eggs2
Actually, the bacteria that causes Salmonella is on the outside of the egg, so if you have a “dirty” egg you’ll get sick at home as easily as on the trail with eggs pre-cracked. Same with melons and grapes, also common carriers. All those foods should be washed when they come home from the store. That’s the key…washing. It’s not such a chore. As to food-borne illnesses, I get more concerned about all the meat that trekkers haul along and plan to eat the first night, thinking that’s safe. In 90 degree weather, even with a a big cooler filled with ice, taking fresh or frozen meat on the trail is a risk. Especially with the lax inspection and enforcement going on in the food industry today. Sad but true.
meat
A number of people here have said sausage is okay though, for several days. Do you disagree with that as well?
meat2
Personally, I trust processed meats like sausage…store-bought, that is. Certainly all the jerkies and beef sticks. But even there I have some pet peeves. I’ve seen a lot of campers, mostly young ones, take out a Buck knife and slice off a wedge of sausage and then offer to cut me one 4 or 5 hours later. I’m not only concerned about the time lapse from when the meat was cut, but what else that knife came in contact with. He might have dropped it next to the ranger box, for all I know. Wiping it off does nothin’.
I didn’t use to be such a stickler for cleanliness. I farmed for 25 years and ate bologna sandwhiches on the combine at 11 p.m. that I made the same day at 6 a.m. and never bothered packing a cooler. We cooked chicken on a few manifolds… that’s no joke. Times are changing, though, and thanks to a melding of cultures, our mobility and a host of other reasons, there’s more nasty stuff out there than you can imagine.
Backpacking foods
I’ve been taking my 12 year old daughter out for several years. We’ve been having fun buying that (comparably expensive) dehydrated backpacker food, and cooking it up. We always laughed at people who use these products, until we discovered how good some of these things taste, and the novelty of cooking them. Most recently, we tried those little packets of “Gu.” These are just a high-energy “gel,” a little thicker than toothpaste. The only flavor we liked was chocolate! We buy this stuff at sporting goods or outfitter’s stores, or online at campmor.com. My daughter gets a big kick out of trying this stuff, and we’ve been overall impressed with the quality.
Burger packs
I have been looking for prepared (browned) burger packes, but have been unable to find any (so far.)
Any help from those who have used it for brands, where to get, etc? Grocery? What department? Specialty shops?
I am in NW ohio.
Thanks.
how about crow?
Having been questioned on the risk of packing eggs I did a little Internet research and discovered the risks have increased since I started camping 40 years ago. Salmonella is indeed found inside eggs … became an issue about 10 years ago. I’ll have to eat my cackleberries at home from now on, I guess. Sorry, all, for the earlier disinformation.
Correct me if I’m wrong…
But cooking destroys salmonella. The problem is also regional. If salmonella is in eggs produced in your area, raw/barely cooked concoctions like Caesar salads and home-brewed mayonnaise are verboten. Unless you plan on henfruit sushi, go ahead and crack 'em at home.