Food to bring on camping trip

[Plarka]

Any ideas for non-perishable food to bring for dinner for the second night of our camping trip? We're only going for 2 nights, and probably don't have an ice chest, so can't bring meat and stuff that can go bad.

[blizzard_babe]

Dried hummus mix? Jerky? Jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bed?

I guess it depends on what kind of camping... car or backpack.

[LeahBoo]

Chili?

[MariaMadly]

You said no cooler, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to have a fire or take along a camp stove. Anyway:

I'm a big fan of Amy's soups. There are also some great rice mixes or vegetable mixes in pouches (don't remember the brand, but our co-op sells some). Or if you do have a heat source to boil water, there are some very nice pasta or rice in-a-cup meals. Dried fruit, dried vegetables. Really dense seeded breads.

Have fun!

[ma2maya]

When I used to go on long back pack trips, we would take canned tuna. A little salt and pepper and crackers made for a yummy mid-day lunch. Also, if it's not too hot and you have a spot where you could keep them out of the sun, eggs are doable, too.

Beans and tortillas are a staple camping food 'round these parts ;-)

[Oubliette8]

Do you have pie irons? I vote for Pudgie Pie Pizzas! two slices of bread, butter sides out in the irons, and fill with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperonis, canned mushrooms etc. Oh wait, you need butter...but cooking spray might work? The bread, unopened tomato sauce, pepperoni etc should be fine for a day without refrigeration.

Seriously, tastiest camping food EVER.

Otherwise, I like Red Beans and Rice on tortillas with cheese.

[Plarka]

It's car camping and we'll have a fire and maybe a camping stove. Keep the ideas coming!

Can you make rice without a stove, with just a pot over fire?

[LaughingHyena]

We often take something frozen for the first night. It defrosts through the day and is usually ready by evening. Sometimes I do a big pot of stew, other times we've brought a spaghetti sauce and we cook the pasta when we get there. Having something frozen also keeps the rest of the cool box contents nice and cold.

Another favourite is stir fry, a pack of stir fry veggies, jar of sauce and some noodles.

Baked potatoes in the fire are nice with some cheese or canned tuna

I've never had a problem with eggs going off, though I would pack the cardboard box in a plastic box. Finding broken eggs in everything is no fun.

[ma2maya]

LaughingHyena-I've never done baked potatoes in the fire, yum. How long do they take to cook?

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by LaughingHyena

I've never had a problem with eggs going off, though I would pack the cardboard box in a plastic box. Finding broken eggs in everything is no fun.

That's an interesting idea. Probably too late for the OP to source this, but one could ask a local farmer to set aside a couple dozen eggs and never refrigerate them, then they'll last longer for the camping trip.

In Europe, eggs are on the shelf - as in, not in the fridge.

Once eggs have been refrigerated, they should stay that way. But if they've never been refrigerated, they'll stay fresh - I think a couple weeks? Certainly a week for sure.

If you think about it, eggs are supposed to stay fresh for a while. You have a hen and she'll lay a fertilized egg and it will sit there. A day or two later she lays another. And so on. Then she gets broody and sits on the eggs. That first egg is still "good," it's not rotting yet. When she broods the eggs will be "activated" all at once and start to gestate. Then all chicks will hatch the same day, despite each egg technically being of a different age. Long way of saying that eggs are meant to stay fresh for a while without refrigeration.

[zinemama]

On our second night I tend to make pea soup (in the can from Trader Joe) and pancakes (skip the butter and syrup; eat like biscuits). I mix up the dry ingredients for the pancakes, bring along a couple of eggs (I pack them in a plastic container cushioned with paper towel) and voila. Everyone likes it.

[BreakfastyMichele]

My husband LOVES to take couscous and tomato soup on all camping trips. No refrigeration required.

[Virginia884]

Originally Posted by Oubliette8

Do you have pie irons? I vote for Pudgie Pie Pizzas! two slices of bread, butter sides out in the irons, and fill with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperonis, canned mushrooms etc. Oh wait, you need butter...but cooking spray might work? The bread, unopened tomato sauce, pepperoni etc should be fine for a day without refrigeration.

Seriously, tastiest camping food EVER.

Otherwise, I like Red Beans and Rice on tortillas with cheese.

Pudgie Pies are awesome. Butter should be OK if left somewhere not super hot for a day or two (like in the shade, not in the hot car). Or, if the butter is in tupperware or a glass container it can melt a bit and then you can brush it onto the bread.

The sell pie irons at camping stores (REI, EMS) and even at Target now, I believe.

YUM!

[MariaMadly]

Originally Posted by Plarka

Can you make rice without a stove, with just a pot over fire?

You can go even easier -- there are pre-cooked just heat & eat options in bags or plastic bowls now. I've seen both mainstream and organic.

[Ellen Griswold]

Originally Posted by Virginia884

Pudgie Pies are awesome. Butter should be OK if left somewhere not super hot for a day or two (like in the shade, not in the hot car). Or, if the butter is in tupperware or a glass container it can melt a bit and then you can brush it onto the bread.

The sell pie irons at camping stores (REI, EMS) and even at Target now, I believe.

YUM!

And they make the best desserts too. Pie filling and puddings for the middle.

[Gimme Pineapple]

http://www.tastybite.com/

Those! They are packaged like military food, but they are DELICIOUS.

[ParisApril]

I freeze meals in the week leading up to the camping trip. Pasta frozen solid when you leave would be ready to heat the second night.

I make lots of muffins, granola bars and cookies for camping trips. Easy to grab when the little ones get hungry. Nuts and dried fruit are great too.

[mamadelbosque]

Boxed macaroni & cheese was one of our backpacking staples... steaks on the first night (freeze'm and they dethaw all day long in the backpack - rig a gril w/ sticks over a campfire and poof! Yummy yummy steaks - the baked potato in tin foil was alwaya a nic accompianment :P), mac'n cheese the second

[rhianna813]

We do a 2 night campout with our scout group each year. We do the same meal types each year because they work well.

Dinner 1 is burritoes because the cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, etc are quite perishable. Someone usually brings homemade beans too.

Dinner 2 pasta with spaghetti (packaged) and sauce (in a jar) and the leftover cheese, plus some garlic bread. Most of this non perishable and suitable for vegan/vegetarian. Canned garbanzo beans can add protein too.

Rhianna

[fullofgrace]

Hiya! I've moved this to Nutrition & Eating. I've also found some threads in here and in Meal Planning that may help!

• Camping food (especially no-cook food!)
• Camping Meals
• Campfire Cooking