[Jeffro]

I added these two to my list of food items for overnight trips and had an opportunity to take them to The Enchantments this last weekend. The Beemster aged Gouda was from a local artisan cheese shop in Fairhaven ( http://www.quelfromage.com/ ) and held up well on the hike. It was less than 80 degrees most of the time, but I think the cheese would have stayed fresh for the duration even in 90 degree heat as long as it was kept in the food bag out of the sun wrapped in cheese paper. I added it to a freeze dried bacon and egg meal, pasta, tuna wraps, crackers, and ate some plain. Yum!!! Another cheese they carry is a Parmesan reggiano, which would likely last a week in hot weather. It is not as versatile when it comes to adding to food, however. I also bought some fresh olive oil from another shop in Fairhaven ( http://drizzletastingroom.com/ ) which not only has a lot of calories per oz., but is quite versatile. I added it to oatmeal, hummus, tuna, and if we had not brought so much food we would have used it to fry up some trout. One of the benefits I was not previously aware of is that some olive oil can add quite a bit of flavor too!