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Monday, August 1, 2011

Vegetarian Jerky 'n' Stuff

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In my post on our 3-day adventure I mentioned that we had vegetarian jerky to snack on. An inquiry was made in the comments section about it and in response, I promised a post on the jerky.

The vegetarian Jerky that we have found to be our go to traveling snack is Stonewall's Jerquee marketed by Lumen Soy Foods. Not to be confused with Stonewall Jackson the Confederate General.

I discovered the jerky while wandering around Market of Choice. A small 1.5 oz package costs $1.79. A few months ago I thought I'd give it a try thinking it would be good for hiking or all around snacking when traveling. Sometimes vegetarian substitutes can be hit or miss in the flavor and texture department, but I have been impressed with this product.


The pieces are firm and slightly dry like jerky and have a grain to them. Easy to bite into and tear along the grain like piece of real jerky. Through online research I have found that the company also offers a line of drier chewier jerky called "Cajun Jerkquee" that comes in several flavors. I may just have to try and find that one.

They have several flavors of the Stonewall's Jerquee as well. The Hot "Pastrami" flavor is my favorite.


I find it is a little drier than Troubadour's favorite - Teriyaki "Beef".


The packages have about 150 calories depending on flavor and 13 grams of protein. If you are into trying something new, keep an open mind and pick up a bag. No it doesn't taste like traditional beef jerky. But it is a good substitute for those of us veggie heads. They are even vegan friendly.

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And now for something completely different......

We haven't had much of a chance for riding since we came home from our trip. We got home on a Friday so we didn't ride that weekend and things came up this last weekend that kept us from getting out on the bikes.

We were helping a friend on Saturday, which required we take the car to coffee. We didn't mind though, it is nice to know that a friend in need knows they can count on you for assistance.

We could have ridden yesterday, but chose to go out and pick 23 pounds of fresh blueberries instead. Yummy. We are now on antioxidant overload. Free radicals beware.


We have a several local blueberry farms and our favorite seems to be Anderson's Blues. Not certified organic but pesticides and sprays are kept to a minimum. They prefer ladybugs and spiders for pest control. They have many varieties of blueberries ranging from Bluecrop, to Toro, to Early Blue and Chandler.

Our favorite by far is the Chandler. They tend to be larger than most blueberries.


Bigger around than a quarter and so tasty. We picked so much because we freeze them and enjoy them all year round.


My mother also loves them so we pick for her too and she picks up the bags of frozen berries from us when she visits. We don't have the same days off so it makes visiting for berry picking together more difficult.

So, since this last weekend was fully booked, I'm hoping to get out and ride next weekend, provided I'm not in a blueberry coma.

- Au Revoir

" Summer has set in with its usual severity." ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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13 comments:

  1. I had picked up some of the teriyaki "beef" at the same store in Corvallis a couple of weeks ago and I agree, it is pretty tasty.

    Those blueberries look pretty good. The ones up here in Alaska are much smaller.

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  2. Ah, blueberry time. Can't wait for the home-made goodies such as pies, muffins, and jam.
    Veggie jerky... I didn't even know such a thing exist. Worth a try.

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  3. I may have to try the veggie jerky, I'm a little leery though, I tried veggie hotdogs and wasn't soo keen on those. I love blueberries as well, hope you survive your blueberry coma! Try juicing the wee blue buggers they are yummy in apple/orange/carrot & blueberry juice. Now that is antioxidants at a whole 'nother level.

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  4. Good grief! Look at those Blueberries. Either you have really tiny hands or those berries are friggin huge. I'm wanting some home made Blueberry ice cream now.

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  5. Thanks for posting the info on the Jerquee and Market of Choice. I gotta get out more, I haven't seen the market. I supposed I've driven past it dozens of times...like I pay attention. :)

    The blueberries look scrumptious!

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  6. @Richard - Do you have to fight the bears for the blueberries up there?

    @Sonja - mmm homemade goodies. We like homemade blueberry scones and muffins and then like them on waffles too.

    @Dar - a lot of veggie substitutes are hit and miss. I would be surprised if you didn't like the jerky, but then not everyone likes it I imagine. I put blueberries in our breakfast smoothies every morning. I guess that kind of juices them. Good idea.

    @Wooley - thanks for stopping by. I think I found your blog from Gary's ABCD event. I have small hands and the blueberries are huge. The Chandler's are the biggest variety. We had some bigger around than quarters and at least half an inch thick.

    @Bluekat - Market of Choice is on the corner of 9th and Circle in Corvallis. They renovated the old Rite Aid building when Rite Aid built their new place on the corner. It is a foodie paradise. Some stuff is quite pricey though.

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  7. Occasionally you do run into a bear. If you really go into the boonies to pick berries, a firearm is considered a good idea. Last week there was a story in the news of a woman picking berries near one of the popular hiking trails about 30 miles from town encountering a brown bear.

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  8. Thanks for the info on the jerky. I picked a different brand up last year in Savannah. Can't remember the brand to save my life. It was delicious. Just not good for the bike as it was "juicy". The sauce they had on it was just too wet.

    Blueberries...yum. Nice haul. LOL

    (now why is my word verification "redder"?)

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  9. Trob,

    By far, my biggest problem with the vegetarian scene is the belief that vegetarian food must be a replacement for meat products. While occasionally gold is struck in that pursuit, it's usually crap. There are a wonderful, great many foods that are made in as many countries that do not rely so heavily on meat. I want to spit out every meat substitute I eat. Of course, I would rather just eat the meat.

    It's good you found something interesting and/or tasty. Personally, I would probably have an easier time eating it if it weren't compared to jerky, thus not distorting my expectations.

    One of the great eye-openers to me was spending 5 years working as a teacher in a Jewish school. I was forced to eat vegetarian every day for lunch, Sometimes it was difficult, but I eat a lot healthier as a result.

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
    http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/

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  10. Trobairitz:
    Thanks for the great idea! We have a tray-type dehydrator and I've actually made beef jerky in it but have never thought of a vegetarian version. Will have a try in the near future and let you know how it goes.

    We're hoping to get our first decent crop of Blueberries of our plant this year. Sharpe Blue variety for warmer climates.

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  11. @Richard - I don't think I'd want to fight the bears for blueberries. Do you think throwing berries at the bears would keep them away or just make them mad? (I say that as a joke)

    @BeemerGirl - I've seen veggie jerky options that look too saucy. One of the reasons I tried this brand is that it looked drier and chewier which is the kind of snack I was wanting. Redder, you think it would be bluer since part of the post was about blueberries.

    @Brady - Some very good points you make there. I think I'm glad my veggie 'jerqueee' doesn't taste like dead cow jerky. I think a lot of veggie products are in fact substitutes for meat products. If they weren't processed into substitutes for meat they'd be veggies just as they are grown and picked, which are the best anyway. When you say 'forced' to eat veggie everyday for lunch, does that mean you weren't allowed to bring your own lunch which contained meat? We do what we must for work.

    @Geoff - My mom used to make homemade beef jerky and sausage when we were kids. She'd put the oven on really low and bake them on the racks. Worked pretty good. They have some recipes online for tofu type jerky. I've never tried it but it might be interesting to try. Hope your blueberries are abundant when they ripen.

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  12. Trob,

    Yeah, I couldn't bring any meat for lunch. It was a strange experience, especially being born in the Midwest. Meat is eaten at almost every meal here, in fact, I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't know how to get through a meal without it. It's strange to eat differently - but we found our home life changing as well once we figured it out. A lot of cultures do it, and they have damned fine food, too. I personally love Indian cuisine, and they don't pretend anything is meat. It's so good.

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
    http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/

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  13. @Brady - I would have to agree, Indian food is awesome. We have two local Indian restaurants that both have lunch buffets. They both have the traditional tandoori chicken and also a goat dish but 90% is vegetarian and they do not try to imitate meat in those dishes. Great, now I'm craving Indian food.

    When we lived in Penticton, BC, I had the opportunity to attend the Sikh temple one day and their after service meal. It was a great experience and the food was wonderful.

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