Food Prep Nearly Done

15 more days, I am starting to get excited for our upcoming trip.  I still have a few more supplies to purchase since the boys are going with us this time.  The tent needs sealed and sprayed for bugs and I've got to make sure the boys have everything they'll need to be comfortable.  (Well, as comfy as you can be carrying all your belongings on your back for a week).

I went through the freezer to see how I was doing with the food supply and wow, I only need a couple sides to mix with meat and I'll be ready to go.   Here's the dehydrator I use.  Meals take roughly 12-18 hours to dehydrate (the juicer they are the longer they take).

Here's a few of the staples I've found to deydrate/rehydrate really well:

This is just a rice mixture with veggies and shredded turkey.  When I put it in the dehydrator I portion it out so I can keep track of how many servings I have.

 When its done deyhdrating I put it into ziplock bags in 2-serving portions, getting as much of the air out as possible.  It really is amazing how little it weights after its dehydrated.  Believe me, when you're carrying your food supply for a week you want something that's lightweight!

When I go to put all my little baggies into the Bear Vault I'll crumble them up and get any extra air  out and try to make them as small as possible.

 This is either shredded beef or pork,  I've dehydrated both.  I will dehydrate a can of Pork N Beans to mix with the meat.  Really good stuff.

This is another of the sides that tastes great and packs a punch.  I mix a can of beans with a can of mexicorn.  Dehydrate it and mix it with meat when its rehydrated.

When you're putting it in the dehyrator you want to try and do a single layer as well as leave plenty of open space to help it dehdyrate evenly.  Some people actually blend up their food and then dehydrate it.  I haven't had any problems with it dehydrating/rehydrating so I don't do that.  I have enough picky eaters without their food being mush when its rehydrated.

We take a small camp stove but prefer cooking over the fire.  My picky eater(s) needs it to simmer forever before he can eat it.  We get our fire going, pull some coals to the side and set our pot directly into the coals.  The food is much better done that way.  We'll be carrying lots of fuel just in case we end up not having fires.