The Boat Galley Q & A with Carolyn Shearlock

Episode 60 of The Sailing Podcast is with Carolyn Shearlock of www.theboatgalley.com. Carolyn agreed to do a Q & A podcast, answering questions that listeners had emailed in over the past couple of weeks.

Carolyn and her husband Dave have spent many years cruising on their monohull Que Tal, a Tayana 37' and are currently in Florida getting ready to head off again on their new boat, a Gemini 105M catamaran.

During the interview we hear Carolyn answer questions about:

• Storing food when you have limited refrigeration

• How to store your fresh fruit and vegetables aboard

• Cooking fish and advice on pressure cookers


The Boat Galley

Carolyn has collected all her resources at www.theboatgalley.com. If there are questions you had that we were unable to cover in the podcast head to theboatgalley.com and use the search bar, in the top right hand corner, to see if there is an article on your topic.

There is also the Boat Galley Cookbook available on Amazon. Many listeners, who submitted questions, praised the cookbook as a must-have for cruising sailors.

Marc Konesco from www.loveatfirstsail.com says 'Carolyn's book was a great reference for us and we got lots of information from her for our trip'.

Kelly from www.sailingchance.com says, 'I love the Boat Galley! Carolyn has been so incredibly helpful along my personal cruising and sailing journey'.

You can stay in contact with Carolyn at the following places:

Facebook - facebook.com/theboatgalley


Instagram - instagram.com/theboatgalley


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Some of the questions covered in the episode were:

Q - How to preserve food with limited refrigeration?

A - The trick is to make the best use of the refrigerator space you do have, by learning what doesn't need to be refrigerated and other items that don't need to be refrigerated until open, etc.

Q - From Ron A - who was a guest on the Medsailor podcast


How can you store items like eggs, cheese and butter without refrigeration?

A - Look for UHT (long life) milk to store in the boat. There are some great substitutes such as Nestle NIDOpowdered milk and many options for people who don't like milk, such as soy milk or rice milk out there.

Q - Oceantrader and Bruce had asked about storing and preserving eggs.

A - The only trick is that you need to get eggs that haven't been refrigerated – and in the US, it can be very hard to find them! Maybe look for a local farmer's market or find someone who raises their own chickens!

Q - What is the best way to store various vegetables for long distance sailing?

A - Most fruits and vegetables can be kept anywhere from a few days to a month or longer without refrigeration. It begins when you buy the items: best if it's never been refrigerated and no bruises or blemishes

Q - Matt had asked - I have heard of people removing labels of cans, spraying produce with vinegar to avoid pests. Do you do this?

A - I dunk all the produce in a vinegar and water rinse when I first bring it aboard. I fill a good sized pot with a gallon or so of water, and then add maybe a quarter cup – 50 ml or so – of white vinegar. Swish things around well to get dirt and bugs off, then lay it out to dry. The vinegar also helps to prolong the life of the fruit and veggies – particularly soft foods like berries. Just make sure it's 100% dry before putting it away – this is really key for not having rotting food

Q - Anne had asked 'which types of vegetable/fruit can be kept together, and which should be separated for slower ripening and flavor encroachment?'

A -Some foods have to be kept away from others and some need special care:

• Citrus: wrap in foil

• Onions and garlic – keep in dark but not with potatoes (potatoes sprout)

• Potatoes – in dark

• Tomatoes if unripe, keep in dark place; if ripe,