Awesome especially with a stick of pepperoni or summer sausage!
Hard aged cheese often with a rind BUT NOT ALWAYS with low moisture(aging reduces moisture content) made from pasteurized milk(cow, sheep, goat...) tend to keep from bacteria the longest. Some cheese with a rind that could last long in a backpack I still wouldn't take backpacking because they'd smell so bad especially in hot weather. With age and other environmental factors taste can and usually does change though despite if it could be eaten. How long cheese last depends also on if it has been cut. Stay away from soft and raw milk cheese for the longest lasting . I have eaten raw goat milk cheeses 8-9 days into fall hikes though. Ive also tried but only twice a hard crumbly Gargonzola made from raw milk on two different late fall cooler hikes that lasted more than 7 days. Some goat cheese is hard while some is Brie like. Go for the hard goat and sheep cheese if you have sensitivity to cow milk cheeses. Asiago, Gouda, Hard cheddar, Manchego(sheep, lasts well), Parmesan, Pecorino Romano(sheep milk, last well), Capriano Romano(made from goat milk, lasts long)... Many parms have high salt content that helps preserve from going bad. Gouda is not always refrigerated and has a thick rind. many of these are widely available if you look beyond the WallYworld
https://thesummitregister.com/backpacking-with-cheese/
As mentioned in a bunch of the posts above I also carry hard sharp cheddar, usually Cabots because that's what I can easily find around me. I don't know how long it "stays ok" because I always eat it before it goes bad. I've had a block out in the heat for over a week, and it was still fine after that.
A couple of other suggestions. First off, if you don't want to carry a block some manufacturers (such as Cabots) also sell sliced cheese. If you are paranoid, another option is freeze dried cheese. I've had the stuff from Packit Gourmet, and it's freakin awesome. It's shredded so it's nice to put in hot food where it will rehydrate and melt. It also tastes surprisingly good right out of the bag. It's crunchy like potato chips, which seems weird at first, but then you realize it's pretty darn good.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
Yeah, but after a few days in hot weather the slices all become a block again. I love the ease of using sliced cheese (and meats for that matter), but on hot summer trips, I've given up using sliced cheese unless you get or put wax paper between all the slices.Originally Posted by Berserker
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
I would eat dirt if it had cheese on it.
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Taco chips are nothing more than a vehicle, same with iceberg lettuce...it’s all about the blue cheese dressing!
Pre-sliced cheese and meats do have a drawback. Every slice of the knife or slicer has the potential to introduce unwanted bacteria. A solid block only has six sides that were potentially contaminated. Sliced anything has many more exposed sides. Since you will be carrying it in less than ideal conditions, the potential for problems is increased.
The same applies to ground hamburger, and is why food safety folks always tell you to cook ground meat thoroughly, it is much more likely to be contaminated than a chunk of beef, or whatever.
I usually go by lists of hard cheeses that don't require date marking. Here's one:
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/M..._88280_7.5.pdf
The list starts on page 2.
I don't know where I either read or heard this... a very long time ago. Something about some molds, not all but some kinds that grow on food, that have some sort of spores or roots that penetrate much deeper than the stuff on the surface. Probably just a bunch of hearsay and bunk, i really don't know. Something to consider I suppose.
When I'm hiking, pretty much everything has dirt on it.
Interesting. Some of those (such as Havarti) are not very hard.
I was amused to see that even Mountain House meals have an expiration date, although the last one I saw was labeled "Good through Oct, 2046". That made me laugh.
I've carried pre-sliced hard sharp cheddar in summer before with no issues, but caveat emptor...your mileage may vary.
Another option I forgot to mention is the individually wrapped smaller blocks of sharp cheddar that are made by Cabots and some other manufacturers. These are pretty nice because you are opening 1 serving at a time. I've gone to these recently when I don't carry the freeze dried stuff.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
Many people have posted GREAT ideas! (hard/aged cheeses, those with wax coating, etc.).
This past winter, I went to "The Cheese Lady" - a store in Muskegon, Michigan - where they make dozens of their own cheeses. The owner's husband is a backpacker. She offered me numerous suggestions AND SAMPLES! of various cheeses that will hold up on the trail in the heat without refrigeration. I am SO EXCITED about the cheeses I will bring on my next trip - just bummed that I am extremely cautious about weight and that I don't mail-drop supplies (although the thought of these cheeses almost makes me want to start that!).
Perhaps, check in with your local cheese specialty shop if you have one....
Where have you found the individual wrapped Cabot cheddar? I love their seriously sharp and always carry 1 or two blocks...never lasts more than a day or two especially if the dog is with me. He loves it as much as I.
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Blue cheese varieties like Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola, etc get their veining throughout from mold that doesn't produce toxins. They arent the only cheese with mold though. Some blue cheese varieties and possibly other cheese are penetrated with small rods or needles to further allow the mold to propagate through the interior, obvious when the cheese is cut. Some molds on cheese do produce toxins. I recently found an interesting acid surface eaten appearing cheese called Milbenkäse or "mite cheese." Didn't like it but the surface has mites that eat into it...and when eating it you often eat the cheese mites.
I just use single serving string, stick or similar cheese. Usually Tillamook cheddar"bites".
Always delicious.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
I honestly don't remember as I haven't bought it in a while (been using the freeze dried stuff for the last couple of years), and may be confusing it with some other manufacturers individually wrapped snack size portions. I looked at the Cabot's site though, and it appears you can mail order it from their site.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
Hard cheeses kept as cool as you can, deep in your pack.
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I suppose one could cube and rap with cheese clothe, then dip in red cheese wax.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/redcheesewax.html
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