301823 Thu Apr 06 12:58:45 -0700 2006 21 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1685174 Hi, Going camping tommorow arriving friday early evening leaving sunday mid morning. I will be in Joshua Tree NP CA, and i am wondering what are good things to bring while camping that will provide nutrition and last in a cooler for that ammount of time. Right now i am planning on sausages, jerky, fruit(apples, bananas), couscous, chopped meat for burgers, buns, Stone Pale Ale, big thing of water and some home made granola with almonds and dried fruit. I think this will be enough but i am wondering if anyone had some good suggestions for camping. I am from the Bronx and actually have never been camping for more then one night so any help would be appreciated. Also what alcoholic beverages will stay good for the second night without taking up too much space in the cooler? Thanks Thu Apr 06 12:58:45 -0700 2006 0 MV 1 1685181 I like to have a hot breakfast when I'm camping in the cooler seasons- oatmeal, ramen, etc. are pretty quick to fix up. It's nice to have at least something hot to drink to beat off the chill in the mornings and evenings- coffee, tea, cocoa, bouillon cubes, powdered soymilk, etc., with powdered milk to go with the first three. Powdered whole milk is a lot nicer than the non-fat stuff and you may welcome the extra calories. Cheese is another good camping staple. Hard cheeses won't need refrigeration this time of year for the length of your stay. Thu Apr 06 14:09:20 -0700 2006 1685174 0 tuskless 1 1685183 A friend taught me a great tip: freeze your bottles of water. They keep your cooler cool without as much drippy mess, and as they melt they'll be a great source of refreshing, cool water. I don't think this will work with a gallon jug, but with the liter and half liter bottles it works perfectly. Food-wise, I'm a big fan of instant noodles and soups. Thu Apr 06 14:26:35 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Absonot 1 1685184 Think about getting a higher end box of wine (there are some that I've heard are decent) that you can keep in the cooler or in the car. You can (contrary to popular believe) brings eggs out without the risk of any food poisoning (most countries besides the US and Canada keep their eggs on the shelf, not in the fridge). Cheddar and summer sausage last forever, and you can make one hell of a campfire pizza with bisquick as the dough (i would look for a recipe) a small packet of sauce and some cheese. You can get some tasty falafel mix that you just need to add water to (though you need oil to fry/saute with) and my local Natural food store even has instant hummus that you just add water too. It's not fantastic, but it hits the spot when camping. I have a camping cook book at home, but this website looks like it might have some good ideas. Just make sure you are going to have all of the equipment you would need to make them (or have a creative compromise!) Link: http://www.thecampingsource.com/camping_recipes/recipe_category_list.aspx Thu Apr 06 14:26:59 -0700 2006 1685174 0 CulinaryKate 1 1685189 Cheese, smoked salmon, crackers, and wine. Red wine won't need cooling and if there is a creek nearby you can keep the white chilled as well. And you don't need ice for good scotch or tequila. Thu Apr 06 15:23:18 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Ellen 1 1685191 I generally backpack and even when car-camping usually don't bring a cooler, but still it doesn't mean I only eat GORP and dry-freeze foods. Even, backpacking I like to bring - steak (for the first night dinner). YOu can pre-season it, and by the dinner time it will be nicely marinated. Nothing beats open-fire steak! Make sure to bring tin-foil with you. Also, when car-camping, make sure to bring some potatoes and yams (to burry in the coals of the camp fire). Hot chocolate is also nice to drink around the camp fire too! Camping and backpacking, I find, is a great opportunity to clean up my cheese drawer of my fridge - all dried out cheeses sure taste good outdoors and you can also melt them on a stick over the campfire. Re: alcohol - not sure about West Coast, but on the East Coast most parks are pretty strict about alcohol - it's prohibited, so check the park regulations and if you bring a bottle or two, be very discreet about it. Finally, last not least, a bar of good solid dark choc. is very handy. And the most craved thing when you're away from civilization for even a couple of days is - fresh bread. Make sure to bring some, after 2 days granola gets really boring. and please remember Leave No Trace mantra... Thu Apr 06 15:56:06 -0700 2006 1685174 0 welle 1 1685192 Cheese! Nuts, canned tuna (don't forget the can opener, as fun as busting open a can with a rock can be it gets a little old), rice, red lentils (I prefer a smaller legume as you don't have to soak/cook them as long). Chcolate! Miso! (keeps well, a little goes a long way and it's fantastic for flavoring grains and legumes). I used to bring flour with me so I could make a basic pan bread. Fond memories of eating chapati sruffed with dates and almonds while backpacking through the Ventana Wildernes. Hard liquor is your best bet for something that will keep and not take up too much space. And remember: you can never have too much water. Thu Apr 06 15:58:16 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Morton the Mousse 2 1685203 you can avoid the can opener by getting Starkist tuna pouches. I heard they also had salmon and chicken, but never seen. your mention of rice and lentils reminded me of a trick my SO and I came up with while backpacking in White Mountains: we were so concerned about fuel, so everything had to be cookable within a minute or two, but we had 5min rice - too long we thought so we'd put rice, dried meat or sausage into a Nalgene bottle in the morning and by dinner time it would be nicely decomposed to cook faster! and coffe press is your friend - you get sick of freeze-dried coffee by the second day... Thu Apr 06 16:52:00 -0700 2006 1685192 0 welle 3 1685207 Of course, when backpacking you're faced with more limitations. I use a similar technique to yours. I've designed a contraption out of a nalgene and pantyhose that allows me to sprout grains and legumes while backpacking. It takes some practice to keep the sprouts properly washed and aerated but once you have a full sprout it will cook in between 30 seconds and two minutes (depending on size). Sprouting also breaks down the carbs and protiens and makes it more digestible, adds a bit of fiber too (which is always welcome on a backpacking diet). One of my favorite backpacking foods is miso soup with sprouted quinoa. Thu Apr 06 17:13:46 -0700 2006 1685203 0 Morton the Mousse 1 1685195 Camping always makes me want to eat mac & cheese, the artificial cheese kind that I never eat at home. But seriously, the "Tasty Bites" Indian food that comes in those vacuum-sealed foil packets are great for camping. You can heat them in boiling water that you then use for tea and such. Thu Apr 06 16:12:28 -0700 2006 1685174 0 AppleSister 1 1685204 If you make eggs for breakfast, crack them ahead of time and put them in a plastic container. It takes up less space than a carton of eggs or those plastic egg keepers you find in the camping/sporting good stores. The same goes for any dry goods you bring, repackage them into a smaller ziplock bags and cut out the directions from the box and staple to the bag. Krusteaz pancake mix and Zatarin's red beans and rice are great to take camping. One time we grilled eggo waffles on the grill. Thu Apr 06 17:05:25 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Tracy L. 1 1685212 Mostly I am seconding some previous posts. We always bring smoked salmon and dill mustard. We also bring a potato or two for baking to have with the salmon. Don't forget to bring butter and salt! As for the booze issue - most parks in the east prohibit it but I have never had a problem - just be discrete. I would imagine it would be the same in the west. I always like either good scotch or a spot of brandy, ecpecially when the nights are cool. Also a small bottle of hard liquor or brandy is easier to be discrete about than a large keg of wine or a couple of six packs. Thu Apr 06 18:42:13 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Kass 2 1685225 Good advice to keep the booze discreet. California State Parks do have regs against drinking and in certain situations the rangers will enforce the law. It's best to keep any open container out of sight. Thu Apr 06 20:07:40 -0700 2006 1685212 0 Tracy L. 1 1685213 Brandy and Hot Choc... is a good evening campfire mix. I'm an expert on car camping. I spice up a mild canned bean with some onion and ham, one pot. BBQ chicken (I use wings) is easy and a fav. Egg buritto's (sp?) make a great, easy breakfast. I agree with the coffee press idea or a single cup drip system too. Depends on how many are going. You can buy frosen quesodillas (my spanish is bad) at Trader Joe's that heat well on a grill. I take white and red wines as well. The quality box version works great too. Oh yeah, take some bread and look out for bears. :-) Have fun!! -Robert Thu Apr 06 18:44:22 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Robert 2 1685214 I don't think beer, wine or liquer is an issue here in California. You might check with the Park web site but I've camped here a lot and never a problem. Just no hootin' parties, and keep it cool after 10 PM. And look out for bears. :-) -Robert p.s. just kidding. No bears at Joshua State Park. Thu Apr 06 18:56:48 -0700 2006 1685213 0 Robert 1 1685216 You're only going for a weekend. Spoilage isn't a problem. Take whatever you want. Bring luxuries like pate, cheeses, smoked salmon, etc. They make great lunch and dinners. I always get fancy with my camping foods. I used to be a wilderness guide and mountain climber as well as an OB instructor. Nowadays car camping is it for me. You really don't need a lot of prep for that, just a big cooler and frozen water bottles to keep it cool. Put bagged ice in double gallon ziplocks so it doesn't leak. Thu Apr 06 19:25:17 -0700 2006 1685174 0 JMF 1 1685217 You guys are full of ideas for backpacking and long trips, but this is just two days with a cooler and ice! There's no need for dried or precooked anything. For weekend camping and weeklong camping for that matter, we just bring salad, eggs, broccoli, steaks, chicken, pancake batter, bacon, quesadilla makings, plenty of beer and wine, margarita mix, etc. -- pretty much whatever we'd have at home on the weekend. That's the beauty of car camping -- lots of fresh food. Link: http://eatingla.blogspot.com/2005/08/happy-blogiversary.html Thu Apr 06 19:25:30 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Chowpatty 2 1685221 So true, one if my fav camp food experiences was grilled salmon steaks with homemade pesto. I think we had a salad and french bread as sides and of course a nice bottle of wine. However, I think part of the fun of camping is not eating what you would normally eat and bringing way too much food. Thu Apr 06 19:55:18 -0700 2006 1685217 0 Tracy L. 2 1685236 I agree, and for that matter, having spent time in Joshua Tree, it isn't exactly the heart of the the wilderness either. Decent if not great grocery stores within ten miles of the Park, or less, meaning you really can go pick up whatever quart of milk or whatever you forgot... ps: my 'must have easy to transport' booze of choice would be either a good single malt (Laguvilin is my usual choice) or a good bourbon (Woodfords Reserve or perhaps Maker's Mark if one really wants to rough it :-)) I am also big on watermelon while camping, but too early in the season for that..... Fri Apr 07 00:52:36 -0700 2006 1685217 0 susancinsf 1 1685243 Aren't s'mores a requirement for camping? I've done 'em with Hershey's chocolate (not the best), Callebaut, and Nutella... I don't know, just reminds me of kid-dom. Fri Apr 07 02:08:53 -0700 2006 1685174 0 Emme 2 1685292 Our version of S'Mores uses Ghirardelli chocolate caramel squares or pieces of Cadbury Caramello Bars. The creamy caramel adds a wonderful taste and texture to these S'Mores. Fri Apr 07 14:36:58 -0700 2006 1685243 0 Nancy Berry 1 1685289 Appreciate all the recs, I think we are set, going to do the salmon puches the first night, burgers and sausages the next with assoreted snacks and old cheeses from the fridge. Fri Apr 07 14:30:30 -0700 2006 1685174 0 MV