We DO have refrigeration on Night Music so that opens up the possibilities compared to our last sailing adventure. However it is a small beer-cooler sized box, not a full sized refrigerator. And as any sailor will tell you, most boat refrigeration systems conk out every once and a while so we need to consider refrigeration a luxury, not a given. Ideal foods for our journey are shelf stable, such as canned goods or dried goods. There are grocery stores in the Bahamas but provisioning can be quite expensive ($10 for a gallon of milk, $65 for a case of beer) so the more we bring with us, the more likely we are to stick to our monthly cruising budget.
Fortunately, there are many sample lists available to work from that other Bahamas cruisers have published that give us a great start to build upon. We've been trying out different brands of canned chicken and beef, canned fruits and veggies, dried milk, and boxed wine, hoping to find some favorites when it's time to stock up on in bulk. We will do our final full provisioning in Florida before we depart, where grocery stores and Costco are easily accessed and prices are cheaper. We've also got the sharpie handy - labeling the top of cans is essential in case the labels wear off when they are all stacked together in storage lockers.
Another great trick to great eating on a boat is having a wide range of herbs, spices, and sauces on hand to add to the variety of flavors. Having pasta night after night can be a lot more interesting if the flavor profiles are very different. We brought along our entire spice cabinet from Seattle so we are set in that department. We've been trying local hot sauces and other condiments to see what else we might like. Night Music isn't big enough to hold all the ketchup that Reed would like to bring along - we haven't solved that dilemma yet!
We also brought our pressure cooker with us. Since our stove fuel is compressed natural gas (CNG), which is not readily available in the Bahamas/Caribbean to refill, we need to be aware of our fuel usage. A pressure cooker is a great way quickly to prepare meals as cooking time is usually 1/3 to 1/2 normal cooking time.
One item that does NOT store well is bread - so that is something we will need to make ourselves aboard. Incredible fresh bread is so readily available in our Seattle neighborhood it is has never been on our list of something to make at home. Being in the condo her in New Bern with a full-sized oven is the perfect place to test bread recipes that are easy to make and all four of us will enjoy.
There are two recipes favorites so far - the first is Jacques Pepin's Gros Pan recipe - so easy and wonderful that we DO plan to continue making it at home in Seattle when we return. (http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/18/gros-pain/). It is a crusty/chewy rustic loaf that doesn't require perfect water temperature for the yeast and the proofing time is flexible so if we are out snorkeling a bit longer than planned we don't have to worry about the dough being ruined. A few pictures of the dough, prepared loaf and final product are below. It doesn't last long - we are going to need to buy a lot of flour and yeast!
- 2 cups water approx 100 degrees
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup honey or sugar or maple syrup
- 2 heaping tsp dry yeast
- 5 to 6 cups flour
Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add salt and sugar. Whisk together. Stir in flour one cup at time until it becomes to difficult to stir, then work it in with your hands until the dough stops clinging and is an even consistency. You might not use all 6 cups of flour. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 min. Punch down the dough, cut in half to make two loaves. They can be in a bread pan or a free form loaf (see above). Once shaped into the loaf, let rise again for 45 min, then bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool at least an hour before slicing or it will clump up on the knife - this is very hard to do as the smell of fresh, warm bread almost demands it be eaten immediately!