Refrigeration/Ice Box:
We do have a fridge on Pisces, but it is the original fridge and we decided early on that we didn't want to spend the money to replace it or to be constantly fixing it underway, so we deliberately excluded it from our electrical budget and assumed that the area would be used as an ice box. The few places that we had easy access to blocks of ice (United States and La Paz) we stocked the fridge with up to six blocks and those lasted over a week (closer to two weeks in colder California). During those times we bought more fresh meat and cheese than normal, and were meat gluttons for a few days. We never kept the meat on ice longer than 3 or 4 days (it probably would be ok, but we were usually so excited to have fresh meat that we used it up quickly). In towns where block ice was unavailable we tossed in a couple bags of cubed ice but used it mostly for putting into our drinks, as it never really lowered the temperature of the ice box/fridge at all.
Ruining a fridge-load of food:
Our fridge shares a wall with our engine. Somewhere along the way down Pacific side of Baja we had a stretch where we motored for a while to beat a nasty storm system. When we were comfortably tucked into a protected anchorage I opened the fridge to whip up dinner and was assailed with the sights and smells of sour melted butter and cheese all over the fresh veggies, meat and beer with plastic bag remnants of our blocks of ice pathetically deflated at the bottom of the box and a slight green tinge all over everything. After this I realized the wisdom of turning the fridge on whenever the engine is running: 1. the food doesn't spoil and 2. it's "free" electricity and therefore won't deplete our energy budget.
Creative food preservation:
As a result of the irregular cooling schedule of the fridge/ice box, we were often without the means to keep things cold for any length of time. I picked up some great tricks for preserving fresh food, and invented a few methods along the way. The primary breakthrough for me was that in general food stays good longer than I previously thought, particularly if it's never been refrigerated.
Fruit and veggies: Fruit and veggies will last a couple of weeks in a cool(ish) dark place where they don't get thrown around too much and if it has never been refrigerated. Onions, limes, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbages, oranges and jicama were long term staples on Pisces, and lasted up to 8 weeks.
Cheese: Cheese will keep indefinitely if stored in an airtight sealed container filled with olive oil.
Our good friends on Catspaw treated us to a fantastic taco feast one night in Muertos when none of us had been able to provision for weeks. Their fresh grated cheese was from a cheese block stored in olive oil five months previously. We stored mild cheddar (which turns into sharp cheddar as it ages in the olive oil), jack and feta (with added peppercorns and herbs) in glass jars in the bilge on Pisces for the remained of our trip.
Eggs: I bought non-refrigerated eggs (difficult to find and expensive in the US, but a standard in Mexican markets), and turned them every couple of days to keep the shell moist internally. We always ran out of eggs before they went bad. The longest time I kept eggs like this was 8 weeks (then we ran out). By the end I was cracking the eggs in a separate bowl from the rest of the ingredients just to make sure they were ok, but they were fine every time.
Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, mayo, peanut butter or jam lasted without refrigeration if we made sure that we used a clean knife every time we used a condiment. The condiments never went off or moldy.
Sour Cream: Thanks again goes to Catspaw for introducing us to the joys of sour cream. It's possible to buy small half cartons of cream in Mexico that do not need refrigerating before opening. To make sour cream, Catspaw recommended adding limes until sufficiently sour. When our limes ran out I substituted white vinegar, which did the trick perfectly.
Provisioning:
Our first few large provisioning trips were MASSIVE! Over time I developed a feel for the things we liked to eat while on passage and at anchor; definitely a different set of menus.
A few items emerged as clear favorites: canned corn (I always ran out), onions and garlic (went through about one onion and one head of garlic a day), flour (always ran short and had to borrow from Tao).
In addition to the staples, I splurge on our provisioning trips for special tasty items that I can throw into a meal with no fresh food to make it more interesting.
Special tasty item examples: olives, jalapenos, bacon bits, fancy pasta sauces, hearts of palm, fancy crackers, canned asparagus, miso soup, pesto, fancy dips for crackers or veggies.
Canned and non-fresh food staples: pasta, rice, sugar, beans, canned soup (especially concentrates ie mushroom soup makes a great base for special pasta sauce), evaporated milk, oatmeal, canned meats (beef and chicken), canned veggies (especially peas, mushrooms, tomatoes), basic pasta sauces, condiments, curry sauces and powders.
Meat: Cooking without fresh meat can be a bit of a drag and in general I liked the canned meat we bought in the US over the canned meat in Mexico. Trader Joes has some great canned beef, and Costco has good canned chicken. Salami was a big favorite of ours on the boat, it goes well in pasta, on pizza, on sandwiches and as part of a cheese, pickle and cracker plate.
Fresh bread items: With flour, yeast, evaporated milk, eggs and cheese the world of bread products is wide open. Bread items that I made included: regular bread (oven and pressure cooker), onion bread, naan-imitation, muffins, pancakes, cakes, pizza dough, corn and flour tortillas.
A splash of fresh herb: I picked a stalk of basil off a plant that we came across at an anchorage and nurtured it in a small container with water for the rest of the trip. It grew roots and was happy growing new leaves. A few fresh basil leaves added to a plate will make any meal taste brighter.
It was an adventure to provision in Mexico primarily because my Spanish is minimal so a lot of the time I made an educated guess about the contents of a can. I had basics covered (ie I knew I was buying canned chicken) but wasn't sure what type of spices or veggies would be included.
Overall the range of food options is comparable to the United States, with a little variety added in the translation. Jacob and I are pretty relaxed eaters, so we enjoyed the dinner adventure involved in making dinner with canned surprise.
Items for next season:
- Right before we left I found canned brie cheese. This was great, and will become a regular item on Pisces.
- Items that I plan to bring back from the US: Trader Joes canned meats, salamis, dried herbs and seasoning mixes.
- Pressure cooker meat and veggies: I hope to have a pressure cooking extravaganza with our friends on Plume (a Nor'Sea 27, also back in the Bay Area for hurricane season) to can some fresh meat. We had some delicious meals on Plume in Mexico using their homemade meatballs that they canned before they left.
