One wonders? Can dried fruit be added to hardtack for a bit of flavor and added food value? Might dried fruit lessen the time fruit + hardtack will keep well? Maybe I'll whip up some hardtack and dried raisins.
I think that adding dried fruit would indeed lessen the time ships biscuit could be kept. We dry our own fruit & vegetables, & it keeps well in a jar in the pantry, but I would not combine the two. I used to like biscuits with dried fruit, & I think that is still a good idea, but in my opinion you are better off using a different biscuit mix if you are adding dried fruit. Ships Biscuit was very hard, & in the 18th century it was very often soaked in a soup or similar to make it edible. I read that it was even eaten dunked in rum. Ships Biscuit is purely a survival food. It was never meant to be tasty. Keith.
I made some using flour, water, salt, 4 adult multi vitamins dissolved in the water, and added ground flax seed and rolled oats to it, turned out not too bad, still hardtack, but i figure its now fortified and will be a important emeegency ration.