[pimaCanyon]

Howdy! Seems that Fantastic Foods is no longer in business. Our backpacking staples for decades had been their cooked and dried black beans, cooked and dried curried lentils, cooked and dried pea soup. Our local coop sold them in bulk. We would add dried corn tortillas (easy to dry in your car on a warm sunny day) to the black beans, and minute rice to the lentils. I'm not a fan of the prepackaged freeze dried "backpacker" meals. When I've tried them, they would just go right thru me, and I felt like I was getting no nutrition from them. Maybe I'll try them again, but I was just looking at some at REI online and the serving sizes are ridiculous! A package that is supposed to serve two, looks like it would be a light meal for one! Bottom line: Does anyone know of a place where you can get precooked and dried beans, peas, and lentils? Also dried hummus. Thanks in advance.

[Randito]

IDK , but the sodium content of prepackaged freeze dried meals is well beyond what I want to consume. I've taken to purchasing #10 cans of freeze dried ingredients and assembling individual meals from the bulk ingredients that don't have spices and the massive pile of salt. I add my own spices and grocery store available carbohydrates such as instant brown rice, instant mashed potatoes (plain). The Nutristore Freeze Dried Broccoli is surprisingly good, at least If you don't mine spending $1.30 per serving. The Freeze dried peas are also good.

[zimmertr]

For simple overnight trips or very long day hikes I sometimes just use these Greenbelly Meal2Go food bars. They're 650-700 calories per 5.47oz. I also usually use them as a lunch option during extended backpacking trips. I really really love them for their convenience and weight but must admit others I've convinced to buy them haven't shared my interest to the same degree. They're also expensive. https://www.greenbelly.co/products/meal2go The mango cashew coconut one is my favorite.

[forest gnome]

Ive wanted to order the freeze dried chix...rice...and pineapple powder..veggies dehydrated? Trying to imitate the zora? Meal rei sells that's the best one I've had .. Hope to order the $$ meals from small company in Montana this year...I'll look up name

[pimaCanyon]

thanks for the replies. Very helpful. We were out on a backpack into Aravaipa Canyon. Got back late yesterday. I'll post a TR in a day or two.

[pimaCanyon]

I'm now thinking I will cook and dry lentils and black beans, trying to approximate the flavors that were in those bulk items we used to buy. I've got a dehydrator which I have used in years, but should still work. We don't do that many outings per year, so it shouldn't be too much of a chore to cook and dry our own. I'll post back here regarding the results, mainly tatse, after I've given it a try.

[BigBrunyon]

MOUNTAIN HOUSE offers lentils and whatnot in some of their Meat Mains. Like the chicken and rice one. Some veggies in there. Probably some lentils or something in there.

[rubywrangler]

Packit gourmet and outdoor herbivore both sell black beans and lentils. Outdoor herbivore also has instant hummus. Frontier has a couple different types of bean flakes.

[gb]

Mary Jane Farms has good vegetarian dehydrated meals https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/Backpacking-Meals

[sarbar]

https://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/ Sells precooked and dried lentils and beans. You will be able to go far with it. Which you can also buy on Amazon as well from them.

[sarbar]

https://wildzora.com/ When this company was started it was Paleo To Go. It was run by a son/mom pair - she went into business with Wild Zora to get it to a bigger audience. Great people.

[pimaCanyon]

sarbar, thanks for the harmony house link, they have exactly what I was looking for in dried beans. I'm placing an order now. We're planning on a 5 or 6 day backpack into the high country of southwestern Colorado in mid-to-late June. Then in mid-to-late July we're hoping to do 7 days in the Glacier Peak Wilderness if the smoke situation allows it. Happy camping, hiking, and backpacking to you and yours!

[pimaCanyon]

rubywrangler, thanks for the links to packit gourmet and outdoor herbivore. Great resources. Headed out in June and July to try some of these goodies in the field. Have a great summer in the great outdoors!

[Ski]

Best wild guesses I can come up with being only half-awake: Frontier Co-Op maybe? Spice Hut??? I used to buy a dried black bean soup mix from Olympia Food Co-Op - just add water. Central Co-Op up on Pearl got in some morels the other day. They have a ton of dried stuff in bulk. They also got in some Lion's Manes. Somebody told me they do wonderful things for your brain. I am hoping if I eat more I won't be quite as stupid.