Since last summer, they've added a basket-full of new terms to our collective lexicon. Terms like stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 warn ratepayers (the governor's term for citizens) of pending electrical power shortages. Others like ISO and investor-owned utility are paraded in front of us daily by Governor Gray Davis, the state's print media and talk show hosts.
Commentary aside, Camp and Outdoor Cooking is not here to solve California's power woes. But we can certainly help our readers wrestle up gourmet meals under the oaks while conserving a little electricity and sending less cash to your local investor-owned utility.
Preparedness is the key
Cee Dub Welch agrees. In the April 2001 issue of What's Cookin', ezine for Dutch Ovens and Camp Cooking, Cee Dub says keeping a "Dutch oven and a sack of charcoal handy can ease an aggravating situation."
Just as you prepare for power outages by stockpiling flashlights, candles and matches, Cee Dub advises his reader to keep the camping gear handy. So when the lights go out, you'll be able to cook dinner in the Dutch ovens or on the propane camp stove.
Although Cee Dub sits on the sidelines in his native Idaho, he's no stranger to power interruptions. Cee Dub and his wife, Penny, live the rural area outside of Grangeville, Idaho "where even a windstorm dropping a tree limb on a power line can leave us without electricity." They may not have to suffer through ISO-decreed brownouts. But outages are a fact of life for the Welches, especially in winter, says Cee Dub.
The brownout kitchen
So what do you need to prepare brownout meals? Cee Dub keeps his camping gear handy instead of storing it in the rafters in the garage. Your brownout kitchen can be as basic or as gourmet as you desire. Cee Dub advises that you don't need any special cookware for your outdoor kitchen -- just stage your camp kitchen on the deck.
Here's what you'll need to cook brownout meals:
