To cook on a canoe you're definitely going to need food supplies and utensils. It's best to try and carry everything in one box so that everything is grouped together. This will also make your supplies easy to carry when you go ashore. If you're going on a long cruise, it’s also a good idea to keep most of your food supplies in different parts of the canoe. The box should have enough supplies for at least three meals. You can replenish it with your larger supplies storage when you stop for the night or at a campsite. Keeping the larger box separate from the smaller box will make the cruise more comfortable.
Box Tips: Size and MaterialIf your box is going to be stored below-deck:
You can have the flanges of the cover fall over the sides of the box with the strap attached to one end and fastened to the other end by a hook. This way, you can remove the cover and take items out of the box without having to take the box out.
If your box will be used as a seat:
You can hinge the cover on one side, and have two hooks attached on that other end. For the back-rest, screw two pieces of ¾ inch pine to the sides. Run these horizontally six or eight inches from the farthest end of the box with holes one inch apart. Then, pass a ¼ inch brass rod through for the back-rest to play on. This will allow it to recline by changing the rod from one set of holes to another.
Use several water-tight tins so that nothing mixes or spills inside of the box.
The Consolidated Fruit Jar Company in New York makes water-tight tin screw-tops for jars and canisters. You can order these tops, in assorted sizes, and have a someone make the tin cans in the sizes you want. They can also give you a pint or quart sized ceramic jar with a water-tight screw-top. This jar can keep butter safe for a long time in hot weather. You can lower it down in a net into the water without leaking.In the tin cans:
More storage tips. Store:
Make sure to pack all of these things for your trip:
Using several bags instead of one or two large can save space.
A canoeist's portable oven is made of two small basins. One type has "ears" riveted to its rim. The basins should be made of sheet-iron so they are easy to keep clean. These should not go in the box, because they will dirty everything they in contact with.
There is no perfect canoe stove. The "flamme forcé" is good because it takes up a little more room than the folding type. It doesn't give more heat but it burns longer, and is not top-heavy when a heavy pot or pan is set on it.
For cooking in large utensils you should have three of these flamme forcé alcohol lamps, light them and place them side by side.
Folding stoves will get in your way, so avoid them and never carry an oil stove. If you feel like you absolutely have to bring a stove, put it in a large bucket, and only remove it when absolutely necessary.
Amazon has some portable stove options you can check out.
Self-raising or Hecker's prepared flour, wheat, is easy to make into bread and pancakes. Canned tomatoes, corn, fruits, beans, soups, salmon, etc., are easy to prepare, and can be stored in the canoe.
Here is an example of how Mr. Hicks, from the Toronto Canoe Club, prepares certain kinds of food in cans:
"Get a number of flat square tin cans made like oyster cans, of a handy size to lie under your floor boards. Then cook a turkey, some chickens, a sirloin of beef, etc. Cut the hot meat up into large dice-shaped pieces, and put it in the tins hot, then pour melted fat in till the tins are full, and then solder them tight. Put up fruit in square flat cans in the same way.” - American Canoeist
I haven’t tried this myself, but it seems like a really good idea. The Brunswick canned soups are cheap, easy to prepare and very filling. However, not everyone likes them because of the powder that they dry to. Try adding dried beef, corned beef, lemons and sardines and gather potatoes, onions and other vegetables along the way if possible.
If you’re not sure how much of each food item to bring on a trip, here’s a list that I used for a week-long trip, which worked out really well.