Whether its desert glamour camping or subzero firewood gathering, we come prepared. Neither of us made Eagle Scout or anything, we just love to plan. Also, we like to eat a fat-ass variety of complex carbs in the wilderness.
So, on a recent three-day camping trip to Los Padres National Forest — a massive pine sprawl east of Santa Barbara, and 6,500 feet up — Hot Knives put some thought to our humble, nerdy tips for proper campfire cooking. Put simply: sturdy vegetables, beans n’ franks, and sealable containers. If you’re looking for more detail, we made some lists below.
This time out, we fixed 4 or 5 real meals in between hanging with rattlers and scoping a watering hole. Sourdough blueberry griddle cakes and flame-grilled bran muffins ruled mornings with cowboy coffee. Hardy veggies like kale, sweet corn and summer squash traveled well. A 2-pound bag of Jalapeños went along way. We used both the cast iron on the campfire – especially awesome for the pancakes – and a propane camp stove for more delicate stews – summer veg risotto and chile. We even harnessned the sun for a snack (more on that, and full recipes, soon.)
As for packing…We like to have oversized storage bins that we can throw the dinner mess in once the sun sets and the booze kicks in. Next in importance is, of course, knives and a camp stove cooking kit. Also, plenty of towels please. The list goes on. It was only when one of our camping companions scoffed at the spice jar of cumin and fennel seeds we were unloading that we realized we might be over-packers. We still don’t think so. Though overeaters is a different story altogether.
Supplies
- Storage crates with sealable lids
- Clean kitchen towels
- Knives
- Cutting boards
- Plates and utensils
- mugs and cups
- Water (2 gallons for cooking and cleaning)
- Cooler with ice (should fit 4-5 gallons)
- Soup pot
- Sauce pot
- Mixing bowls
- Tupperware
- Cast iron
- Wooden spoon
- Garbage bags
- Coffee percolator
Staples
- Veggie hot dogs
- Jalapeños
- Watermelon
- Pinto beans
- Canned tomatoes
- Kale
- Squash
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Beurre Échiré
- Onions
- Crusty French bread
- Olive oil
- Lemons
- Limes
- Beer
- Sourdough start
- Scotch
- Bourbon
- Tequila
- Chips in a bag with foil coating inside
Can people think of anything we’re missing? Stuff you would bring? And does anyone know where we’re going with that last staple on the list?
I packed some recipes I made from “Lipsmackin’ Vegetarian Backpackin'” on a trip to Death Valley a few weeks ago. We were trying to get away without a cooler, and most of them just required hot or cold water for a decent meal.
Hmmm, color us curious! So what’dya make and what’d ya need to bring?
crank the bowie
should’ve killed the rattler and grilled it–technically still vegetarian if you kill the beast yourself in the wild (especially if destroying the serpent has the added benefit of saving human lives)
also: this video makes it look like you guys did nothing but cook the entire trip, which is amazing (and probably at least partially true!)
Wow I wish I had food that was anywhere near as tasty as this stuff looks when I was camping in Sequoia National Forest last month. I had to survive on canned veggie baked beans and pretty gross Yves veggie dogs. Chili is an awesome idea though, yumm.
barf. FOMO! god, I miss you guys.
We wish we could go camping with you. Love this post. And ditto to what Molly said, we miss you guys. XO
biodegradable dish soap and sponges, if you’re planning on doing dishes!