For a day trip on the river for four people, I am tasked with making lunch. I am looking for food ideas that are not too messy, will survive being tossed about to a certain degree, and can be eaten with the fingers.
So far all I’ve come up with are bagels and apples … need help.
Sandwiches, granola bars, grapes, cheese, trail mix.
Is there a reason you cannot use things like Tupperware or plastic spoons/forks/sporks?
I don’t see a reason they can’t be used and it will open a lot of options for you.
Otherwise, what @madmonk28 said.
My typical pack lunch for a day of fishing is beef jerky, Wheat Thins or pita chips, a cheese stick or two, possibly some dried mango slices or dried apricots, and some mixed nuts or trail mix. It all goes into individual zip top snack bags and the whole assemblage into a quart sized zip top bag (along with a paper towel or two). Fits neatly into my fishing vest or pack, or a compartment in the kayak with no muss and no fuss. And the waste materials are very easy to pack back out.
Oh, sure. But plastic utensils tend to be hard to keep track of and become river trash (or ocean trash). And even in tupperware things get jostled a lot more than they would in, say, a cooler in a car.
FWIW you can buy biodegradable utensils. Even if you lose some they will not bother the ecosystem for long (e.g. some are made from bamboo…wood…I’ve used them before and they work great).
Oddly enough, I was fly fishing yesterday on the Shenandoah River and we got in a discussion about shore lunches. We agreed the best river lunches are simple and eaten in the boat or on the bank while staring at the river. Some nice cheese and sausage cut with a pocket knife with an apple slice is about as good as it gets.
You’ve gotten some good suggestions already. Sandwiches individually wrapped in plastic wrap with maintain their integrity despite being tossed around. They won’t survive heavy impacts well though. Smokies and cheese sticks are a good alternative that CAN survive a bit of impact.
a few cans of tuna go a long way in making improvising a meal outside … also TexMex beans in paste form tend to be highly welcome. Salami/chorizo/Bratwurst is pretty tough and compact and withstands being tossed around, yet at the same time very intense in flavor.
pro-tip: bring salt … nobody ever thinks of that.
When I was a backpacker, the tuna in foil pouches were a revelation. Lighter and less trash to pack out.
ohh … also… dont discard stuff like Snickers bars etc…
they might melt, but you put them 2 min. into the cool water before opening and you are golden again …
and lets face it: after a strenous day on the water, your body will crave the calories and sweetness … and there is a lot of energy in a snickers bar, concerning their packing volume
When I go kayaking I use a padded cooler bag with ice packs to hold sandwiches & drinks and also take cookies & pretzels.
Sub sandwiches wrapped in cling wrap - the rolls hold-up better than sliced bread. Bag of chips and some beer. Maybe a few apples for dessert. No utensils needed.
Has no one mentioned beer yet?! Dale’s Pale Ale in cans. Cheers!
Simple is best. Easy to pack, durable, needs no chilling really and minimal waste packaging. Add mixed nuts and a chocolate brownie granola bar.
Some of those products are commercially compostable, meaning they need an industrial composting facility to break down properly.
I’m getting some clarity here, thanks everyone. We have an awesome sausage factory here and I’m gonna start there. Kobasica sandwiches here I come.