Provisioning

Howabout starting the list with: GARLIC

At this moment in time, there is a young man anchored off Sausalito who is bound on
the adventure of his life ...into the South Pacific: Ariel #295, EREBUS, skippered by Jefft.
Singlehanding a small sailboat into the unknown is a ridiculous thing to contemplate.
Many dream, fewer do it....


Don't know what other stuff Erebus is taking to the Marquesas...
Provisioning, along with a well-found ship, is the most important planning a sailor does.
His voyage will include foreign ports where he knows he will find good food.
There are web cruising sources whose real experience in the art of collecting, storing
and preparing are hugely valuable, especially for a first timer.

On my list, GARLIC bulbs are at the top. Here on the farm, organic soft stem garlic is
harvested and dried and then often braided into ropes to hang in the kitchen. A method
for longer term storage by peeling cloves -- but don't pack them in oil -- instead pickle the
cloves in vinegar.*** Apple cider vinegar (Bragg's) is the 2nd must have item on my list.

California used to be the prime source for the country's garlic. It still is. But now in every
market China garlic is sold far cheaper than the famous Gilroy produce. While California
grown may not all be organic, it is far more desirable than the smaller WHITE bulbs you
see loose or prepacked at Savemart The import has been bleached to create that white
look we think means it's sterile clean and pristine.

Begins life doused with pesticides to kill insects. Chinese agricultural farm practices allow
sewage -- treated and raw -- to be used in the fields.
There will be those who write that there's nothing wrong with recycling human waste on
crops. But human waste has in it: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, heavy metals, and the
toxins of the entrapped existence of closely packed humanity. These contaminants don't
naturally cycle out. Small farmers everywhere know what composting is, but export
is all about cutting corners, polluting the homeland, ripping off the planet, for profit.

Here, import garlic has arrived contaminated with sulfites and lead, chemically sprayed
to prevent sprouting. (What's that? Anti-growth hormone?) Heavily fumigated with
methyl-bromide to kill bugs. It's been prepped and likely kept long in cold storage
before displayed, virtually exhausted, in the produce aisle. Even as garlic, it has lost its
flavor... but more important, it lacks the wholesome constituents we want garlic for.
Methyl-bromide is a neurotoxin. Guarantee you, there is no place for it in a sailor's stew.

The Chinese import will have its roots rubbed off. It'll be smaller, lighter, older, whiter ..
with a disembodied zombie provenance that drops it out of the food pyramid*

Farmers market garlic often has a blush of majenta to its skin paper. Roots and stems
still attached. Bulbs larger, heavier and plumper!
Can you imagine cooking without garlic? Even if the real stuff costs twice as much?

Consider a braided rope of homegrown garlic as part of the boat's medical kit... Used
RAW, it kills viruses, fungus, bacteria, the antibiotic-resistant MRSA, and e coli.**
No other monster veggie does that! Along with kale, cabbage, potatoes, onions, and
dark ale.. it makes food taste fabulous, and keeps us bushy-tailed to boot.
You do know garlic that is useful for warding off land-based vampires.
For sailors, garlic will also be handy as protection from the songs of the sirens.
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* There's an argument that made-in-China doesn't necessarily mean bad. Of course,
where there is stringent and monitored control over the manufacturing process, it's
obviously going to be OK. But products originating in China, that have not been third
party certified, have proven over and over to be dangerous, untrustworthy, and toxic.
That said....
You couldn'tt pay me to anchor out on a muddled generation Chinese Anchor-smith!!

**Here's a middle of the country road (unbiased) essay on "Medicinal uses of garlic"
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/alton134.html

***When Pickled garlic looses its raw state, it gains in crunchy delectability. Unless
someone has a much simpler method, pickling involves a utensil intensive hot water
immersion canning ballet that an Ariel or Commander live aboard could hardly get into.
google> Theresa Loe's A Pickled Garlic Recipe Plus An Amazing Peeling Trick.
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I'd like to see a less complicated way of both extending the storage life of raw, and a
glass jar fermentation form (as done with raw cucumbers, cabbage, green tomatoes)
that is fun to do on a tiny galley stove. Filtered seawater at 3-4% salt could be the
perfect solution for brining and fermentation... when boiled. Anybody done this....?

EDIT: Look into google> Amanda at Phickle dot com She could well be the place
to gather a complete understanding of what pickling and brining is all about. Both
processes, at the moment, seem to be excellent methods for preserving fresh food.
Avoid all canned food, because of current toxic epoxy metalcan sealing practice!!


WHAT'S IN YOUR LARDER??

Ahoy Ebb! I agree that provisioning is key. Garlic is a wonderful idea to have aboard. I provision pretty simply. Lots of rice, beans, and ramen. Of probably equal importance is a good supply of hot sauce. No matter what maritime disaster I'm able to conjure up in the pot, it can almost always be improved with the addition of a little hot sauce.

I'm a big fan of my stainless pressure cooker. I can do everything from make bread to cook stew or rice in it. Hell, I even brought along mason jars for those tuna I'm planning on catching and canning (there are specific instructions for fish - and it must be pressure canned, not water bath canned).

Another important thing I learned growing up and sailing in Florida is to protect the food from moisture, to include humidity. Nearly all of my provisions are double ziplocked, even the canned goods. The warmer the weather gets and the closer to the equator I get, the more perishable my perishables become. The Puget Sound was an amazing reprieve from insect and rot problems. When taking stores aboard, I try to field strip them as much as possible. I've gotten weevils, palmetto bugs, roaches, and other insects aboard simply by neglecting to remove the cardboard box from muffin mix and the like.

A big staple aboard is peanut butter. People can say whatever they want about cruising, but the reality for most small boat cruisers is that a quick snack at sea consists of a spoonful of peanut butter (straight from the jar, naturally) and some saltines, in varying stages of consciousness and/or undress. I carry a good supply of potted meat and stuff like that. With no refrigeration it's rare for me to take fresh things aboard. Potatoes aboard are a staple. They keep well and can be thrown in the pressure cooker next to the rice bowl. Eggs without refrigeration can keep for a surprisingly long time. I always break them individually into a cup to ensure they haven't turned prior to using them. I've ruined what would have been an amazing meal by slopping a stinky egg over everything - lesson learned.

Great post, Ebb. I've heard about your boat and am keen to get a look at her while I'm in the Bay if possible!

Great points, Jefft!

I can see I must relearn to keep all things simple!
As you can see, I load to the gunnels on subjects... somebody has to!:eek:

I'm happy the AlbergFleet met up with you.
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Either life entails courage, or it ceases to be life. EMForster