Setting up for being a great camp gourmet

When camping, eating spoiled food is a serious problem, you don’t want to be getting ill and being away from medical care makes it even more of a serious situation.  Perishable foods need to be kept fresh, and the best way to do this is to keep them cool or better still, cold. This is not always possible outdoors, so other ways need to be employed.

Another concern is having your food pillaged by local wildlife. Take the necessary precautions and avoid the problems.

Keep it cool

The bottom line is your perishables need to be kept cold. A good camp cooler will keep ice frozen for several days. We would advise you to have two coolers, one for drinks and the other for food. The drinks cooler is likely to be opened and closed way more often than the food one and most of the heat is lost when the lid is opened.

Stay away from bad food

Do not attempt to cook meat if it smells even a bit off, as you could all get very sick indeed. You will not want to learn about food poisoning the hard way. E-coli can be contracted by careless food storage. Another thing to avoid is leaving food to float in the water that collects from the melting ice at the bottom of the cooler.

Store it away

Remember to pack the food away from the table when you move away from it. Just covering it will probably not be sufficient. The lovely animals that share the woods, like squirrels, chipmunks, and skunks, will be very interested in the spread provided and a cloth or thin container is not going to put them off having a feast. They will arrive to sample your food and cause chaos very quickly.

Place all food in sealed containers and store it in the cooler or in the shade. If it’s possible to hang food from a tree that could be a godo option if you have bigger critters around in the woods with you. Always dispose of your garbage in the appropriate way.

Frozen food

It can be good to freeze food that you will be taking along with you at home before you leave, as the food together with the ice in the cooler will all keep cold longer. If you are bringing several types of meat, it is better to eat the chicken first as it tends to spoil faster than the other meat. You could also prepare full meals, freeze them and warm them up at the campsite. It is possible to keep food frozen in a good qulaity cooler for up to a week.

Bring enough supplies

Unless you are a seasoned fisherman/hunter, there is no need to be a purist on camp. You do not need to catch your own food. This option could leave you feeling very hungry. You will, however, need to pack quite a lot of food, being outdoors really gets your appetite going. Also, when we’re outdoors we are usually more active than we are at home, so we’ll burn more calories and we’ll need to consume more.

Be creative

Campground food doesn’t have to consist solely of hot dogs and similar junk food. Camp food can be gourmet and delicious, and the meals can be easily as good as those which you make at home.

It is possible, with a camp cooker or something like a Dutch oven, to make practically anything on camp as you can do in your own kitchen. You will just need to use a bit of imagination, a spot of practice, and your menu can be first class.

Food is more fun when you’re camping, compared to being at home because mealtimes are an event in themselves. Time is spent over a meal with family and friends, away from the stresses of everyday life.

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We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.

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