Vegetarian live aboard

[Jeff_H]

If you are living at a dock, then you can get by with fresh juice and milk simply using ice in summer. When cruising for any length of time I have used water, canned and dried milk and juices. I still strongly suggest that you pick up Anne Hill''s wonderful little book, ''Voyaging on a Small Income'' as it has a very complete discussion of being a vegetarian onboard.

Jeff

[fourknots]

We use powdered milk. I know, it can taste bad, but there is help. Some stores sell Nido which is whole milk powder. Mix 1/2 and 1/2 with non-fat powdered milk and it''s quite good. The other alternative is UHT milk, or soy or rice milk in the boxes.

We also use concentrated juice. It comes in soda-sized cans and you mix it with water to get about 2 quarts. The best thing is that it dosen''t have to be frozen.

Get a good water filter at the sink and you''re set.

[RobGallagher]

I''m a lacto-vegatarian (not much lacto, but I have a weakness for cheese on my pizza

Tofu is available in boxes that don''t require a fridge just like the juice or soy milk boxes.

MRE''s (meals ready to eat) come in many vegatarian styles and I allways keep some on board for a fast meal. They are high in calories and carbs so if you dieting it''s not the greatest. Some of them don''t taste the greatest, but I have tried many that are very tasty. They are also cheap.

I also keep a big variety of canned goods such as black beans, canned sprouts, corn, bean curd etc.

Check out asain food stores for canned, dried or boxed goods that are vegetarian.

I don''t live aboard but I stay on my boat at least 2 or more nights a week in season sometimes up to 10 days. I use the old ice box to keep things chilled.

Beer and rum are both vegatarian.

[eryka32]

LOL @ your last line, Rob!

[mark71565]

Since I recently got my part time job at the marina, I am finding out that more and more boaters, especially live aboard people, are switching to the vegetarian diet. This is cool. Actually, what I am discovering is that most people who have a live aboard mentality are really a breed apart! It''s like a huge sub-culture... most aren''t materialistic (meaning they aren''t pack rats); most are privacy seekers; etc... etc... Hopefully everything will go good and I''ll get my boat in a week or two. She''ll need some TLC before she''s liveable, but I am excited. I have noted all your replies and I want to thank you all sincerely...
Mark

[fourknots]

Update on the hydroponics.

We had our first salad last night with boat-grown spinach and lettuce from my son''s hydroponic science project. It was great! The spring has been cool here, so everything except the tomatoes is growing fast. Unfortunately, the lack of sun has made solar powering of the pump impractical. We''ve used shore power instead, but the pump only uses less than 20 amp/hrs a day, so it''s do-able under decent sun conditions (it only has to be run during the day, but we found the plants grow better if run 24 hrs). Using the wind gen (now winterized) also would easily have worked.

The tomatoes are blooming, but it seems the leafy greens are going to be the producers for now.

As a control, he used a standard potting soil for one bucket and it has actually grown faster - he thinks due to the trace minerals in the soil. The hydroponic mix should be more consistent, though ans certainly easier to bring along.

The set up is too unweildy to sail with, but it could be modified to work except during a real blow. Still, for anchoring or coastal cruising, I think it would work.

Interesting question:

Is hydroponics organic? No pesticides are used (great boat advantage), but the nutrient solution is a chemical mix. I say it''s not, but my son says it is because the mix is organic chemicals. Hmmm.

[tcfceo]

Great thread! I''m working on novel ways to provision for a short, 1 month cruise. My fiancee and I eat organic-only on land, and are looking to preserve foods as long as possible to make for less required stops during the cruise.

To answer Fourknots: If there are any chemical used in the hydroponic experiment, it''s not organic. Organic foods are grown without *any* chemicals of any sort. They are grown with old, tested methods of crop rotation, natural insecticides, etc... The organic chemicals in the nutrients/fertilizer refer to a different definition of the word "organic." Organic chemicals are defined, loosely, as chemicals containing carbon and carbon structures. Gasonline is an organic chemical. So is agent orange. Neither would be great for eating. Organic produce is produced without any chemicals of any type, relying on naturally occuring nutrients present in the soil, which is cared for by careful crop rotation, etc..

Hope that helps.

[Jeffamc]

I think it would be best if you just bought many pound of rice with you