Keys Budget Food - Help

bryson said:

Unfortunately it's kind of fun to keep these "traditions" going so we don't ever bring them.

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Smackdaddy53 said:

That’s what dudes that can’t catch fish use as an excuse!

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I also think it's interesting that this one transcends boating "genre." Plenty of fishermen I know don't allow bananas and the sailing crowd gets extra salty about it. Hell, even my buddy who's on a Navy Boat Team is anti- banana.

j_f said:

I also think it's interesting that this one transcends boating "genre." Plenty of fishermen I know don't allow bananas and the sailing crowd gets extra salty about it. Hell, even my buddy who's on a Navy Boat Team is anti- banana.

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#bananalivesmatter #eaqualityofallfruits

the homemade fried chicken from a certain little gas station in Florida City has never made me catch more fish, but it sure is good. Sometimes, they have gizzards too.

Speaking of Florida City, I stop at Rosita's every time on the way to the keys. Best Mexican food I've ever had.

Thera are two popular camp cooking options that are both quick and convenient. Boiling systems, like the original Jetboil (now Zip,) and cooking stoves, like the Snow Peak GigaPower. Jetboil is more efficient, burning less fuel per quart of water boiled. Gigapower is more versatile, since you can heat RTE foods like soup and chili, without expending more fuel to get to boil. If you want to rehydrate dried foods primarily, Jetboil is the winner. If you want versatility, Snow Peak gets the checkered flag. If you plan to do a lot of camp cooking, both companies, as well as MSR, offer packages that mimic both boiling systems and camp stoves, like the Reactor, but they are considerably more expensive.

@Fisher69 The biggest problem with the canister stoves is that they are really a "one trick pony". They boil water quicker than anything else, but they struggle simmering. My old JetBoil would also burn pretty much anything but water, since the flame is concentrated in the center of the pot. I am sure that made it boil water much quicker, but it also burned any food to the pan, making cleanup of the pot tough. At least they used to, I still have an old JetBoil stove with my backpacking gear, but I settled on a Whisperlite, which is a white gas stove. It simmers much better, and I can just refill the tank instead of throwing away a butane canister. That means I can easily top off the fuel tank before a trip, too, so I do not have to carry a partial canister. Maybe the canister stoves have changed since I backpacked regularly, but I doubt they have changed much.

What about an alcohol stove? They don't burn a long time but they get hot quick and are light/portable.

I run a bi, or trimix, cannister now. Straight propane is more temperature sensitive I didn't find the Whisperlite, in white gas or multifuel, to be as convenient, due to the frequent cleaning. Liquid stoves rule at thawing frozen H2O for winter camping, but it only snows in the Keys once every decade or so. Alcohol stoves typically burn until the fuel you pour in is gone, or you snuff them out. As the time to heat different meals varies, getting that right can be tricky, not to mention needing shade to see the flame. I've used all of them. Have tent camped for decades, Also done a fair amount of backpacking.. Came to prefer quick and convenient. Each is a tradeoff.

Hillshire has these “grownup lunchables” that we all love. Toasted crackers, a sliced salami or pepperoni, and cheese slices. Throw a couple in the cooler and go

Fisher69 said:

I run a bi, or trimix, cannister now. Straight propane is more temperature sensitive I didn't find the Whisperlite, in white gas or multifuel, to be as convenient, due to the frequent cleaning. Liquid stoves rule at thawing frozen H2O for winter camping, but it only snows in the Keys once every decade or so. Alcohol stoves typically burn until the fuel you pour in is gone, or you snuff them out. As the time to heat different meals varies, getting that right can be tricky, not to mention needing shade to see the flame. I've used all of them. Have tent camped for decades, Also done a fair amount of backpacking.. Came to prefer quick and convenient. Each is a tradeoff.

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Agreed! I’ll take quick and convenient any day. After a day on the water or a day in the back country I’ll scarf down whatever is in front of my face.

Flyboy said:

I’ve been interviewing in key largo the last four days- literally surviving on Publix subs and chicken

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Did you get your job?

This will sound gross to some but… One of my faves aside from the boiled eggs is bologna, white bread, and a little Miracle Whip. Funny thing is, I rarely eat this unless on the water.

Big Easy, in my neck of the woods, several of the items in the RH box can end up on a hook. Makes me want to eat the bait!