Family Camping on a Shoestring Budget
"gourmet" camping dishes, there are plenty of other foods you can prepare that will taste great and not cost and arm and a leg.
When it comes to camping meals, keep the following three things in mind:
1. Plan your meals ahead and buy the ingredients before you leave. This will save you from having to pay ridiculously inflated prices for basic items at campground stores. Even perishables such as meats, veggies and eggs can be transported as long as you have a nice-sized cooler and are vigilant about keeping it stocked with ice.
2. Don't count on cooking over an open fire. While campfires are certainly one of the fun parts of camping, they are not always a good bet for cooking. If it should happen to rain throughout your trip, you could become very hungry for lack of dry fire-making material. The wood itself may be a problem. Every campground has its own rules about what wood can be burned, and you wouldn't want to have to spend the money buying firewood if it turns out that you aren't allowed to use what is laying around on the forest floor. Lastly, open fires can be tricky to cook on if you aren't experienced, so your best bet is a decent camp stove. (For more information on camp stoves and outdoor cooking techniques, check out GORP's "Cooking on Stoves" article.)
3. Don't forget the seasonings! Perhaps it is our survival instinct, or maybe it is just plain old forgetfulness, but seasonings are often the things we don't think about taking when we are making up a camping menu. It can make all the difference in the world if you remember to take the salt and pepper with you, as well as whatever other seasonings you are partial to. Camp cooking does not need to be bland.
If you are at a loss about what to cook while camping, hundreds of camping-friendly recipes can be found at Backcountry Recipes, GORP - Food and the Ol' Buffalo Outdoor Cooking Page.
Give it a Try!
With the summer stretching ahead of us, now is the perfect time to give camping a try. You've got the basic information you need and no doubt there are countless destinations within an hour or two of your home that would make the perfect short getaway. Give the kids some special memories this summer by taking a family camping trip.
*Lisa Beamer is
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