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Food to Take on a Camping Trip
by Cate Rushton
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Overview
Food to Take on a Camping Trip
After a day of hiking or playing in the wilderness, campers want to be able to recharge with some nourishing food. However, it can be difficult to prepare a four-course meal in the middle of nowhere. Some foods are easier than others to bring along when camping. Regardless of what you decide to add to your menu, remember to keep it simple so that the cook can enjoy the great outdoors, too.
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Trail Mix
Trail mix is popular with backpackers because it is fairly lightweight, long-lasting and chock full of protein and vitamins. You can buy pre-packaged trail mix at the store, or make your own. Typical trail mix ingredients include: nuts such as almonds, peanuts, cashews and pistachios; raisins; other dried fruit such as apricots, banana chips, apples and plums; carob or chocolate such as M&M candies or chocolate chips.
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Beef Jerky
Dried beef jerky is another great source of protein that is lightweight and nonperishable. Jerky comes in a wide array of flavors including teriyaki, peppercorn, barbecue and jalepeno. Some stores sell fresh jerky; it is perishable and should be kept cold and eaten within a week.
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S'mores
For many, making s'mores around the campfire is a camping tradition. Bring marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars for traditional s'mores, or get creative and add other ingredients.
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Granola Bars
Granola bars or sports bars are individually packaged and easy to toss into a backpack or put in your pocket. Depending on what you want, there is a wide array of bars to choose from. Check the nutrition label; some are nothing more than expensive candy bars and contain lots of corn syrup and fat. Other bars are low in fat and offer plenty of vitamins and even some protein.
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Campfire Food
If you plan on cooking over the camp fire, take food that is easily prepared. Baked potatoes wrapped in foil do well nestled in the coals (they take quite a while, however). Hotdogs on a stick are perhaps the fastest and easiest food to cook on the fire. You can also bring along a skillet and camp fire rack and cook up some fresh-caught fish. A can of beans, chili or stew will also cook well on the camp fire rack, either right in the can or in a saucepan.
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Camp Stove Food
If you are bringing a camp stove, the possibilities are only limited by your storage capacity. Camping stores sell special plastic containers to keep eggs from breaking, and you can fry up some bacon and cook some pancakes (take a just-add-water mix for added convenience).
Hash is another camp stove favorite. You can throw just about anything into it, but standard ingredients include potatoes cut into small cubes or grated and hamburger meat (or sausage or cut-up hotdogs). Serve it with ketchup or barbecue sauce. You can also add other bits of vegetables or rice.
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Food Storage
If you are camping in bear country, be aware that food should be prepared and stored properly to keep bears out of your campsite. Cook at least 100 yards from where you will sleep. Put all food in a bag or backpack and hang it at least 10 feet off the ground. Do not put food in your sleeping bags or tents.
