Written by Jennifer Duty

We are busy getting ready for summer travel. Camping trips planned for July and August will keep us on the road. Planning a menu will keep us stocked up and make it easier to relax. I try to pack all the food for the trip so there is no unexpected runs to the market. When I travel I want to be relaxed. One trip to Truckee with my brother changed the idea of we’ll just get what we need when we get there. 

It was summer and it was a beautiful day in Truckee. We had just spent the day at the river and went to get some snacks and something to BBQ. We went into the market. It was busy but we found parking so we didn’t think anything of it. By the time we got the three items we wanted, the store had maxed out. Every check out stand had a line that went to the back of the store. You couldn’t even get down some isles. It was worse than any panic buying I had ever seen. We were standing there confused and a local said it was like this every summer. We just left. We did not want to wait in line for hours for a bag of chips and some marshmallows. We went to another store a little farther away and were able to get the things we wanted with less crowds, but we had already wasted valuable time away from the river. Who wants that? 

I always pack more food than we need, but you never know. I vacuum seal and freeze all the meat. It travels better. The last camping trip I vacuum sealed everything. I chopped and seasoned the vegetables. Planned all the meals. It was more prep time at home, but it really saved time on the trip. Everything was ready to go. 

Traveling can be hard to eat well, but if I plan ahead it makes things so much easier. I usually start the food prep about two days before we leave. I get things everyone will eat. And lots of snacks. When we travel, we snack a lot. When you pack well, the items you don’t eat won’t go to waste. We always wind up getting some food while we are out. You can’t help it. It is part of travel. Last time street tacos by the beach and cookies from a local bakery topped off by a Matcha latte from a local coffee house completely changed our dinner plans. But that is travel, discovering new things or returning to favorite places. 

So here’s to returning to the road. Be safe, eat well. 

“Pacific Flake your local sea salt harvestry”

JUN 30, 2021