Galley Provisioning

Before you get started on any provisioning related things connected with cruising, there are two basic things that you MUST remember!

1. No matter where you go, people eat
You don't need to bring it all!

2. food stuff goes bad.
See our stories page.

The following things are not new, and most of you most likely already know them. But we thought they bear repeating.

Here is a list of some of the basic stuff we like to have aboard. Your list will be different......

Canned Tuna	Canned meats	Canned tomatos	Canned peas, corn, green beans
Nuts	Dried fruits (pinapple, apples, Etc.)	Oil - variety	Canned Cheese
Instant mashed potatos	Vinegar - variety	Nido milk powder	Canned fruits & jucies
Canned smoked mussels, etc.	Canned bread	Crackers	Peanut butter
Artichoke hearts	Diced Chilies	Olives - black & green	Vienna sausages
Pork & Beans	Mayonnaise	Flour	Rice
Yeast	Small cans of soda	Soy sauce	Cream of Mushroom soup
Cream of Potato soup	Toast (get in Mexico)	Wheat thins

Spices

Sage	Sweet Marjoram
Thyme	Summer Savory
Coriander	Bay leaf
Liqued smoke

For us, in most cases, purchasing the big size of something does not save us money. It only wastes half of what we bought. Now, unlike when we first started out, we may purchase 2 smaller bottles instead of one big bottle. Even is the 2 costs more than the one big one.

Unopened stuff lasts longer than opened containers.

When we are in the heat of the tropics, stuff goes bad MUCH faster!

Below are some basic things we have found we like a LOT and thought you might like to see them in more detail.

DO NOT store this stuff in the locker for a LONG time. It's better to eat it soon rather than to try to save it for a special occasion!

After saving items in the bottom of a locker, waiting for that special time to use it, then, after setting everything up for a special treat, and finding the item went bad is worse than not having it! We know this from painful experience!

	OK, I know I said we could get penut butter in Mexico, BUT, we just ran across a GREAT product if you like PB! It's called PB2 and it's a dry powder. It has 85% less fat calories than normal PB. AND, it lasts a long time! Jill makes some great stuff that uses PB and this works for most of them. We used a tablespoon of it in our oatmeal today! It also comes with a chocolate favor added for chocolate-PB. You can See it HERE
	Gatorade, not just as a refreshment! When we departed the Bay area, we packed a small can of Gatorade powder in our medical kit. It was to be used for re-hydration if needed. After we rounded Cabo San Lucas and headed up into the hot Sea of Cortez, we found that we both were having intermittent cramps. After suffering a few weeks, we mixed up some of our supply of the Gatorade and drank about 8 to 12 onces each. Presto, the cramps went away and as long as every few days we drank some, we were OK! The picture is of a can we got in Mexico that we now carry aboard, purely for medicinal purposes, you understand.
	We found this, canned grapefruit in La Paz, Mexico. We found it would last for about 1 year, maybe a bit less. I can not express how good this is for breakfast, fresh out of the reefer in the morning in the Sea of Cortez during the HOT summer time. JUST GREAT!
	We DO NOT RECOMMEND powdered milk from the USA! We have tried to use it over and over and can NOT get used to it. This is Nido, you can get it in the USA at Mexican stores or any place in Mexico. This stuff is JUST LIKE real milk! We found that for best results, mix it up in the evening, then let it rest in the ice box/reefer over night for a taste just like fresh milk. We even think it's much better than the UHT boxed milk. It is NOT low or non-fat, but you can get it as low-fat. It can be found at most Mexican stores.
	TVP fake Beef Bought this in Mazatlan Mexico. This is a VERY good replacement for meat aboard any boat! It's light weight, keeps for a LONG time, no refrigeration required! Greg speaking... I like my meat, so nothing takes the place of a good steak, pork chops or roast, or Bar-B-Q. But I have to say this stuff works for me! I like to reconstitute it as directed on the pack, drop it in a bowl and add some Bar-B-Q sauce to it. Instant Sloppy Joe's. We like it in spaghetti sauces and things like that. Jill will use beef bouillon to reconstitute it and that makes it identical to the real thing If you are in the US and want to try it before you head out, look for it in your local stores, or click HERE for Beef Flavored Textured Vegetable Protein
	TVP fake Chicken Bought this in La Paz Mexico. Once again, this is a VERY good replacement for chicken meat! Light weight, keeps for a LONG time, no refrigeration required! Use it for just about anything you would use chicken in. Jill will use beef bouillon to reconstitute it and that makes it identical to the real thing Once again, if you are in the US and want to try it before you head out, look for it in your local stores, or click HERE for Chicken Flavored Textured Vegetable Protein
	This is canned "full" butter, NOT Ghee! It is great to have aboard! We bought a small supply in the USA at a "Ranch 99" Asian market. That is the small can in the photo. We recommend getting the small cans if you can! Much better for keeping and using it. We got the big can from the Costco in Mazatlan. The problem with a big can is that it's too big for just the 2 of us to use in a few weeks. Unopened, this keeps VERY well! We had a can aboard for 3 years, opened it and it was still just fine!
	We were told you can not get peanut butter in Mexico. So..... take a look at this market we visited. What you might not be able to get is the "brand" you want.
	When we headed out, we bought a whole canned chicken. We thought we would keep it for a special occasion some time. During the first year (don't remember just when) we opened it to have a nice chicken dinner. WOW, what a mistake! It came out of the can in small bits! We got about the same amount of usable meat as a couple of cans of chunk chicken, and a LOT of bones and water. We were very disappointed! No matter how good it looks (on the outside) or how good it sounds, skip it. By the way, in Mexico we also found canned strawberries. We feel the same about them! When we opened the can, they were not even red. Just mush, and poor tasting at that.
	By the way, we often use Hidden Valley Ranch dressing instead of mayo. It lasts a long time and works about the same for us.