Camp Cooking: The Plan

We camp.

And we eat.

That requires a bit of planning, some gear, and a whole lot of food.

For many people that would mean lots of hot dogs & s'mores, eggs in a cast iron skillet over the campfire, and those little pies you make over the campfire embers.

Like you would expect by now, we do things a little differently with camping foods, too.  I've had to feed fifteen people in a wide variety of weather conditions, activity levels, and self-feeding levels.  Hot dogs won't make the cut.

We just returned from a four-night stay at one of our favorite MN State Parks.  This time we camping in the normal campsites at Gooseberry Falls.  (We have spent a lot of time at group camp sites in the past but that topic needs its own post.)  Four nights for us means:

• one Departure From Home Meal
• two Road meals
• four Evening Meals
• four Morning Campside Meals
• four to six Snacks

My first step in this task (ok.  Any task.  I like a good list.) is to make a good list!  And, I've done this gig enough times now that I simply refer to my "CAMPING" file folder and refer to last trip's lists to begin with. Here's the list from last time: 

Day 1: AM

Breakfast Blobs (use 5# sausage) 

Sliced peppers

Day 1: Road Meal

Kettle Korn

Sliced peppers

apples 

Day 1: Evening Meal

Beans & Burger

Day 2: AM

leftover Blobs

bananas

hot chocolate

Day 2: Snack

apples

Abbi Bars

Day 2: Evening Meal

celery

spaghetti

Oreos

Day 3: AM

GORP

bananas

cappuccino

Day 3: Snack

dry fruit

cheese sticks

Day 3: Evening Meal

carrots

mexican

Twizzlers

Day 4: AM

almonds

dry apricots

hot chocolate

Day 4: Snack

GORP

dry bananas

Day 4: Evening Meal

carrots

spaghetti

oreos

Day 5: AM

leftovers

(not hot beverage)

Day 5: Snack

Brown Sugar Shortbreads

leftovers

Purchasing, preparing and packing are really important to make my camp meals work out right.  That will be my next post.