Thankyou for posting this! My Christmas shopping just got a WHOLE lot
easier (the canned bacon, and several of the "other folks also purchased"
links). LOL!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
http://lifeisaroad.com/boat.html

l>inks). LOL!

For those who wish to try to do with less refrigeration/freezing, Publix, a
grocery store down here in Florida, starts to stock smoked bacon and hams
around Thanksgiving, going through New Years.

Maybe a store in your area does too, or can order them. After that, they
become scarce to non-existant in our local stores, and neither can they order
them. Maybe the internet??

Smoked bacon and hams require no refrigeration and will remain edible for at
least a year after being opened. Also, at least in our boat, they are
compatible with our decor when swinging from the rafters.

We find the bacon "full bodied", tasty and enjoyable. Now the ham... we found
it intolerable, mostly the smell, so we eventually threw it overboard. But,
some claim to like the ham, so don't choose to not buy one on our account,
try one.

We weren't planning to make this a non-refrigeration post, but as long as we
are on the topic, let us continue.

For those that go out-of-country, even to the Bahamas, canned butter is often
available and is a good choice. It lasts forever if left unopened. Tastes good
also.

We can our own meat, which is one less item that requires
refrigeration/freezing, and in fact, we seem to be able to carry a bigger
supply of meat than those with freezers, at least the folks with boats
generally under 45 feet.

For those so inclined, but do not want to can their own meat, the agricultural
extension office in Jacksonville, Fl has a canning process that is open to the
public. You bring your meat, cut it up, add whatever seasonings desired, put
it in their cans, and they run it through the canning process for you. Pretty
reasonable in price, and more so if more than one shares the cost.

But, to you folks out there with freezers, please don't give them up. Jill and
I love you guys.

A small percent of freezers breakdown, and when this happens, we are usually
invited to share several meals. If the freezer cannot be brought back up to
working order in time, rather than have the food spoil, thus
wasted, everything in it goes, and that means at least another free meal, even
though we have to usually cook it ourselves.

In addition, sometimes these folks take pitty on us, and contribute their
day-old ice to us. We are eternally grateful to those with freezers. (Please
view this as an attempt at humor!)

We leave our eggs out on the counter. Even store-bought, refrigerated eggs we
found will last at least two weeks. We do turn them every few days thought.

Fruits and vegetables will last anywhere from a few days to a week, and the
heartier fruits and vegetables can last longer. The standard storing mantra
prevails: the cooler, darker and dryer the storage area, the better, but we
suggest that you don't try to take it to the extremes... too frustrating, and
we found, generally unnecessary, as the difference in time gained, on a boat,
is generally insignificant.

There are some newer, or high tech devices, and items which can help without
using refrigeration/freezing, but we cannot comment on them as we haven't used
them. We are happy with the low tech, generally cheaper methods. Another plus,
which is an important consideration to us, is that the methods that we use are
available, or usable just about anywhere we go, but most importantly, we enjoy
using them.

Our philosophy towards eating over a prolonged passage, or for that matter,
cruising in general is fairly simple: healthy eating is comprised of two
parts: not eating that which is not good for you; and eating that which is
good for you.

For some unexplained reason, we seem to automatically eat the good stuff and
not the bad when we untie from the dock. It just happens without much thought.
We suspect, because when underway, our tastes change, and our cooking goes
right along with our tastes. Because of this phenonenom, we just seem to eat
healthier than when tied to a dock, so we don't sweat not having the perfect
diet.

Rudy and Jill
Briney Bug, Panama City, Fl

LA Licata lalicata@alum.rpi.edu writes:

Growing up in the Arctic, the only bacon we had was canned. It was my
standard breakfast food for 5 years working on our boat. Nothing like a nice
batch of french toast fried in bacon fat cooked up on a Coleman stove in the
8 foot square cabin of a landing craft out on Hudson's Bay. I found that half
a can was just perfect for breakfast. Oh to be 15 again  :-)

It's great stuff, the only downside is that it's a bit saltier than regular
bacon. However if this really bugs you you can soak it in water overnight and
it will draw out the salt. One other nice thing is that you always have a can
to pour the bacon fat into.

By the way, the other thing we used a lot of was canned butter. Again,
excellent stuff. Only downside is that it sort of ages like wine. It's slow
and subtle, but after several years it's very very "buttery". When you have
fresh butter after getting used to aged canned butter, the fresh stuff tastes
pretty bland.

Finally, I am assuming that pretty well everyone is familiar with Eagle Brand
condensed milk as a coffee creamer. It's fabulous, and best of all it's so
think that when the can falls on the floor in heavy weather you have several
seconds to pick it up before the milk runs out.

Scott Welch
Chief Evangelist, Open Text Social Media Group
www.opentext.com
905 762 6101

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn
out." - John Wooden