292685 Thu May 01 11:10:17 -0700 2003 17 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1598289 Now that summer is around the corner and camping season has begun, i'm looking for some ideas or recipes for camping food. Other than the ubiquitous hot dogs and marshmallows, what do you serve/make when you go camping? Thu May 01 11:10:17 -0700 2003 0 sunshine 1 1598294 Car camping or backpacking? Thu May 01 11:32:51 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Nancy Berry 2 1598310 Both. The greater challenge would be backpacking. What prompted my question was someone's suggestion of making couscous with dried vegetables during a backpacking trip. Thu May 01 13:27:03 -0700 2003 1598294 0 sunshine 3 1598415 Couscous with chicken and dried cranberries is DELICIOUS! Couscous is great camping food because you just need hot water to "poof" it up. Throw in your spices, dried fruits or veggies, and some meat if you want/have it. All done. I like taking it on seakayaking day trips. Love to look around at the other paddlers eating greasy chips and soggy sandwiches while I feel like I'm eating a gourmet meal (especially with a caramel brownie for dessert)! ;-) Fri May 02 08:45:46 -0700 2003 1598310 0 SisterT 2 1598318 My husband and I teach outdoor cooking and thus have collected lots of camping recipe links. We do a lot of dutch oven baking when we are camping, but that's not practical for backpacking. There is a really neat device, however, called the Outback Oven (see the link below) that allows you to make all sorts of interesting dishes including pizza and brownies without compromising quality. Here are some other good links: http://www.macscouter.com/cooking/ http://gorp.com/gorp/food/main.htm http://www.three-peaks.net/cooking.htm http://www.outdoorcampus.org/kidscan.htm http://camping.about.com/cs/outdoorcooking/ http://www.idos.com/ http://chuckwagonsupply.com/ http://www.lodgemfg.com/home.asp http://www.wildernessdining.com Have fun!! Link: http://www.backpackerspantry.com/S3/Category.cfm?&DID=10&CATID=7 Thu May 01 14:11:50 -0700 2003 1598294 0 Nancy Berry 3 1598319 I left out some of the interesting dishes we've made in the Outback Oven. These include frittatas, quiches, foccacia, cornbread, coffee cakes (delicious with dried blueberries,)crisps, pineapple upside-down cake, etc., etc. It's a really wonderful device. Thu May 01 14:21:36 -0700 2003 1598318 0 Nancy Berry 1 1598302 Well the SF Chronicle had a great section on camping food last summer. I've searched and searched on their web site, but I can't find it. I'll dig it out of my pile of recipes and look for the date so I can post it later. I remember they had a great sounding s'mores pie. Thu May 01 12:34:29 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Jane 1 1598304 Assuming car camping: 1) Local specialties: When we go to Maine, we bring a big pot and get lobsters, fresh blueberries. If you were in Appalachia right now, go forage some ramps and morels. You get the idea... 2) Steaks grilled on campfire. Mmmm.... 3) If you have a propane stove, any stove-top type of stuff will do. 4) Bring a big iron Dutch oven to make a stew. (though maybe not in July) Thu May 01 12:48:23 -0700 2003 1598289 0 dude 1 1598311 The current issue of Sunset has a nice article on camping with recipes for easy egg scrambles, pad thai, chicken satay & variations on s'mores. Thu May 01 13:41:30 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Jennie Sheeks 1 1598312 The best part about camping is that EVERYTHING tastes amazing, even a Dorito. Assuming that the backpacking is only for a night or two (after that, you start getting into reconstituted items simply for weight, freshness, etc) Here's things I've made both car camping and backpacking: - buy a tube of good prepared polenta, slice up and fry in butter with a leaf of basil and a good cheese melted on top (I've done this with various yummy cheeses - gouda, goat cheese, parmesan, etc).. I usually do this as an appetizer, then eat so much I'm not hungry for dinner. :-) - quick bolognese with hamburger/tomates/garlic/spices and pasta - premarinated chicken pieces with rice - ratatouille - prechop onion and garlic and put in containers, bring good canned tomatoes and other fresh vegetables, serve with couscous or rice. - especially after a long hike, chili tastes great and is easy to make if you bring the right spices. - car camping - whole fillet of salmon marinated in one of the usual ways and cooked over grill over fire in large foil packet - for dessert: sliced up apples with raisins, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar put in foil packets and put in fire for a few minutes. like an apple pie without a crust. :-) - last year a friend made marinated baby lamb chops in advance using a slanted door (famous vietnamese restaurant here in san francisco) recipe and grilled them. THAT was a hit. You could pan fry them the first night of backpacking instead. My list goes on and on, that's off the top of my head. Thu May 01 13:49:07 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Celeste 1 1598336 A friend of mine swears by her pressure cooker for camping (not literally of course). I've found pesto and vegetarian tapenade work well for camping and both travel well. You can use it on fish, pasta, eggs, bread etc. Another treat that comes to mind was in last Decembers Better Homes and Gardens. They had a recipe for smores done with chocolate graham crackers, white chocolate, marshmallows and berry sauce. It sounded a little of the top but it could be good. I can't find the recipe on their web site, maybe you can check your library. Thu May 01 15:29:03 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Tracy L. 1 1598342 I'm going on a long car camping/cross-country trip this summer (4 weeks) and I'm confused about what to bring. I've never gone for so long and I want to make sure the basics will work out for that period of time. We'll be cooking for just two. We were planning to bring: --3 qt Lodge dutch oven w/ cover that doubles as a griddle --12" deep Lodge skillet --small aluminum kettle & french press --Coleman two-burner campstove --various Lexan cups, bowls, utensils, etc. Am I going to be missing anything? The biggest problem we've had in the past is doing dishes efficiently--something I haven't quite figured out. We've looked for a three-compartment collapsible pseudo-sink thing, but can't really find anything appropriate. Advice? We're going in a Honda Civic, so minimizing space requirements is crucial. Also, we'll be travelling every week or so through large cities, so will be able to get extra supplies. Any advice is much appreciated. p.s. I thought I'd link to this totally hysterical thread from last summer on Jim Leff's proposed camping trip. Some people really do not like camping! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/notfood/messages/12074.html Thu May 01 15:51:03 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Missy P. 2 1598385 You're doing something i've always wanted to do! I find a decent sized cutting board to be the most important thing when camp cooking! Also, I would recommend a small Gaz stove for quick water boiling needs etcetera, when you don't want to get the Coleman going. Thu May 01 18:33:46 -0700 2003 1598342 0 Celeste 2 1598386 Take 2 standard plastic dishwashing tubs - they may seem big, but they stack and everything else fits into them. Get a large collapsible water jug - 2-5 gallon depending on your hauling/lifting capacity - get in the habit of filling the jug while driving up to your site so you don't have to haul. (Use only for washing up - dishes and self - use bottled water for drinking.) We station wagon camped for years, then moved up to a tent trailer, a pick-up with a cab-over, and now (that the kids are almost gone) a Class A RV. Now that's what Jeff needs - cheap lodging, all the comforts of home - the choice of cooking your own gourmet meal, or hopping into your toad (we tow a small car - towed - toad...) and running into town for a night out. We love going to DC - there's a really nice campground in Cherry Hill MD. $35/night for all the hookups, including running the AC (DC in July... come to think of it, DC anytime except Winter). Take the Metro into town or drive the toad. If you want, take a day to rest - stay at the campground and swim, get your hibachi and cook up some ribeye's. In NYC, we stay at the Liberty Marina on the Jersey side - walking distance to the Path - or drive through the Holland and you're downtown in minutes. Thu May 01 18:35:06 -0700 2003 1598342 0 applehome 3 1598388 The dishwashing advice is *just* what I was looking for. Seems like the way to do it. As far as camping destinations go, we're going to be strictly in the Western half of the country (uh, I guess that "cross-country" was a bit of an exaggeration), but Cherry Hill sounds nice. Thanks!! Thu May 01 18:50:05 -0700 2003 1598386 0 Missy P. 2 1598442 - A few pots, for boiling water... and warming up the Pork & Beans :) - Miner-style head lamp. You'll look silly but it's very useful when you're working in the dark and need both hands free. - Several dish towels for drying clean dishes. - Tablecloth, plus thumbtacks to secure it. - Smokey Joe (mini Weber BBQ) - Metal skewers, for roasting marshmellows, etc. - Extra propane cans (running out half with through dinner is the WORST) Link: http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/prod_detail.asp?product_id=5349-701 Fri May 02 12:38:29 -0700 2003 1598342 0 nja 2 1598448 Re dishwashing/portable sink, there is something called a Wash 'N Go which used to be available from Campmor but can be also obtained from the website http://www.safetycentral.com/washngosink.html Basically a plastic portable sink which folds up like a suitcase and holds its own water. I have one at home. Re headlamps, you may prefer a lightweight LED headlamp, e.g., the Petzl Tikka; you can find a good selection mail order at places like Inner Mountain Outfitters http://www.caves.org/imo/frames1.htm (search on headlamps) or at your favorite camping store Fri May 02 13:05:15 -0700 2003 1598342 0 barleywino 1 1598367 If you own a food saver it's great for things like Jambalya,or Stews. Just pack them up, freeze them and then either defrost and cook or boil in the bag, makes clean up easy. The frozen bag also is used as an ice pack for a few days to keep things cold. Thu May 01 17:07:11 -0700 2003 1598289 0 Marilyne