Thanks for the tips! My set-up is a bit like the trangia triangle. I wanted a mini Trangia (28t), but there were none to be had in Oz last year. The 27 is bulkier than what I wanted, so I looked up other options. I'm quite happy with my firebox set-up now though, and I have a MSR heat reflector to use as a wind shield. I'll have a good think about the pot cozy - I'm not sure how much I would use it. But it would be light and not take up much room... maybe that's a winter project! Thanks again.

Hi Emily,

Nice to see your name again :)  I have a recipe for a one-pot fandango, based on cous-cous, which may be useful.  I use it a lot, relying on changing ingredients & flavouring for variety.  It's quite light as well, so could be well suited to a tour where you have nearly two weeks between resupply.

Following are my notes on same, including suggestions from Victor Chisholm in Montréal. (No copyright, of course -- add, subtract, or change as you wish.)

I use a trangia as well, and this recipe is well-suited to that. No need for finely-adjusted simmering.

Hope this is helpful,

Cheers,  John

Notes on JS' one-pot meal:

Ingredients:

• ~ 2/3 cup cous-cous (whatever variety you like)
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup dehydrated veg flakes; or more or less to taste
• chorizo sausage -- ~1/3 (5 – 7 cm)  Or other protein, such as biltong/dried beef, Textured Veg Protein, etc.  Victor suggests Puy lentils – pre-soak during the day for quick cooking.
• bouillon cube (half a pkg of soup might work as well.)
• seasoning to taste (I use a mix of chilli flakes, curry powder, and thyme & oregano)
• clove of garlic (or more, or none, to taste)
• onion?  Victor suggests shallots
• 1 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

Tools:

• cup (for measuring)
• cup or dish (to hold veg flakes while rehydrating)
• knife for dicing chorizo &/or garlic
• spoon for stirring the mixture, and for eating

The drill:

• When making late afternoon tea, place dehydrated veg flakes in dish/cup, and cover with boiling water (to speed rehydration—allow 15-20 mins minimum). Cover dish, set aside and keep handy.  After making your tea, set the teabag aside.  NB:  this last step is critical.  ; )
• Cut up your chorizo/other protein, plus the bouillon cube and garlic, and set aside, keeping it handy.
• Measure your cous-cous and keep it handy, along with your olive oil bottle and your supply of seasoning.
• Boil your water for cous-cous, remove from flame, dump everything into it:  cous-cous,  rehydrated veg flakes, bouillon cube, seasoning, garlic, olive oil.
• Stir, return to flame asap, return to boil, remove from flame and turn off stove. Sir once again & cover for 5 minutes, stirring after 2-3 mins if needed to mix the ingredients.
• Use the teabag to clean your pot after eating.

Note from Victor:  On my last trip I experimented with lentilles du puy. In the morning before I leave, put a small amount in a container with water, let soak during the day, quick to cook at night. Serve with rice (or couscous or bread etc.). Fry onion (shallot!) till brown, put this on top, along with cheese - maybe season with thyme or sage - satisfying and easy.

Hi Emily,

Sounds like you are planning for a great trip! 12 days between resupply is a good amount of time.

When I did long stretches I tended to have only 4 different meals, breakfast and lunch was almost always the same. Dinner varried between spaghetti and couscous which doesn't help you at all and was rather boring but effective

What I did find is that carrots held up reasonably well for a long-ish time in hot weather (>40°C). I didn't try celery bit imagine you'll be able to carry them pretty well too. I liked carrots because they aren't prone to breaking and leaking all through the pannier.

To make meals more interesting I added nuts, sometimes dried fruit, spices, peanut butter and a few hard boiled eggs. They carry for a few days, by the time I was done with the eggs with almost every lunch + dinner I just finished eating the half dozen until the next resupply. The nuts, fruit and peanut butter could be added to almost any meal I made.

Lentils and split peas would also be easy additions to take with. Depending on the shop you may be able to find freeze-dried vegetables available (I mostly found peas) that are an easy addition and will stand the 12-day stretch if needed.

Fruit I found harder to take. Most don't take the beating in the pannier well. Apples & pears are fine for a few days but get bruised and are relatively heavy. Oranges and mandarins do better thanks to the peel but slowly dry out. I didn't risk stone fruits or such because 1 stab of something sharp and there's juice everywhere.

I also carried lots of snacks, because even though I would eat lots I would still be hungry. Dark chocolate doesn't melt much in a warm pannier, just don't put it straight in the sun.

Have fun preparing! Jet

There are a few options for proteins that keep fairly well. Refried beans are sold in pouches, Isadora sells organic ones with no preservatives, just beans, water, sunflower oil, salt. You can serve them with rice or gluten-free tortillas or just eat on their own. Salami is good for the first few days, if you keep it wrapped well in the depths of your pannier insulated with clothing or a sleeping bag it should keep awhile. 

Rice crackers, vegan cheeses, hummus, dried fruit, peanut brittle-type things for quick energy. Peanut/sunflower butter (try to find in a pouch for less weight. Believe it or not, Skippy makes a natural peanut butter in a pouch.) Outside Magazine has an article about other foods that come in pouches: 

https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/food/new-pouched-food-camping-backpacking-friendly/   

At the bottom of your pannier, a stash of Clif bars for food emergencies. They are bomb-proof.

The reality is, that carrots, celery, fresh green beans or snap peas will travel well for only a few days and it's going to be skimpy after that in the veg. department. It will make your homecoming all that more glorious when you bite into a fresh tomato again.

Salsa packets (yay, Taco Bell), salt, pepper, dried herbs, will all smarten up your humble meals.

Thanks! This sounds great. And shallots - ah, that's fantastic since one would be perfect for each meal. Sorta like nature's convenience pack for onion. I haven't found any gluten-free cous cous that isn't just maize or chick pea flour in little balls, so will probably defer to rice. I do have a lot of herbs and spices in my spice bag, so easy to mix it up a bit.  I will be sure to follow the critical step with the tea bag!

Thanks, Jet - these are wonderful tips and suggestions. The 12 days won't all be riding - I just see this as the maximum amount of time between shops. I plan on doing a fair bit of bushwalking along the way, and won't hesitate to stop and stay a few nights if I find a really nice spot. I've also developed some health issues which mean if I do a really difficult day, then I probably need to have a rest day or really easy day the next.  

I do think I will be excited for a break from lentils, carrots and onions when I emerge to a town for resupply! But luckily, I can eat the same thing day after day and be okay with it, particularly if it means I can extend time in the bush before needing to resupply.  I really appreciate all of your tips and experience. Thanks again!

Thanks, Andrea, for all of your suggestions. Australia does not seem to foil pouch things as well as what you've listed for the US. Certainly no peanut butter pouches! I have only found black beans in a pouch, but only in larger towns. I can get dehydrated peas and potato, but the potato flakes have wheat in them, so can't do them. I don't think the tiny little towns with just general stores will have much besides a few canned veggies and bits and bobs of fresh fruit and veg, so it will be interesting to see what happens. We'll see just how creative I can be!  Peanut brittle is a good idea, we'll see if I can find some gluten free kinds (lots of the binders use wheat syrup).   Oh, and rice crackers... yeah, I am well-acquainted with them for sure! Thank you for all of the ideas - I'll see how much I can translate to the items available here :-)

Thanks, Emily.  I also have a recipe for home-made energy bars, gluten-free (based on dates, almond or peanut butter, and oats.)  Can post that if you like, let me know.  The bars may be a little heavy if you're carrying a dozen.

When I was doing a lot of canoeing in the Québec back country, I bought a home food dryer.  I used it for drying veggies and fruit, tofu, and home-made biltong. Simple affair, stacking  plastic racks with a heater and a fan.  I bought it about 15 years ago, and there were few on the market then.  There seem to be many more available now.

I forgot you were in Australia! I didn’t know about pouch food until my twin granddaughters starting eating solids, they sell everything in a pouch for them here. Not that I eat that sort of thing but I might take it backpacking. I don’t eat peanut brittle at home either but in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar homemade brittles made with all sorts of seeds and nuts were always sold in the street stalls, I highly doubt that the person sealing their nut brittle packet with an open flame was using any preservatives. So you might look up a recipe and give it a go. Anyway, we found it to be a perfect, heat-stable energy food for cycling. Good luck! Your trip sounds fun, I hope you post about it here someday.

<I>I don't think the tiny little towns with just general stores will have much....</I>

I don't know anything about the Aussie postal system (or your route), but perhaps you can use the Pacific Crest Trail technique. As I'm sure you know, PCT through-hikers usually mail packages to themselves before departure for pick up along the way. Although that doesn't solve the issue of fresh fruits and veggies, in your case at a bare minimum perhaps it can assure your re-supply with suitable specialized food items from the big city that aren't likely to be available at "tiny little towns with general stores."