Go Camping – Life’s An Adventure

As a child, I did a lot of primitive camping all over the United States. Everyone in the family shared the tasks that were involved in this activity. This included setting up the campsite, creating the bathroom area and the cooking. But as a child and even now, one of my challenges when it comes to camping is the cooking. I love to spend my days hiking, fishing and just spending time with nature instead of tolling over the campfire.

I will admit I have gone the route of the instant noodles to prevent me from having to “cook” but my great grandmother showed me a really great way of cooking while I was away enjoying nature’s entertainment. At this point, you may be wondering what this magical technique is and the answer is “The Old-Fashioned Bean Hole.”

A bean hole consists of a pit where a pot is place among coals and then the pot is buried. This approach acts like an oven, result is similar to what you get when cooking your instant pot white rice, and anything in the pot will be baked. Pretty simple. But before you jump for joy, keep in mind that a little work is involved in creating a bean hole.

Digging the Bean Hole

The bean hole needs to be dug so that it is twice as deep as the Dutch oven and one foot in diameter larger. Once the hole has been dug, place a few rocks or chain in the bottom of the hole. Place hardwood in the hole, light it, and burn it down until the hole is three-fourths full of hot coals.

Preparing the Beans

Ingredients

10-cups dried great Northern or yellow-eyed beans
1 pound salt pork or cooked sausage, crumbled or cut into strips
2 large white onions, chopped
2 ½ cups of molasses
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons dry mustard, flavor of your choice
½ butter

Dried beans will need to be presoaked before cooking. Precook the beans while the hardwood is burning or the night before you plan to use the bean hole. In this technique the beans will only need to cook 30 minutes at a hard boil. Drain once the beans have cooked.

Next, take a Dutch oven and place salt pork or cooked sausage in the bottom. On top of this layer, place chopped onions and then add beans. Pour molasses on top and season with black pepper and dried mustard. Cut up butter and place on top. Once this is done add enough hot water to the pot to cover the beans by one inch. Place a layer of aluminum foil on the top of the pot and then cover with the lid.

Move the Dutch oven over to the bean hole and remove one third of the coals from the hole. After that is done, put the pot of beans in the hole and place the removed coals around the pot and on top of it. Fill in the hole with the removed soil.

After the hole has been filled in, let the beans cook for at least eight hours. This spare time is long enough to enjoy a day hike, fishing or just relaxing without having to worry about cooking.

So get out of the camp kitchen and enjoy the great outdoors with the help of the good old-fashion bean hole.

Some people prefer camping out in the fall or winter for many great reasons. A few of these include, cooler weather and less pests to worry about. One thing to remember, though, is keeping warm, especially at night. One of the best ways to do this is to prepare yourself a nice hot meal. Below you will find a good selection of hearty, warming meals, you are sure to enjoy. Remember; for easier preparation, do as much chopping, measuring and mixing as possible ahead of time.

Hearty Veggie and Bean Soup
1/2 C. split peas
1 C. instant rice
1 C. dried veggies
(try mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes)
3 T. butter
1 pouch chicken breast
1 packet Knorr soup mix
1 cube chicken bouillon
Loaf of bread
1. Soak the peas in hot water for 45 minutes.
2. Add dried veggies, soup mix, and bouillon to one liter of water, and bring to a boil. Add peas and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice and chicken; when rice is cooked, swirl in the butter. Enjoy with bread. Serves 3.
Tips: You can pre-soak and cook the peas and rice at home for easier preparation at the campsite.

Abominable Snowman
1 packet instant hot chocolate mix
2 T. powdered milk
Pat of butter
1 T. brown sugar
1 shot tequila
Place hot chocolate and powdered milk in a mug. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and tequila.

Instant Rice Pudding.
At home, fill a resealable bag with:
1 cup of instant rice
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
Later, in a kettle over the campfire, add 1-1/2 cups water to this mix and bring it to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Then I remove it from the fire, cover and let it stand, stirring occasionally.

Cocoa Concoction
For a tasty mix that will make 26 cups of cocoa combine:
3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup powdered nondairy creamer
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sift ingredients or pulse in a blender. Store in a resealable bag. To make cocoa, stir 1-1/2 tablespoons of cocoa mix into 6 ounces of boiling water.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler
1 Box White Cake Mix
1 Twelve Ounce Can of 7-Up
1/2 Cup of Sugar
8 Peaches
Peel and quarter your peaches. Place them in the dutch oven. Sprinkle your sugar on top of the peaches. In a separate bowl mix the white cake mix and your can of 7-Up. The mixture will be lumpy. Pour the cake mixture on top pf the peaches. Put lid on your dutch oven.
Place dutch oven on top of about 20 coals and place about 10 on top. Depending upon the heat of your coals it will take about 15-20 minutes but check occasionally to see if the cake is a golden brown. Serve Hot.

Another thing to keep in mind while camping in the cooler weather would be to bring a lot of ready-to-eat snacks with you on your trip to munch on hourly, or so, to keep yourself warm and energized. That, mixed with these nice, hot meals will do the trick and keep your camping experience warm and cozy.

Sometimes you can get tired of the same old camping meals. Sandwiches and chips can become pretty boring and take away from your camping experience. If you are looking to spice things up, please check out these great recipes you wouldn’t expect to find around a campfire.

Dancing Chickens on the Grill

2 whole chickens(no more that 4 lbs. each)

Salad oil dressing

Basting Sauce(garlic butter and soy sauce)

2 cans of beer(or water, half filled)

1 cut up onion(optional)

Salt and pepper

Stuff the chickens with the onions. Coat the chickens well with the salad oil dressing. Set the opening of the chicken on to the half can of beer to where it is sitting up right on the can. Add salt and pepper to the outside of the chicken. Set them upright on the grill on the opposite side of the charcoal. Cook at 350*F. After about an hour, baste well with sauce. After another hour, turn the chickens around to where they brown evenly and baste again. Chicken is done when a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 185*F(another 30 minutes to an hour). Remove the cans, cut up and enjoy!

Texas Chili on the Grill

2 lbs. of ground chuck

2 onions(chopped)

2 cloves of garlic(chopped)

1 lb. of already prepared brisket(chopped)

2 c. bbq sauce(or tomato sauce)

1 can of beer

1 tbs chili powder

1/2 tbs ground cumin

2-3 tbs paprika

1/4 c brown sugar.

Hickory logs

Prepare your grill with the charcoal on one side so you can determine how much heat you want. Brown hamburger on cast iron skillet on grill. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened. Transfer mix to a large pot on the grill and add brisket. Add bbq sauce or tomato sauce and beer for moisture(or water). Add chili powder, cumin and paprika. Stir well. Add brown sugar. Move the pot on opposite side of grill as the charcoal. Add the hickory to your coals to produce the smoky flavor. Cover your grill and cook about 45 minutes to an hour.

Optional Additions

Corn chips or monterrey jack cheese

Dutch Oven Fruit Cobbler

1 (30 oz.) can fruit cocktail
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 (30 oz.) can sliced peaches
1 yellow or lemon cake mix; dry
1 (12 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup instant tapioca
1/4 lb. butter; cut into pieces
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Into a 12? Dutch oven add canned fruit (juice included), tapioca, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to mix. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over top of fruit. Sprinkle brown sugar over top of cake mix. Dab butter all over top of brown sugar. Place lid on oven.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour using 12 briquettes top and 12 briquettes bottom heat. Cobbler is done when top is brown and cake has absorbed fruit juices and is no longer dry.