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Family Involvement!
Outdoor Cooking!
Outdoor cooking can and should be a family activity. It makes an otherwise mundane chore something special. Eating is fun, as should be fixing the food you eat. However, to do this takes time and a-little effort; plan food preparation that will include the entire family. This activity will not only be educational but extremely rewarding.
Even cooking a hot-dog or marshmallow can be a real challenge to insure that it’s cooked just right and not burnt. Cooking, as you well know, is a learned skill; especially cooking outdoors with charcoal, wood, or a portable cook stove. This activity will require some hands-on training. Take time to talk about what you plan to cook, discuss safety, and practice fire building.
It can be fun to beat eggs, mix pan cakes, make milkshakes, or cherry cobbler providing you have the proper camping cookware, stove and/or campfire. Don’t be too ambitious, at first; but, based on the kid’s ages , do give them tasks to complete with each receiving an acknowledged task ownership. These type of experiences are character building – the memories will never fade away!
Portable Grill!
Portable Propane Grill!
There are many small types of camping grills that can be used at an outdoor campsite. Some require fuel/electricity or just an open fire. However, being forced to cook on one over an open campfire, each and every time, can be extremely inconvenient. As an option, the following two categories can be used as either a back-up or even the primary cooking source:
- Electric - Grills are heated using electricity. This would be an ideal choice if the campsite has the required external source of electricity.
- Propane – This type of grill uses natural gas to provide the heat. A propane grill may be the best choice if you are going out into nature where the resources are limited, but a plan must be in-place to obtain replacement fuel.
The use of either an electric or propane grill would provide more than adequate service. However, as stipulated, selection must be thought-out and based on available resources at the campsite.
Cast Iron Cookware Seasoning!
Must Be Seasoned!
Cast Iron Cookware seasoning is a must. This is a gradual process where oil is baked into the pores of the iron to prevent rusting, and it will eventually add a non-stick cooking surface to the cookware. This thin layer of oil must be consistently applied before each use, or it won’t cure properly. The more use, the better seasoned it becomes.
Tips:
- The best oil to use when seasoning is vegetable oil. Slight inconsistencies may appear in the seasoned finish, but it shouldn’t effect its cooking performance.
- Do not use soap or detergent to clean your cast-iron cookware; it will breakdown the seasoning process.
- Use wood or silicone utensils to avoid cookware scratching.
If properly taken care-of, this durable camping cookware will last forever.
Cast Iron Cookware Rust Removal!
Rust Removal!
Rust on Cast Iron Cookware indicates that the seasoning/curing needs to be replenished or replaced:
- Flash Rusting – Normally, slight rust on a new piece of iron cookware is flash rusting. Put some vegetable oil on a cloth and rub the area briskly. This should fix the affected area.
- Profile Rusting – This is rust that can be seen and felt on the cookware. To remove it, you should use a very fine grade of steel wool or abrasive pad such as SOS, Brillo, etc. to scrub the affected area. When the cookware has been scrubbed down to the raw/bare cast iron, re-season/cure immediately.
- Severe Rust – If the rust covers most of the cookware’s surface, it is considered severe. To salvage the cookware, you must take it to a local machine shop or auto body shop and have it sandblasted back to the original form. Once done, the camping cookware must be seasoned/cured immediately (see article (this blog) for seasoning)).
Pineapple Up-side Down Cake!
Dutch Oven Perfection!
As a kid, one of my favorite deserts was Pineapple Up-side Down Cake, and having it baked in a Dutch oven in/over a campfire made it that much more special. A very simple recipe to follow with proven results would include:
Ingredients:
- 1 can pineapples (6 oz.);
- 1/2 cup pecans;
- 1/2 cup brown sugar;
- 1 square of margarine;
- 2 yellow cake mixes.
Process:
- Mix cake mix according to directions. Line the Dutch oven with aluminum foil. Place oven onto the heat, level it and melt the margarine in the oven. When melted, add the brown sugar and stir. Add the pineapples and pecans. This is the glaze. Pour the prepared cake mix on-top of the glaze. This desert doesn’t require a lot of heat on the bottom, just enough to brown the glaze (eight pieces of charcoal should be enough). Bake for about 25 minutes, but check every 15 minutes. When golden brown, test to see if done. When done, take it off of the heat and lift cake out of the oven by the aluminum foil and place on a plate. Put another pan/plate on top and turn over so glaze and aluminum foil is on top. Remove upper plate and aluminum foil.
- Cut and serve on camping cookware, as desired.
Baked Fruit!
Not too Shabby!
Following two baked fruit recipes were given to me by the wife of a hunting buddy. She said both were well received, especially from the kids.
Jamaica Bananas:
- Ingredients: Bananas (one per person), Sugar, Lemon.
- Process: Place the ripe, not-peeled bananas into the ashes of a good fire. Roast for about 30 minutes until the skin is black. Rake out the bananas and split them down the center. Sprinkle the fruit inside with sugar and lemon juice. Eat as you like!
Baked Apples:
- Ingredients: Apples (one per person), Brown Sugar, Aluminum Foil, Raisins, Cinnamon.
- Process: Core apples and place each on a square of aluminum foil. Fill the core hole with raisins, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Wrap foil around the apples and bake ten minutes in the hot coals of your burning campfire.
Serve either recipe on/in a camping cookware plate/bowl and please, do enjoy!
Food Poisoning!
For Emergencies
Nothing will put a damper on a camping trip quicker than eating some contaminated food. Food poisoning can have serious consequences. It is important that we know and understand the simple life-saving techniques that will reduce suffering and prevent injury.
Food Poisoning Symptoms:
- May experience nausea, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhea or vomiting;
- Can also suffer breathing problems or chest pain.
First Aid:
- Assess the person’s condition and make comfortable/encourage resting;
- Do not give fluids;
- Do not induce vomiting;
- Continuously monitor and if condition worsens seek medical help.
Knowing what to do in an emergency situation can make all the difference in the world. Your camping gear should not only include a survival kit with written instructions but also a basic-to-intermediate first-aid kit. It is equally important that someone in the camping group be knowledgeable in basic first-aid techniques and procedures.
Cook’s Nightmare!
Keep it Cool!
Preparing food and eating in the outdoors can be an appetizing and very rewarding experience. However, there could be hidden hazards lurking that would turn this enjoyable holiday into a living nightmare. As a safe guard, it is suggested that the following precautions be taken to help insure food products are free of contamination and safe for consumption:
- Make sure the coolers are stocked with enough ice/freezer packs to keep contents cold until use;
- Store food items in separate containers or individually wrapped with sturdy plastic wrap;
- Keep knives and utensils clean and in a storage container away from the food;
- Make sure your food preparation area is clean and free from airborne pollutants;
- Never leave food exposed to the air where insects and other creatures can contaminate it.
Critical to this process is that your camping gear includes adequate food storage coolers/containers. They must be serviceable and free from defect.
Campfire Hot Chocolate!
Where's the Marsh-mellows?
Sometimes, the simplest reminders are the most poignant . For me, the importance of family togetherness is always solidified while sitting around a campfire in the evening. This feeling seems more prevalent in the late Fall when the leaves are changing and is accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate with a tad of peppermint:
Ingredients:
- Four small bars of plain milk chocolate;
- One chocolate peppermint patty;
- Two large cans of evaporated milk.
Process:
- Mix ingredients in three quarts of boiling hot water;
- This serves approx 18 people (increase or decrease accordingly to size of group to be served).
Prepared in your camping cookware, this “Hot Chocolate” treat is ideal for that after dinner/supper story telling session.
Open-fire Cooking Refresher!
You can almost smell it!
You don’t really need a large fire to cook your food. Smaller is probably better than larger. Think about your flame producing stove at home, how much flame do you need to fry that chicken or even boil water. The key is the amount and proximity of the heat source to the item being cooked. Cooking on an open fire is not an exact science and will require some trial/error.
With corn, potatoes, and other hard vegetables – you can wrap in aluminum foil and place directly in the hot coals, turn periodically and remove when done. A medium size potato or ear of corn will take about 30 minutes. If it’s cooking too fast, you can always remove the item and place back in the coals later for final cooking.
When using a grill, don’t place it too close to the fire. This will keep you from burning-up your cookware and what-ever you’re cooking. Simply add a few twigs/wood when needed to keep the flame constant but not blazing. Cooking with your camping cookware over an open fire definitely requires a little experience. Do not be too disappointed or hard on yourself if you have problems – PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE will make it perfect!
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