagus more wrinkled than my patients, and options as a whole are limited. Bring up frozen fruit and vegetables- berries and magos are some options that seem to travel well. Bagged vegetables work, but don't count on anythng beyond wilted salad, onions and potato being both available and edible. I did find a few grapefruit, but no luck otherwise.
Other Items:
Bullion powder, spices, dehydrated garlic and onion, cayenne, gatorade powder...a small spice cabinet will go a long way. Salt and pepper are availble, as are spices, but expect triple prices or more, and limited availability.
You will need to buy food, yes. It will be costly. But the big ticket items like meat are the ones you need to plan around. Until you come back, make contacts so you can purcahse local meat and fish, the options are pretty grim.
The Basics:
First of all, your primary goal should be to stay within your weight limit. The charge for overages is between 150 and 200 bucks. Therefore, two things are your enemy- water and packaging. Meat and fish should be vacuum sealed by your butcher (and yes, you should find one, or have one already). Styrofoam boards take up space and weight. Cardboard does too. Water and cans are an absolute no go.
Meat Selection:
Pick cuts of meat that have bones to make stock out of, but minimal exposed ends, because that can puncture vacuum bags. You'll want the bones to make stock out of for stews and soups, because it gets cold up here and you may not have time to cook. I got real lucky when I got up here- there was a slow cooker in the apartment.I could make a couple of nights worth of dinners while I slept. Anyways, I recommend chicken thighs or quarters, pork ribs, or beef short tibs for your boned meat, and steaks, beef cubes, sausages, and bacon for your unboned. Chicken breasts are also an option, as is tofu. You can get ground meat up here, so I wouldn't be terribly in a hurry to pack it. Buy nice, stuff, as meat will keep you warm and full, and is far and away the most expensive and lowest quality item up here (that's still edible).
Vegetables and Fruit:
The options for fresh food up here have been pretty dismal. Garlic is often rottted, asparagus more wrinkled than my patients, and options as a whole are limited. Bring up frozen fruit and vegetables- berries and magos are some options that seem to travel well. Bagged vegetables work, but don't count on anythng beyond wilted salad, onions and potato being both available and edible. I did find a few grapefruit, but no luck otherwise.
Other Items:
Bullion powder, spices, dehydrated garlic and onion, cayenne, gatorade powder...a small spice cabinet will go a long way. Salt and pepper are availble, as are spices, but expect triple prices or more, and limited availability.
You will need to buy food, yes. It will be costly. But the big ticket items like meat are the ones you need to plan around. Until you come back, make contacts so you can purcahse local meat and fish, the options are pretty grim.
Good tips Chris, thank you. Spices for sure and meat with bones in it for stock. What about can fruits and vegetables? Did your food stay frozen till you got to your destination?
ReplyDeleteGet frozen in the south. A lot of what you find up here is inedible. Go to the store regularly, you'll get odd finds like my grapefruit.
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