Unless you see mold growing in there I don't think this storage method will
develop any toxins. The oil might go rancid (oxidize) and taste/smell
pretty foul but if you wash this off I think the cheese would be fine. I
think cheese can also be preserved by coating with wax. You dip cold cheese
into melted wax a few times to build up a layer. Sodium silicate
("waterglass") has been used to preserve eggs but flash boiling, as
mentioned, is less messy. I have read that eggs straight from the chicken
house are most easily preserved. Something about them retaining a natural
coating which is washed off the store-bought versions.

I think Mother Earth News probably carries articles on preserving foods but
I've not actually looked.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/

"Steve Smith" wrote in message
om...
Hi all

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I have actually read
most of the books mentioned - Hill's, most of the Pardey's, a couple
of Smeeton's etc. great books and all recommended but I will look for
Roth's and Beebe's and Rogers. I have limited time on the Net and
value the comments of people in this group, and I did look on the Net
for techniques some time ago with little success. I think that many of
the skills and techniques from the past for preserving food may be
being lost and I am interested in finding any that could relate to
cruising. I intend hopefully to have at least an icebox but would like
to have the knowledge to conserve/preserve food as a backup.

The container was just a standard glass preserving jar with a rubber
sealing ring and clip. The oil was normal vegetable cooking oil from a
supermarket filled to as near the top as possible. It looked as if the
cheese would last about a year in those conditions as it had not
deteriorated significantly and there was little penetration of the oil
into the cheese or the cheese into the oil. Is there any possibility
that toxins could build up due to the reaction between the two? I am
not a chemist or food technologist but I am still alive after tasting
the cheese!. I do realise the effects of motion and temperature could
affect the results quite a bit, perhaps a more viscous medium would be
more immune to these? I was wondering if other food items have been
preserved similarly that is not common knowledge?

Thanks again for all your comments.

Regards

Steve

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Egss that have never been refrigerated (not the ones you get in a
store) will keep for weeks if you 'turn'; them twice daily.

Best way to conserve food would be to eat less.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Steve Smith" wrote in message
om...
Hi

Having read that cheese could be stored in oil for long periods I
tried this and found that hard cheese (cheddar) in vegetable oil was
still OK after 8 months (tested at home).

Has anyone else any tips for other long term storage without a fridge
or ice box? Can other items be stored in oil or other mediums?

Regards

Steve

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Has anyone else any tips for other long term storage without a fridge
or ice box?

http://cruisenews.net/db/pagetemplate.php?cat_id=94

I think the word you're looking for is ,,, preserving ,,, food. My
grandparents preserved all kinds of stuff in glass preserve jars ,,,
venison, moose, mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, potatoes etc), various
fruit. Dried fruit is easy to come by these days. Powdered milk tastes not
too bad these days. And there's all kinds of canned stuff ,,, remove the
paper labels (and mark the cans contents to avoid those chef's surprise type
meals). But if you think I'd eat 8 month old oil dipped cheese out of sight
of a hospital, ferget it :-)


"Steve Smith" wrote in message
om...
Hi

Having read that cheese could be stored in oil for long periods I
tried this and found that hard cheese (cheddar) in vegetable oil was
still OK after 8 months (tested at home).

Has anyone else any tips for other long term storage without a fridge
or ice box? Can other items be stored in oil or other mediums?

Regards

Steve

Remove defcv if replying by email.

About 40 years ago, give or take, an English teacher in northern
Georgia (state) US got his students as an exercise to start
interviewing older people to learn how they had lived in times past.
The resulting stories and instructions on how to accomplish things
without electricity were so good he published the collection as the
Fox Fire book. It became quite popular and resulted in a whole
series. I am certain that the Fox Fire series contains many articles
on how to prepare and preserve food prior to the invention of
refrigeration.

Another, perhaps even better source of knowledge, which is even
relatively inexpensive, are the books and pamphlets that you can get
from the US Department of Agriculture. To get a list of the titles
available and the costs, go to the US Government Printing Office.
Many of the pamphlets are short and quite specific. You will be
amazed at the topics that are available and how cheap they are to
purchase. In addition to helping farmers grow and produce food, one
of the major mandates of the Dept of Agriculture is the preparation
and preservation of food.

For modern foods and containers that would work well on a boat, check
out camping, backpacking, etc. books and magazines.

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove

"Bowgus" wrote in message .rogers.com...

But if you think I'd eat 8 month old oil dipped cheese out of sight
of a hospital, ferget it :-)

Hi

I was a bit dubious at first but the oil didn't change at all over
time and there was only a little sediment in the bottom of the jar. I
scraped away the first few millimetres and the cheese looked and
tasted as good as new. As no air had gotten to it apart from that
disolved in the oil, it appears there was little reaction between the
two. I think perhaps wrapping the cheese in sterilized muslin might
help the cheese from breaking up in the violent motion of a yacht.

Regards

Steve

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"Gordon Wedman" wrote in message news:kwxOc.30$T_6.16@edtnps89...
Unless you see mold growing in there I don't think this storage method will
develop any toxins. The oil might go rancid (oxidize) and taste/smell
pretty foul but if you wash this off I think the cheese would be fine. I
think cheese can also be preserved by coating with wax. You dip cold cheese
into melted wax a few times to build up a layer. Sodium silicate
("waterglass") has been used to preserve eggs but flash boiling, as
mentioned, is less messy. I have read that eggs straight from the chicken
house are most easily preserved. Something about them retaining a natural
coating which is washed off the store-bought versions.

I think Mother Earth News probably carries articles on preserving foods but
I've not actually looked.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/


Hi

Thanks for your comments. Found the following two articles, quite old
but relevant, from the site:-

Article about fruit and vegetable preservation; storage, drying and
canning, from 1971, -
http://www.motherearthnews.com/index...ge=arc&id=5258

Also another from Pat Kenoyer, from 1975

http://www.motherearthnews.com/index...ge=arc&id=4560

Regards

Steve

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Raisins are high in nutritional value and
cheap!