As some of you might have read in the "introductions" section of the forum, I'm prepping to take off in my 29ft sailboat and make what is known as an "Atlantic circuit". This will take me away from home for the better part of a year. I'll certainly be able to take in supplies along the way, but its quality might be doubtful, and its price will most certainly be too high. Therefore I'd like to take as much as I possibly can from home where I have the advantage to know where the food is cheapest, the quality is best and the biggest bulk-discount can be had. This of course beggs the question on how to store this much food to make it last without refrigeration. I've considered three main options:
Drying and vacuum packing
This offers the advantage of being light and low in volume, but I am unsure how long foods will last unrefrigerated in this condition , and of course some foods aren't fit to be dehydrated so I've heard. Another disadvantage is the re-hydration process. From what I read online it seems like this takes hours. Cooking on a "small" boat means I have a 2-pit alchohol stove for which I have limited fuel. I also have no kitchen work-space and everything you put down on a rolling boat just wants to fall.
canning (mason jars)
This option seems simple enough. Using re-usable jars means no waste, and the DIY aspect means I can even do it underway whenever I can get my hands on cheap fresh produce or when I catch a tuna that doesn't fit in my belly in one go
. However, I'm a bit worried about the volume and weight of food packed this way. I have literally no clue as to how, say, a week's worth of food would look like as far as volume is concerned. Also the weight of the glass jars and the fluids inside them adds up quick. Lastly being on a rolling boat I fear some of the jars might break. That would be an absolute catastrophe and nearly impossible to clean up properly. Do plastic variaties exist? Or are there ways to secure them somewhat safely?canning (actual tin cans)
This seemed like a really good option too; being able to cook up your own food and just bring it to a butcher's shop to be canned into tin cans that last years. However, it seems like you have to buy all the meat from the butcher himself which would result in dramatically more expensive meals. Also you have to pay a few dollars/euro's for the actual canning, which means you might as well hire a support vessel to carry your private chef and supplies if you're planning on stocking the boat with a year's worth of cans.
What's your take on the situation and the above options? Perhaps a combination of all three? Dry some fruits and easily dried vegetables for quick snacks, take mason jars for some other foods and tin cans for yet others?
Many thanks for your input!
