Cooking Ahead of Time

[SingleShot]

I'm taking advantage of this wet and cloudy day to get the jump on good eating for extended hunting trips. I really try to avoid pre-packaged or commercial canned meals.

Cooking up and canning twenty 1 quart jars of Bison stew. A good home cooked dinner in the bush can be ready in 10 minutes with no effort and minimal mess.

Next will be a good spicy chicken/grouse curry in jars. One pot in camp for cooking some rice and one for the curry and dinners on.

Interested in what others might do in terms of cooking ahead for hunting trips?

[835]

we we build casserols and stews ,, lasagne etc... stuff to stick in the oven and then eat..... But i really like your twist on it.... im gong to have to try that.
We usually get everyone to bring a couple dinners.

[SingleShot]

I agree with the casserole's and lasagne however they don't can. Canning is good because it requires no refrigeration and will keep for months with no deterioration of contents. It's a pain for me to have any more frozen stuff than absolutely necessary... coolers , freezers all take up space, cost of ice adds up and it's more weight to haul around. We go out for weeks on end and all these things become factors. I'll post some pictures of the canned stew tomorrow. Going to be at this all night. Certain products require pressure canning, (meats, fish, some vegetables) so be careful.

[835]

Thats just it,, no cooler space needed for canned stuff,,,, thats why i liked the idea! if you work it right most of your dinners would not need fridge/cooler space.
one of the thigs i always bring is a jar of alfredo sauce and some noodles,,, to do up a grouse alfredo..... never thought i could can chicken alfredo!

[SingleShot]

You can put most food products in jars. Just have to follow correct procedure.

You might think it would turn to mush after 20-25 minutes for quart jars at 10 psi in a pressure canner but it doesn't. Texture is like the moment it goes into the jar. I always slightly under cook the vegetable's, add the well cooked meat and spices, simmer just enough to bring it too temperature and then can it.

Another advantage is nothing goes to waste. If a jar doesn't get opened or used it is ready for next time. How many times have we tossed something because it was in the cooler under less than ideal temp. conditions or became soggy? Also, all the smells and flavours combine in a cooler... great for attracting bears :(

[SingleShot]

Undercooking vegetables allows you to simmer it a while in camp and enjoy the moments around camp while dinner cooks.

[SingleShot]

Did up 14 jars of wild asparagus this spring. Might have to have a Caesar this fall.http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/logonphoto/IMG_2451.jpg (http://s283.photobucket.com/user/logonphoto/media/IMG_2451.jpg.html)

[Fella]

I once lived for a week off of a 60 pack of perogies and some smoked farmer sausage

[f350ps]

I once lived for a week off of a 60 pack of perogies and some smoked farmer sausage
Holy shit, that's living like a King, try a week with Kraft dinner and Spam!! :) K. There's a lurker on here that knows what I'm talking about! K

[Mishka]

Last year I picked up a pressure canner to do exactly what you're doing. - I just haven't gotten myself organized yet to give it a shot. I make an awesome moose/deer chili that I would love to can. And spag sauce... and ...

[Fella]

Holy shit, that's living like a King, try a week with Kraft dinner and Spam!! :) K. There's a lurker on here that knows what I'm talking about! K

Different meals, but the same negative effect on the digestive system I'm sure...

[nature girl]

Holy shit, that's living like a King, try a week with Kraft dinner and Spam!! :) K. There's a lurker on here that knows what I'm talking about! K

No better yet 9 days with mr noodles, hot chocolate, pop and chips.

[Scuba_Dave]

Holy shit, that's living like a King, try a week with Kraft dinner and Spam!! :) K. There's a lurker on here that knows what I'm talking about! K

Not touching that one...And dammit I was a bachelor :-|

[markomoose]

We did an underground turkey a couple years ago. Dug a hole 2 feet deep ,lined it with rocks and lit a big fire in the hole.Prepped the bird & threw it in a roast pan & lowered it on to the coals then buried the whole works for 5 or 6 hrs.It was unbelievable and turkey soup the next day!

[BearStump]

I'll usually make wild game meat pies.
clean up whatever left over meat that's in the freezer from last year.

just make a big stew with grouse,deer, moose,bear. Some cream of chicken soup and spices. Throw it all in a pie shell cover with another pie shell and wrap in foil. Freeze it and bro g it to camp. Sure is filling and tasty.
The best part is that it takes about an hour to warm up In the trailer oven when you get back to camp at dark. A perfect amount if time to get a fire going and get a buzz on from the crown royal.

[SingleShot]

Looking forward to enjoying this bison stew way back in the bush.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/logonphoto/IMG_2549.jpg (http://s283.photobucket.com/user/logonphoto/media/IMG_2549.jpg.html)
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/logonphoto/IMG_2557.jpg (http://s283.photobucket.com/user/logonphoto/media/IMG_2557.jpg.html)

If anyone is interested in canning their stews and soups etc. be aware that you should not use any flour, cornstarch, gravies mix's ect in your recipe. Also, no dairy products including butter or eggs.
Potential for trouble with those ingredients.

[robertmcallan]

wow never thought of that seems really interesting thanks for the idea

[buck nash]

Looks great singleshot!!

I do the same but I use pint jars which is good for a meal. I boil noodles to go with it and put the pint jar in the water to warm it up while the noodles cook. This way there's only one pot and its is easier to clean.

I also put it over minute rice. Boil in the jar then use the water for the rice. Same for instant potatoes.

[buck nash]

The other thing I do is freeze lasagna in a pint jar. I dont can it cause the noodles get to mushy.
I warm it up in boiling water and eat it out of the jar. Just eat it in the first couple days and it'll still be cold in a cooler even without ice in it, especially in cooler weather.

I hate doing dishes, especially while camping. So I do whatever I can to minimize the amount I dirty.

[SingleShot]

Sounds like you have it down to a science buck nash and have been doing it for a while. I don't mind doing dishes at home however in camp it's too laborious and time consuming.

That is an excellent idea to boil water for noodles/rice and use it to warm the jars. Like you say, the boiled water also is handy to have for cleanup. There's usually enough to do around camp without spending a lot of time preparing meals. I'm there to hunt and the less time spent in the kitchen the better. I used to freeze some soups (clam chowder) in jars however had the odd one crack and had to turf it so not so much any more. Any tricks to keeping the jars intact while freezing?


Making a large stew or lasagna also creates a good amount of trimmings which, when done at home, are much easier to dispose of in the compost or garbage. Don't exactly want a compost pile in the bush or be burning it all in the fire.

Thanks for your ideas. SS.

[buck nash]

I've had the odd jar crack from freezing but if you leave some room in the jar for expansion you're usually fine. Could also freeze it with the lid off.

[buck nash]

If anyone is interested in canning their stews and soups etc. be aware that you should not use any flour, cornstarch, gravies mix's ect in your recipe. Also, no dairy products including butter or eggs.
Potential for trouble with those ingredients.[/QUOTE]

Instant potatoes or rice make good thickeners