Good To-Go Bikepacking Food

Real Food. Real Adventure. We love taking dehydrated meals with us on our bikepacking trips, especially when we know we are going to be far away from civilization. Living off of gummies, bars, jerky, and nut butters is all good and well, but when you can enjoy a hot meal made with real ingredients while taking in your surroundings after a long day in the saddle, your making good decisions. I have always been a little weary about eating ‘astronaut food’. Whenever I have purchased Backpackers Pantry or Mountain House meals, I try to not really think too hard about what I’m consuming, and I just view it as much needed calories and relatively enjoyable flavor. Good To-Go states it right on the package next to their ingredients list… “Notice how many you can pronounce!” Their packaging also hosts the disclaimer, “This is not a salt pile or space food, promise. Just all natural and delicious.” The co-founder and Chef at Good To-Go, Jennifer Scism, was a long-time owner of a highly-respected restaurant in New York City, and she has cooked at 4-star restaurants for years. She has traveled to many different international countries to gain inspiration and knowledge about good food in all countries, and she won against the Iron Chef, Mario Batali, in the Food Network’s Iron Chef program. Her and her husband, co-founder David Koorits, both share a passion for good food and adventure, and it shows in their product. Good To-Go products are handmade in Maine with love and thoughtfulness. “Each recipe was developed with one goal: to elevate your expectations of what trail food can taste like. We want you to take a break from whatever adventure you’re on, sit down, take a bite, and say, “Wow!”” We were looking to get a little more out of our dehydrated meals, and don’t currently have the resources to make them ourselves. We were excited to try Good To-Go, and to swap out the colorful specks called “vegetables” in the more commonly seen backcountry meals, for real, crunchy vegetables. Not only do these meals taste better, but their packaging is also small and more compact than others on the market. Another awesome thing to note about their packaging is the way the material folds at the bottom which allows you to get at the corners and eat every last bite. After 4,000 ft of climbing in 40 miles, we were psyched about that. Good To-Go currently has six delicious meals to choose from, with vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan and gluten free options. The flavors include Indian Vegetable Korma, Pad Thai, Classic Marinara with Penne, Thai Curry, Smoked Three Bean Chili, and Herbed Mushroom Risotto. We were able to try the three below, and here are our thoughts. All meals we cooked on our trip were rehydrated for an additional 10 minutes than what was instructed on the package due to our elevation of above 11,000ft. Pad Thai The Pad Thai was great. The dish was jam packed with delicious veggies and rich flavor. The lime and cilantro elements did not go unnoticed as flavors you don’t typically get to experience in the backcountry. We did wish that the Pad Thai would have been a tad more ‘saucy’. Everything reydrated wonderfully, but we wished maybe would have squeezed a little of our Justin’s peanut butter in during rehydration to add a more thick and saucy consistency. Thai Curry This dish didn’t win Editors Choice in 2014 on Backpacker for no reason. I honestly don’t think that being an 8 hour bike ride away from any town influenced my experience with this food. I literally did say “wow” when I shoveled the first spoonful into my mouth. The meal rehydrated perfectly, and the consistency was flawless. This could have been served to me on a nice plate at our local Thai restaurant, and I may not have known the difference. The slightly spicy and slightly sweet taste was satisfying. The crunchy broccoli, green beans and peas were extremely refreshing after a day of eating gummies and bars. It is no doubt that the Thai Curry was our favorite. Indian Vegetable Korma The Korma is a delicious creamy tomato and yogurt curry packed with carrots, green beans, chick peas, sweet peas and toasted spices that satisfied our taste buds. We may have added a little too much water to this one while rehydrating, as the consistency was a little more juicy than what it maybe should be, but the flavor combinations were to die for. The chick peas provided abundant energy and protein, while the tomato flakes and spices packed a punch. Good To-Go sells all of their products in both single serving and double serving packages, and for being made in the USA, they are sold at a very reasonable price as well. When is the last time you went out to a nice local restaurant and paid less than $12 for a heaping plate of delicious food? The crew at Good To-Go has just opened a new larger facility in order to keep up with demand. You will notice that a few of their items are out-of-stock on the website right now, but not to worry, they will continue their online sales after they have time to build up their stock levels. In the meantime, please check out their retailer locator on their website for one of the 400 shops that stock their products nationwide.