I do alot of dehydrating to make meals for backpacking. There is a great recipe book for dehydrated foods called Fork In The Trail. I initially checked it out from Douglas Co library and then purchased it. Also, if I buy the Mountain House freeze dried meals I usually repackage them into ziploc bags to cut down on the weight and package size. If the temps are fairly cool you can take frozen meals for first night, but would be sketchy after that. Another veggie that keeps pretty well is green beans. And they actually taste pretty good raw - it's amazing how things taste so much better in the backcountry after a day of hiking