# Onboard food storage



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Just for perspective I need to mention we're in the planning stages and downsizing in preparation for moving aboard and cruising. 

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for "dry goods" food storage. I've been debating on one of those vacum sealer machines thinking they would keep whatever I put in it dry.

My wife felt the packaged soups, sauces, mixes etc already have an adequate container. We're avoiding canned goods, but do plan on having refrigeration. I may have to refit for the right refrigeration for us, but we will have it.

We have no illusions about living off the sea, but will fish and eat what we can (when edible). In the event our fishing skills fail we want to be prepared. I know we'll have to find a "balance" between what we want to take on board and what we can take on board. That said any thoughts on storage?


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

The vacuum sealers have fans aboard, but also for spares, gaskets, etc. to keep them free from rust. Others favour "home canning" in Mason jars, with such little tricks as blocks of cheese in olive oil in sealed jars, stowed with plastic dividers in Rubbermaid snap-lid bins. You eat the cheese and then use the cheese-flavoured oil for cooking or salad dressing. Other tricks are using rice grains in spices and salt as a desiccant, and having a 12 VDC cooler for beer/pop/cold water when motoring to save opening the fridge. Four amps out of the alternator isn't going to kill your battery charging regime, and the key to a low draw fridge (beyond insulating the hell out of it) is to have the contents memorized and arranged so that the lid is open for as few seconds as possible.

Regardless, there are a range of snap-lid bins that will more or less fit stringers and frames, and if you look for wide and long spaces with only a few inches of height, you'll find plenty of space aboard. Keep a log or diagram of your stores, and try, as always, to keep the heaviest loads near the middle of the boat, and to organize meals ahead of time so that a week's food is in the topmost, accessible bin. The other thing that seems to be important is treats and snacks...if you have an evening ritual of a hot coffee and a bit of chocolate, for instance, get really good examples of both. This makes the occasional "stew three nights running" periods bearable, and takes you well away from the feeling you are on an endless camping trip. Likewise, choose meals that can be prepared in one pot or pressure cooker for those times underway when cooking is problematic and you just want to add hot water to a package of soup.

Your wife and you may want to consider the possibility of weevil, bugs or vermin brought aboard and how to a) prevent that and b) fight it if it happens. The biggest offender here is apparently cardboard boxes in the tropics. I have read in several books that cardboard is left on the pier and goods are brought in ziplocs held in string bags as a weevil/roach deterrent. Others also use "Chinese hat" conical line barriers on dock and even mooring lines (rats swim quite well).

Don't rule out canned goods, but be aware that the glue on the labels will both melt and be eaten by bugs. The traditional method is to strip the label, write the contents and date on the lid with marker, and then varnish the can to reduce rust. Such cans will survive even damp bilges undamaged, although really it's the humidity you should worry about and keeping the boat vented.

There's many books on food prep and storage aboard. Most favour the fairly Spartan approach in that the fridge is something you should keep for specialities, as they can and do fail. Better a small fridge/freezer with a high turnover than something that if it goes, rots a few hundred bucks worth of steak.

Wow, I wrote more than I had intended. Apparently, I've been visualizing my own passagemaker as a vast storehouse of calories.


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## rtwfamily (Oct 12, 2008)

have green houses been done on boats? growing your own food underway? Would that survive?


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Popeye77 said:


> My wife felt the packaged soups, sauces, mixes etc already have an adequate container. We're avoiding canned goods, but do plan on having refrigeration.


I agree with Valiente, don't sell can goods short. There is a huge range of really tasty and nutritious food available in cans these days. Most of the foods that we use are kept in their original packaging which does an acceptable job of preservation. And it doesn't require refrigeration. In our experience the rusting of tins is really a thing of the past and plagued the sailors who kept stocks in the bilges and similar wet spots. The modern boats are dry and we very rarely have problems with rusty cans.

Vacuum packing things like rice and pasta will not help with weevils. If any of these dry goods are kept in your store long enough, they will get weevils even though their original packaging is seemingly air-tight.

Keep veggies in a dark cool locker and they will last much longer than you think. Keep eggs in their original packs, preferably the paper mache type, in a cool spot, rub a very thin layer of vaseline onto the shell and gently turn the boxes over weekly and your eggs will stay fresh for months without refrigeration.

Keep lots of salami - it keeps forever and is really good as an appetiser.



Popeye77 said:


> We have no illusions about living off the sea, but will fish and eat what we can (when edible).


The problem we found at sea was that there are fish around and you can catch quite easily but they're generally way too large and we baulk at killing something for a meal and throwing most of it away, although my son-in-law keeps reminding me that what we throw back will not be wasted, it just goes back into the food chain.

And having said all that, refrigeration is great for keeping fresh stuff longer and also for cold drinks which have much more value to comfort than one would believe. But in my view, it's the most troublesome accessory. Well, on my boat anway.


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## Lostmt (Jun 4, 2006)

You have to buy eggs that have never been refrigerated for them to stay good for a few months. Hard to find that way you have to go to a farmer and ask them not to refrigerate them.

These are really good for keeping dry food dry along with cell phone.

locknlock You can find them at WalMart about the same price.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

> Vacuum packing things like rice and pasta will not help with weevils. If any of these dry goods are kept in your store long enough, they will get weevils even though their original packaging is seemingly air-tight.


Packing the above with a few bay leaves in each sealed bag will keep weevils and other bugs away.


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Lostmt said:


> You have to buy eggs that have never been refrigerated for them to stay good for a few months. Hard to find that way you have to go to a farmer and ask them not to refrigerate them.


It would probably improve the situation if you did. As it happens we have always bought our eggs in the supermarket and have never had a problem with longevity. But then, thinking about it, the supermarkets in the places I have sailed to and from don't refrigerate the eggs.

My wife did the stocking of our boat in the US so I can't comment, don't know. Are eggs refrigerated in US supermarkets?



Freesail99 said:


> Packing the above with a few bay leaves in each sealed bag will keep weevils and other bugs away.


Yes I believe that works but bay leaves are strongly aromatic, does it not permeate into the food?


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

> Yes I believe that works but bay leaves are strongly aromatic, does it not permeate into the food?


If you are talking about pasta's or even rice so what? Any italian sauce worth it's salt, has a bay leaf in it anyway.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

It really does help if you are open to eating local cuisine. Insisting on steak if you are in SE Asia or on a South Pacific island is going to make things difficult and we most certainly do not want to haul around a freezer full of meat.

We like to eat fresh so tend to buy locally but still keep enough packaged stuff so that we can stay away from 'civilisation' for weeks at a time. 

Some people tend to try and carry enough food to keep them going for an entire cruise and that's simply unrealistic.

As for canned food, yep we do carry some but what I have found is that we now have cans on board that have been there since we first bought Raven three years ago. On the other hand things like packet noodles and pasta are being constantly replenished. I'm a fan of Ramen and Miso soups and find either make for relatively satisfying meals when produce is running low. We do go through a fair amount of tinned fruit and vegetables rather than tinned meats which never quite make it for us. Tinned fish works well. Eggs purchased as fresh as possible seem to last for us but we've never needed to keep them for longer than a month.

We do find that snap lock containers work well but you need to be careful as to the design. We bought one type that clipped down to fasten and found that it was easy for them to unclip if conditions were somewhat bumpy. 

Found a new type last week that only one one clip and a hinged sprung loaded lid. If they work it looks like a good design.

The stuff we do stock up on are things like coffee and tea. If you are fussy about such things getting a good solid espresso coffee or a quality loose leaf tea can be a problem even if within a few hundred miles of a major city.


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

Popeye77 said:


> My wife felt the packaged soups, sauces, mixes etc already have an adequate container.


We've found those packets are quite a bit more permeable than we'd like to believe. Cut the "use by" date in half, or store the packets in a clicky container. And I echo everything that's been said already about weevils and cardboard. We learned it the hard way. (eeeuw!)


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

eryka said:


> And I echo everything that's been said already about weevils and cardboard. We learned it the hard way. (eeeuw!)


Hah, hah, hah, the weevils can give you a bad feeling when they've made all your pastas and rice their home and you're a long way from the nearest top-up source 

But what we found is they're actually not harmfull to the food. I have more than once soaked the rice or noodles briefly in a pot of sea water and the weevils float to the top to be skimmed off. The food cooks up as good as. OK I'm waiting for the "eeeuuuw" but it does work OK and it's better than chucking away all your supplies. 

Cardboard boxes are a problem with roaches, they lay their eggs in the flutes of the corrugation. Bringing a cardboard box onto my boat would represent reason enough for the carrier to sustain a meaningful beating!!! Once a roach nest is on your boat, you'll see the end of it only as the new owner takes possession of the boat!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks for the info. I think we were a little too focused on looking for a single solution. We cycle our canned goods fairly regularly now, and there's no reason to believe we wouldn't do so when we move onboard. 
I didn't know about the eggs and vaseline, but we had heard about the olive oil and cheese (we've got a jar full now). 
We'll check out the lock n lock storage. We use a lot of the plastic storage now, but find it usually wears out within a year. Maybe we're expecting too much??
Thanks again for all the feedback!


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

Now I'm hungry...


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

There isn't much you can do about weevils. The grain (rice, pasta etc.) comes with weevil eggs waiting to hatch. Perhaps the bay leaf or mint delays the hatching of the weevil eggs. Who knows?...


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

Here's an idea from Weevils, Rice and Granary, Pantry Weevil, Pantry Pest

"Rice and granary weevils are harmless to people, houses, furniture, clothing and pets. They cannot bite or sting and they do not carry diseases. They will not feed on furniture, the house structure or other items. The harm they do is destruction of the seeds they infest and the annoyance of being in the wrong place.

Control requires locating and eliminating the infested whole grain. Small quantities of grain can be "saved" by controlling the weevils with heat or cold. Heating grain to 140 degrees F for 15 minutes or freezing at O degrees F for 3 days will kill all stages of weevils in the grain. Larger quantities may require disposal or professional fumigation."


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

This may be just an "urban legend," but I once heard a story about a guy who went to India and decided to become a vegetarian. He didn't know much about how to combine foods to make sure he got enough protein, but he seemed to do fine. He came back to the States, continued to eat the same diet, and within a few weeks became malnourished.

Turned out the weevils in the grain he ate over there were providing a little extra protein boost!


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. 
The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.

Sorry, I know its as old as Methuselah but I couldn't resist.


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## Tahani (Dec 28, 2003)

The very best on board containers we have found are called "Lock and Lock" Walmart sells a few sizes but you can get a vast range online. They have O-ring seals and multiple latches. Totally air and water tight.

We use them for everything to be kept dry, which other than foodstuffs, includes batteries, backup GPS units, etc. Anything we want kept moisture free. The smallest size we have is about 3 by 3 inches and maybe 2 inches tall, up to very large ones.

A little pricey, but worth the money.

The FoodSaver vacuum bagging system has also proven worthwhile. We have kept spare sheets, sweaters, engine filters, spark plugs for the outboard sealed in them with great success. In fact, my wife had a spare set of sheets sealed up and the locker flooded due to a water tank hose leaking- the sheets were merrily floating, quite dry, right on tops A side benefit is that it greatly reduces the volume required for storing things like off season clothing, sheets, and whatnot.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Vacuum bagging is nice when first setting out...but make sure you bag stuff in small enough quantities that you'll use it all up in a short period of time. This goes for spare parts or foods. 

The Lock 'n Lock containers are pretty good too. Try not to let the lids of the Lock n' Lock containers stay wet for any extended period of time, since if you do, mold may grow around the o-ring they use for the seal. The ring is removable if you're careful, and washing it and drying it throroughly occassionally is probably a good idea. 

However, you do need to store all of your bagged/canned supplies someplace, and the big Rubbermaid-type storage containers, 12-22 gallons in size, are pretty good and will keep the contents dry under most circumstances. 

Another set of containers to get are the "SpaceSaver" type bags. While they're not good for food storage, they are excellent for storing clothes, linens and other soft goods. 

I would also recommend that you assume what ever storage area you are using is going to get wet in some fashion at some point during your voyage, and plan accordingly. Too many times, I've seen people have most of their possessions damaged or ruined because they assumed they could keep them dry on a small boat. Not really a safe assumption to make. 

One word of warning with canned goods... the brands and cans may look the same in a foreign country, but the contents may be very different. Before stocking up with a large amount in a foreign country... buy one or two cans and see if the taste, texture, etc are acceptable. If it is, then and only then, buy a large quantity. 

Be open to foreign foods... In many countries, the available foods are going to be different than what you are used to—and if you have an open mind and are willing to try them, you'd be surprised at what you can find. 

As Andre stated above... try to unpack the foods and transfer them to clean containers and add whatever infestation preventative measures before getting aboard, since the cardboard boxes and packaging can often be a carrier for insects you don't want aboard. I would highly recommend vacuum packing a fair number of bay leaves, since they're not always available. 

Keep any lockers with fresh foods in them fairly well ventilated, to help prevent mold and spoilage. 

Don't rely on refrigerated foods for your supplies... they should be considered luxuries and not part of the staples for your provisions, cause refrigerators have a nasty habit of failing.


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## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

I have a lot of home storage experience - but there I have the room to do what I need to do.

About bugs, weevils and such getting into your food.... (and don't forget bugs are edible! haha) - one thing if you have food stored in an airtight container (that can be opened)... 

drop a chunk of dry ice into the container and close it - and the CO2 will indeed kill almost all critters residing therein. Of course, make sure if you do such things your air is vented or circulated. But a block of dry ice broken in a towel or plastic bag with a hammer will go a long way. 

This is, of course assuming your storage containers are air tight. Remember that CO2 is heavier than air and will go to the lowest point so you have to make sure to put enough into the container to "fill" it when the gas vaporizes into the container.

Hope I made that clear.


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## stagew8t (Jul 13, 2000)

*another voice in this deluge...*

You've got a lot of good information here!

three things I can add:
when you remove the labels from your cans and bottles: don't just label the contents, include the date purchased (possibly the place - so you know where to obtain again & price, too). Most important is the expiration date. Use a "Sharpie" marker - it writes on just about anything! Also for seriously retentive types (moi) the variety of colors available can help, like red for expiration date.
the vacu-pac systems are great for starting the voyage, but take up lots of space (18"X8"X5") for the machine plus bag material. It does comes on a roll so you can make any size needed, but you may need several rolls - which I wold also vacu seal! Also required: 110v to operate. I use them when I stock up prior to a race. Feeding a crew of 12 was challenging, so I pack individual servings of each meal and freeze them. They act as their own ice source until needed then just drop in boiling water (can be salt since package isn't opened til serving).
rotate your stock! First in = first out. Dating your purchases lets you put the older goodies up front where they will be used and not forgotten. And it's a chore, but hauling those goodies buried in that locker and giving things a good wipe (items as well as storage area) which will help prevent epizoodies from flourishing.
I haven't used the self sealing vacu-bags - anone had any experience with those?

And cruising is it's own mind set for storage, I know, but labeling fanatically helps cut down on the "mystery food".

Enjoy your adventure!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Lot's of ood idea. We bought a couple of lock and lock container's. One or two now again doesn't strain the budet too much. We also found a local source for food grade diatomaceous earth. 
Cruising will require some adjustments. A good point was not sealing up more than can be used in a short period, and restoring foods when bringing them onboard.
Fortunately, I used to repair refrigeration equipment and know a little about how it works, but that doesn't stop it from breaking, and as usually is the case I won't have the right part when it does go down. So, being prepared to not depend on any technology seems to be a good idea.
Thanks for all the replies!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I know this post was a little while ago, but I just thought I would put out there that cruisingsupplies.com has provisioning and can get more canned food than what is on their website. My mom and dad are preparing for cruising down in PV, Mexico, and this website has canned bacon, a variety of canned meats, and dehydrated foods. I think they can even get their hands on canned flour and sugar.


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## Mirari (Sep 13, 2006)

I have carried a vacuum sealing machine on my boat but recently both Ziploc and Reynolds have come out with reusable and resealable vac bags. I've tried the Reynolds system and so far I'm very impressed. I will be retiring my Vac sealing machine as of now. I seal up everything I bring on board if it's in a cardboard container such as raisins, pasta, etc.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

While you are still living ashore, start cooking meals as you would afloat. We've been putting together some menus based on canned goods to make sure we like them. It also tests your complete system of equipment and condiments too.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You're best off leaving the cardboard on-shore, since cardboard is a common way for cockroaches to come aboard.


Mirari said:


> I have carried a vacuum sealing machine on my boat but recently both Ziploc and Reynolds have come out with reusable and resealable vac bags. I've tried the Reynolds system and so far I'm very impressed. I will be retiring my Vac sealing machine as of now. I seal up everything I bring on board if it's in a cardboard container such as raisins, pasta, etc.


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