Hard Tack
Essentially extremely dry hard bread, hard tack is a block of nutrients. It must be kept very dry but if done so hard tack can last a decade without changing the taste.
All that is needed is flour, a small amount of salt and some water.
The dough is made very dry and thick. Biscuit-shapes about three inches across are then formed pierced with many holes to allow every bit of moisture to escape. This is then baked very slowly at a low heat in an oven, easily made out of cleaned steel drums, for two periods (eight hours). These ovens can be used for storage when cleaned afterwards.
The amount processed is up to the GM. Really players should be able to convert all 'wild food' taken from fields into 'domestic food' using this method in a few days maximum. This can be done while tending stills at no extra fatigue cost for example. In fact apart from the dough making and unpacking of the ovens players could even sleep through the process.
Softened hard tack tastes no different to unleavened bread and is often used as thickener in stews and chowders. It is prone to contamination by insects but these are easily removed by various means, they add only a tiny amount of protein and taste bitterish.
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