Food is easily the best part of a camping trip

Simple dishes made of favourite foods served differently create treasured memories of the family sharing a fun meal

For many people, the best part of camping is the food.

Simple meals made of favourite foods served differently create treasured memories of the family sharing a fun meal together.

There are things you can do to reduce the work of meal preparation at camp.

The criteria for camp food is, it should require the least amount of preparation as possible. This means doing as much preparation at home beforehand as possible.

Plan daily menus and bring only the food needed for each day.

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Peel and slice raw veggies at home, storing them in air-tight containers with a little water.
Scramble fry meat at home; even bacon can be pre-cooked and warmed at camp.
Prepare or buy pre-made salads.
Break eggs into a bottle or jar, add seasonings and close the lid securely. Shake before cooking — scrambled eggs.
Spices can be stored in a daily pill dispenser, reducing the need to bring the whole bottle.

Here are some of my family’s favourite camp meals:

Breakfast wraps

Prepare these at home, package them separately, and freeze them. Each one can be made to suit individual preferences. These are easy to reheat in camp. Eat them in your hand, eliminating dishes.
Ingredients for each person:

scrambled eggs made in your favourite way
breakfast sausage meat, scramble fried
shredded cheese
other favorite ingredients we like to add are chopped peppers and onions
tortilla wraps

At-home preparation:
On each tortilla wrap, add a spoonful of each ingredient as desired. This can be fun for kids to assemble. Fold the sides in the shape of a hexagon, making sure all the filling is covered.
Now fry them in a skillet until browned. While frying the sides with the folded edges down, press on it with a spatula to seal the folds. Remove and cool. Wrap in tin foil and freeze.

Preparation at camp:
The frozen wraps in your cooler act as an additional ice pack while you’re camping. Allow a day or two on your camping meal plan for them to thaw. Before serving, heat them on the fireplace grill or your skillet. Eat out of hand.

Hot dog wraps

Let each person roast their own over the fire. It’s fun for everyone and gives less bread than a traditional hot dog bun but takes more time to roast than a wiener.
You’ll need wiener sticks, Pillsbury Wiener Wraps and wieners.
At mealtime in camp, push a wiener on a stick. Then, wrap a hot dog wrap around the wiener, allowing the ends to stick out. Squish the edges to seal well. Roast over a slow fire until heated through and toasted. This needs the kind of hot coals you’d use to roast marshmallows. It takes time, so sit and visit with family and enjoy the slow pace of camp life. Let it cool a bit before removing it from the stick. Dip in your favourite condiment.

Tin foil bundles

These can be made to suit each person’s preference. Quick to heat at camp, they can be eaten out of the same freezer dishes they were frozen in, reducing dishwashing.
You’ll need:

meat of your choice, scramble fried at home: sliced sausages or sausage meat, chopped steak or ground beef
raw veggies sliced thin or chopped
seasoning of your choice
1 tbsp. oil per dish
tinfoil freezer dishes, the type with the tin foil lid

Ahead of time, fill each freezer dish with enough food for one person. Drizzle the oil over and stir. Freeze.
At camp, allow time for them to thaw before heating. Heat them on the fireplace grill and serve when they sizzle.

Jam boys

This is an old family camping tradition for my family. They are toasted over a fire, good for a leisurely breakfast or bedtime snack.

Ahead of time: You’ll need a roasting stick of about the thickness of your finger or thumb (1 to 1.5 cm). It has to be a green stick, so it doesn’t burn while you’re roasting your jam boy.
It’s best to bring these sticks from your shrub or tree at home, one for each person. The bark should be peeled from the roasting end for a length of about 10 to 15 cm.
Ingredients are bread dough and jam.
You’ll need hot coals for this; no flame. This takes time so visit around the fire and enjoy the slow life.
Wrap the peeled end of the stick with a handful of bread dough, also pinching it over the end so that it forms a kind of long narrow cup. Squish and seal it well. Sometimes, it opens while roasting if it’s not joined well at the seams. It will swell (like bread rising) while it roasts so don’t make it too thick.
Roast over the coals until brown and baked through. You can tell when it’s done because it will sound hollow when you tap it with your fingernail or spoon. It also slides off easily if it’s done. If it still clings to the stick, put it back over the coals for a bit. Let cool for a few minutes before trying to remove it. Slide it off and fill it with jam. Ordinary toast and jam just don’t compare.

Campfire cones

This is a fun activity for kids. They assemble their own. Heat through on warm coals and enjoy.
For each person you’ll need:

a waffle cone
mini-marshmallows (one marshmallow placed in the cone first acts as a seal in the point)

chocolate chips
fresh, chopped strawberries or other soft fruit
tinfoil for wrapping

Each person fills their cone with their choice of ingredients, popping a marshmallow in first to seal any possible hole in the point. When the little chef is happy with their creation, wrap it well with tin foil. Only warm coals are needed for this as they burn easily. Warm over coals just long enough to melt the chocolate and marshmallows, about five minutes, but you be the judge. Turn occasionally to prevent burning on one side.
Let them cool for a minute and remove the tin foil.