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longer than stuff lasts in a frige

14K views 87 replies 25 participants last post by  Capt.aaron 
#1 · (Edited)
I stay away from town for a lot longer than stuff will last in a frige. I sprout lentil's, chick peas, wheat. I make sprouted lentil burgers on sprouted wheat bread with sprouted chick pea humus. It's awesome. I throw some lentil sprouts in the hot pan with olive oil, honey and dryed organic blue berry's and serve on jasmine rice. Living, fresh and nutritous food I can keep for months. Wax Boxed tofu and soy milk. Cereal's, dried fruit. I pickle okra, eggs, I put peppers and green beans in olive oil. I simplify the sprouting process by just throwing the lentils in a cook pot, watering once and forgetting about them. You can run the wheat sprouts through a hand cranking food grinder and it comes out as dough. I have a solar oven I made from Sailing the Farm and just put the dough in it. Bread. The list of wonderfull, fresh food I'm eating on week 6 in some out of the way anchorage like Bahia de Ascension in the Yucatan or the Marqueses in the key's, is endless! I've been living a board since I was 8 and inherited the boat when I was 18. I'm 41 now and have never had a frige. Salami's, canned butter from Holand, pastas, sundried tomatoes. Saute' up some canned chicken breast with white wine and garlic. Fresh pickled cucumber. I could go on and on and on about how I can stock my boat with 6 months of great non frige food. Do you know how long a Parm cheese wheel lasts?! I use electricity for lights and......?? music... and a small fan. I use a pump up bug sprayer as a shower and get cleaner than dribbling water from a shower head. I have a 65 gallon water tank under my V bearth, and a 40 gallon one where my engine was. Any plastic gidget gadget that had wires poking out of it has broken and not been replaced. If I can't beat it with a hammer it's useless to me. The more I've gotten rid of, more freedom I've gained and the longer I've been able to stay away from town. I know this bare bones style isn't for everyone, but little aspects of it may interest some of you.
 
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#2 ·
Aaron,

The last time I was in the Marquesses was about 15 years ago. At that time there was a deepwater cut from the northwest side that led into a relatively large, deep pocket in Mooney Harbor. The water at high tide in the cut was about 5 to 7 feet deep and the pocket was 20 feet deep. There were loads of monster cuda in the pocket, and a fair number of lobster. Is the cut still there, or has it filled in? I was thinking seriously about anchoring up there on the way to the Dry Tortugas--just as a stop-over point.

Cheers,

Gary :cool:
 
#8 · (Edited)
Yes the cut is still there. As for the sprouts. I put lentils in a pot I would normally use to boil pasta in, cover with water, and 12 hours later they have soaked up the water and have cracked. At this point you can eat them raw. a day later they have a nice stem and a day after that a leaf. I guess I do about a pound at a time and have three batches going at a time. If you run the sprouts through a hand crank food grinder it is basicly burger material, Throw it in the pan. The wheat takes more rinse , but the water you drain off is called rejuvilac and is super good for you, The wheat takes a day or 2. I do all the sprouts in cook pots. I do this to have fresh produce after I've used up the groceries From the store and or they have rotted. The thing I miss most when I'm out there is lettuce and cucmber's> I discoverd the lentil sprouts in the pot by accident. I had soaked some to cook and did'nt get back to them for a day. When I'm out there I spend a lot of time spearfishing and looking for lobster. (In Mexico conch) I once made a lobster ruben on sprouted wheat bread with, home made saurekraut And fresh made red pepper aoli. (I used roasted red pepper preserved in olive oil and mayonaise made from eggs that had been dipped in wax.) Awesome sandwich!
 
#3 ·
I stay away from town for a lot longer than stuff will last in a frige. I sprout lentil's, chick peas, wheat. I make sprouted lentil burgers on sprouted wheat bread with sprouted chick pea humus. It's awesome. I throw some lentil sprouts in the hot pan with olive oil, honey and dryed organic blue berry's and serve on jasmine rice..............
How long do your sprouts normally take until you can use them? I guess the second question is the quantity you normally use?

I love the idea of fresh food in the manner you describe it, and I'm sure I am not the only one who would appreciate more details, including equipment you might use.

Thanks!
 
#4 · (Edited)
Good stuff Capt Aaron...I love the bug sprayer shower idea...that's very interesting.I like this kind of food too...Gimme a gallon of good olive oil, a quart of tahini (sesame butter), some balsamic vinegar, cayenne powder,lots of basmati rice, canned whole or chopped tomatoes, soy flour,a big bag of whole wheat flour,some gram flour(besan or flour made from lentils), dried fruit of all kinds,dried hot peppers,curry ingredients,lots of fresh garlic,dried ginger powder,wasabi powder, a big bottle of soy sauce, a bunch of popcorn kernels from that guy whose name is hard to pronounce, etc...is a short list of stuff I could make last for a long, long cruise...alot of this stuff goes great with freshly-caught fish...I'm curious if you are supplementing your stores with regular catches of fish Capt A?
 
#6 ·
Maybe not cheeseburgers but you can make good pizza from this stuff...especially if you have the big round of cheese like he mentioned...fresh sushi is very easy if you can catch the right fish...just put lots of fresh garlic into the soy sauce and use wasabi and rice vinegar or a dash of rice wine (saki) to initially soak the fish in after cleaning it...or dip the sushi in to keep down the bacteria organisms in any fish from warmer waters...
 
#9 ·
I keep my beer cold by keeping it on the sea bottm tied to a piece of line. It keeps it better than warm any way. I put lime and salt on the rim of the bottle. It may be an aquired taste. But not warm beer is better than no beer. I mostly drink rum out of the bottle anyway's.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Right now I'm on a tug in Miami and have a sprint air card. When I'm gone, I'm gone and I don't get on line. The back country around Key West has cell service for 10 miles out, I can be in some gunk hole out there and still have service.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Thanks cupper3, I'm actually kind of new to the computer world. My wife bought me a lap top for christmas so I would have something to do while I'm at work for two weeks at a time on the tug boat. I have heard of this BLOG you speak of but have never even read some one elses. Most of the ideas I put to use are either in Sailing the farm or the Essene Gospels, ( I'm not religous, just a sprout recipe source) I like to make things as simple as easy, with as little complicated gear and maintenance as possible. I don't want to rely on 2000 people going to work in the morning so my systems will work, ie, G.P.S. , combustable engine and gas stations and refrigerated food and electrical gizmos that tell me stuff I don't really need to know down to the decimal. or that perform simple tasks like moving water from a tank to a cup. I like manual, gravity, wind and natural way's of moving stuff and myself around the planet. Self sufficiant, truly free from town. I guess it spawn from being, young, broke, with a sailboat in the key's and anchored off Christmas tree Island back when all the hippies had a community on the island, That's where I learned about the sprout stuff. I just transposed it to cruising. MY boat sunk off the Island And I moved into the woods and built a TEE PEE out of my sails. I lived like that with the hippies for 6 months.
 
#20 ·
AAron,
You mentioned working two weeks at a time on the tug. How much time off do you get after each stint and how offten do you manage to escape for six weeks or so ?

Cheers

Andrew B
 
#24 ·
Well, down here in the back country or the Yucatan coast the water is as clear as you can imagine. I do an awful lot of diving and snorkeling and constanly have it in my mouth. I bath mostly in the sea when I'm cruising and rinse with fresh water. And beer when I'm out there is a delicacy anyway's, I drink expensive rum from the bottle.
 
#27 ·
Honestly, most of the stuff I do, I found in a cruising cook book or a book like sailing the farm. Some of the recipies I make are just my renditions of all ready existing dishes. But maybe a consolidated book is an idea worth thinking about. Thank's for the vote of confidence. There are some great cruising cook books out there. I like the ones written in the 70's. Kind of minimilist, pre gadget stuff.
 
#29 ·
I wasn't particularly impressed with Sailing the Farm. Incorrect information on some things I did know about cast the rest that I didn't know about into doubt.

If you are interested in the book it is available for free online http://cruisenews.net/sailfarm.pdf
 
#30 · (Edited)
Ya, some of the stuff in sailing the farm is a little far fetched. But what it did do for me was set the "independance on 30 feet" ( the sub title) concept into motion. Last time I needed to look at a copy, I had my local library order one and took some notes. The Solar oven works well and the food stuff is pretty accurate. That "solar still" thing I don't think is as efficient as it claims. And I don't plan on using Gold as ballast, but the over all concept took root when I read it as a young sailor and has been the through line in my over all philosophy on Cruising long term and cutting the ambilcal chord to town and all it's expensive ammenities.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Just started reading "Sailing The Farm". I am very much into the being independent in sailing and always try and learn anything that can help to that end. As far as solar stills, being a tinker and advocate of alternative energy, I have actually built some before. None are as efficient as we would want them to be and the most useful one I ever built was also the most simple design (go figure). I look forward to learning useful knowledge from these books.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I have a salt water still I bought from some kid who was selling everything, that works on a stove top or on a camp fire, which is what I intend to use it for. The brand name escapes me but it will make gallons a day. True freedom from town is all about water water water. If I've ever had to leave paradise for something, it's been to go get more water. that's why I have over 100 gallon storage and another 30 in jerry's, and I buy bottled water by the pallet. I have bottles of water stuck in every nook. Rain catching tech. is a constant project of mine. I am alway's thinking about how to catch as much as I can.
 
#36 ·
I'm on the tug boat right now, but the still is in My truck in the harbour, If I get over there this week I'll get the name off the label. It's something simple like, "salt water still" or something like that, It's a cook pot, with an inner pot, and a plastic hose basically. I looked it up on line when I bought it to look for replacement parts if I need them.
 
#39 · (Edited)
If you are not afraid to cut out the blue parts you can eat off that wheel for 6 months in the tropics. The pump up sprayer is great for washing off the salt water, I bath as I swim. But on cold winter nights (55 deg at worst down here), after a wet kayak ride back the boat, a tea kettles worth of hot water mixed with 2 gallons of tank water in a bug sprayer will get you good and clean. I am currently re-outfitting my boat and all the work is going toward the rig, hull and sails. Inside I have three lights and a radio. an alcohol stove and a bunch of pillows. I can't think of anything else I need down there.
 
#41 ·
I've used the bug sprayer shower on previous boats but never found the pressure particularly acceptable. On our old girl with no pressure or hot water we went one step further and got hold of one of those el cheapo 12v showers. In warm weather we'd heat water with a solar bag, in cold a kettle. Into head sink or bucket, add cold to taste then throw in the 12v pump. Worked splendidly and didn't seem to use much more water than the bug sprayer.

(My bug sprayer was the plastic type. Whether or not the stainless versions work better I cannot say)
 
#42 ·
Having hippy girlfriends when I was in my early 20's, I aquired a taste for boxed tofu, spiralina, nutritional yeast ( which is a good sub for parm. cheese.) boxed soy milk on my cereal. with a little creativity, you can eat gormet from dryed and canned foods, olive oil, and a saute' pan. pickled and cured things. I stay out there longer and live healthier on that diet. I get fat and lazy in town. Bragg's soy sauce and apple cider vinnager, baby carrots last for ever, Dip's made with tofu and herbs and stuff. I can go on and on and on. When you find the right lagoon to anchor in and have six months worth of supplies, it becomes your daily time passer thinking up combo's and recipe's. spear fishing looking for lobster and conch. I did have a 12 volt blender that I made smoothy's with boxed orange juice and spirilina, or chocolate soy milk and banana's. I'd bring a green stock of apple banan's out there and pick off it for the second week. Textuerd veggie protien marinated in A-1 sauce and served on mash potato's. canned and jarred asparugus, quick seared and served on canned chicken breast saute'd with capers, canned butter and white wine.maybe some penne pasta with that................................................
 
#44 ·
Not only that, but you don't need 6 digit's worth of crap to get out there and do it. The same boat I have now, is the same boat My Grandfather took me to the Bahama's in in 1978 and the same boat we gunkholed around the key's in all through the 80's, and I loved it as a kid. My entertainment was a hawaiin sling and a walkman. My comfort was a cushion for my but and a warm meal. At the end of the day, if you are dry, sitting on something soft and eating a nice meal and maybe a cocktail and your music playing in the back ground, what else do you need? That's what you'd be doing on my boat and it's what I'm doing on the fancy gadget boats.
 
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