Provisioning / Where's the Appetizer?

Our pantry and other storage areas are much less full than when we left Deltaville, Virginia on December 3, but we still have plenty of groceries in the pantry and cupboards. In addition to the fish and lobster we purchased from Jeff, the diver, in Little Farmer's, we returned with several packages of ground beef and steak. We're already thinking of the changes we'll make in provisioning for our next trip to the Bahamas.

The cruising books tell us to provision heavily because food in the Bahamas is much more expensive than in the States, plus we may not find what we want. That statement is misleading. The grocery stores in Georgetown, Exuma; Rock Sound, Eleuthera; Spanish Wells, St. George; and Marsh Harbor, Abaco are large markets with great selections. Most cruisers will visit at least one of those areas and they will be able to restock. Paper products and snack foods such as chips and crackers are noticeably more expensive than most of us are used to. We still might take less Bounty and Charmin next season; they take up lots of room and are readily available. Prices obviously are not as low as the Walmart Special prices, but after what we had heard, we were pleasantly surprised. Smaller groceries are scattered around the cays, but they have limited products and usually only one or two brands. We always visit these small stores at least once when we are anchored in the area. For all markets, when possible, we shop as soon as possible after the mail boat has supplied the store with fresh food and supplies. Buying the freshest lettuce and spinach really makes me happy.

In almost every village or town, homemade bread, eggs, plus fresh fruit and vegetables are sold by individuals, or sometimes in the market -always at a reasonable price, plus the opportunity to meet and talk with the baker or the gardener.

Thoughts on provisioning for our next trip to the Bahamas:
We'll take fewer canned goods; they are available everywhere. We came back with vegetables, fruit, and tomatoes.

I like to add soy milk to my coffee. We add it to our oatmeal and I use it in cooking, but we often did not finish the carton before its expiration date. I also have dry milk on board, which works fine in coffee, cereal and cooking, and takes up much less space than soy milk cartons. For a glass of milk, both homogenized and bottled milk are available in the larger markets.

We will not completely fill our freezer before we leave. We plan on fishing (line behind the boat) while we're underway plus we can easily buy fresh fish, conch, and lobster. We discovered frozen vegetables are quickly freezer-burned in a boat freezer, so we'll buy available fresh vegetables that will be much tastier.

We only took one case of beer from the States, which didn't last long. That was OK, because we quickly developed a taste for a Bahamian beer, Kalik (K lick'). In Georgetown, a case is $36.00 -pricey, but it's really good! We'll plan on drinking Kalik when we return, though not every town has a liquor store.

We still have bottles of wine stored in the bilge and we came home with two boxes of white wine, but we have been out of the Black Box Reserve Merlot for two months. Boxed wine (sans the cardboard) store a little easier than bottles, but we were unable to find a comparable box wine in the Bahamas. There is a good selection of bottled wine; most were not familiar to us -probably good, just unfamiliar. We did buy a French red wine that was inexpensive and tasty. Our wine storage areas will be full before we leave. Liquor is about the same price as the States, except for Bahamian Rum, which is yummy and less expensive than rum here.

We provisioned about right on many items including coffee, oil, pasta, aged cheese. But, we may store less of these and other items, with the plan to replenish as necessary -maybe bravely trying other brands.

I only took one sea salt and one pepper, both in large grinders that were not refillable. After these were empty, I finally found a shaker of sea salt (small grind) and a shaker of already ground pepper.

And, most importantly, I did not take enough supplies nor enough of a variety of supplies for the appetizers that we took to the numerous 'Sundowners on the Beach' and to friends' boats for cockpit get-togethers.

A plate of Cheese and Crackers seems to be the simplest appetizer, plus changing it up is so easy by serving a different cracker and a different cheese than the last time. Aged cheese stays fresh for a long time and fits in the floor of the fridge easily, but crackers! I took at least ten bags of a variety of crackers, removing the cardboard before storing. They go fast. In the Bahamas, the cracker choice is slim: mostly Ritz or Club Crackers - both OK, but not much surprise to them.

Cream Cheese makes a great foundation for appetizers. I took several packages and did not think to buy any while we were in Georgetown. A month later, I found some in the frozen food area of a small store. The appetizer I made with the thawed cream cheese tasted great, so I will freeze a good quantity for the next season's round of parties. who knew?

Other foods to have on hand:
chips and salsa (chips are easier to find than a selection of crackers)
canned shrimp, crab, and tuna, sardines, anchovies
bacon bits
jars of olive tapinade
jars of marinated artichokes
nuts
fresh fruit
fresh veggies

Try one of these for your next appetizer creation:
Eggplant Spread (or Broccoli or Butternut Squash)
Steam or boil two trimmed eggplants until tender.
Drain liquid (reserve)
In blender or food processor, puree eggplants, adding 3 T olive oil
Add reserved liquid or more olive oil to reach the consistency you want.
Salt and Pepper as needed


Cream Cheese/Artichoke Spread
Cut Cream Cheese (must be at room temperature) in half lengthwise
Cover one layer with chopped marinated artichokes
Top with remaining layer of cream cheese
Cover with chopped marinated artichokes
Sprinkle with toasted almond slivers

Bon Appetit