Choosing what and how we eat also has environmental implications as well as affecting our personal health. There are a few basic principles that will make it easier to live and eat healthfully on the boat while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.
o Eat locally and seasonally – with lots of fruits and veggies. Purchase produce in varying stages of ripeness. Put the unripe produce in nets hung from the handholds and check it daily, moving the ripened fruits and veggies to the refrigerator to hold them at that stage. Clean each item as needed with a home-made or commercial veggie wash and a stiff nylon brush. (i.e. water with grapefruit see extract or apple cider vinegar and salt).
o Chill down the refrigerator with a block of ice to help the always challenged on-board cooling system. If the fridge is a top-open variety, then fill it with large, lidded plastic containers to hold all the food - this will keep the contents from getting waterlogged and allow you to add ice on top. And, to make the cooks job a little easier, try to load food in reverse order of potential use.
o Freeze everything freezable before leaving home. It’ll keep much longer as it slowly defrosts and may actually assist the boat’s cooling system.
o Stock the pantry and fridge with quick cooking whole grains and pastas and multi-purpose foods that can also be used as home remedies and cleaning supplies. Ginger or umeboshi plums for seasickness, vanilla for deodorizing, oatmeal for “cream” soups and compresses, Worcestershire sauce (to clean brass) and cream of tarter (for aluminum). A stop at Trader Joe’s makes this really easy.
o Be flexible. Move meals around to accommodate weather, time, crew needs and the fatigue level of the cook. Be open to what's available locally - you never know when fresh fish will appear on the deck or a local fisherman will happen by with too large a catch. Or an upland tour will wind past a bakery when the whole grain baguettes are just coming out of the oven.
