Scout Cooking

[Stosh]

Stosh -- If you are ever in Central NJ / Southeast PA, you have an open invitation for dinner from me -- be it on the trail, in base camp or at my house.  If it's at my house, I'll even supply the napkins and silverware.  But be warned -- I may hit you up for your DO cheesecake recepie.

@@Hedgehog hit the search button, I've already let the cat out of the bag...

[DuctTape]

I dont think anyone would claim that backpacking food is equal to plop camping fare. They are two different activities. But "survival food" is the far end of a very wide spectrum of food options. Of course Stosh, you pointed out the precise reason for one to choose backpacking food, it is so one can go on that activity. If one chooses to only plop camp because the entire focus of the experience is the gastro-delight then they might miss out on other things. But just because the food options and cooking times/techniques are slightly more limited doesnt mean the food must be terrible. Regardless of plop camping or backpacking or canoeing, etc... the choice of the activity, destination, food all involve some sacrifice somewhere. But whatever the sacrifice, it doesnt mean it is terrible. There are many plop camping destinations which are quite nice, but would not hold a candle to other destinations which require backpacking to visit. This doesnt mean it is terrible just because something might be better. But if you want to cook in a DO and use certain foods you cannot choose the backpacking destination or other specific adventures. This doesnt make any trip inferior,just different. One chooses the gear, food, etc... to maximize enjoyment for the particular activity and destination.

[Stosh]

@@DuctTape

 

One always needs to do the math....

 

Trail mix weighs more than freeze dried fare.  

 

But a backpack stove weighs some too as does the fuel.  Okay leave them home, forget the freeze dried fare, stick with the trail mix  Oatmeal can be eaten cold, mixed with water and swallowed.  One eats to survive,   A backpacking trek is not a culinary expedition.

 

Nature itself provides plenty of nutritious fare out there that one can gather up and not carry.  Not many people eat dandelion greens at home, but it begs the question why not, it is more nutritious than iceberg lettuce.

 

Maybe I eat only to survive on a backpack trek, but at the end when I'm really tired, my food might be gone, but I'm not still carrying the weight of a stove and fuel containers.  Weight that could have provided me maybe a day or two more on the trail if replaced by food.

 

Sure, along the way every few days at Philmont we were resupplied with food and fuel.  At other places that isn't the case.  You start out with everything you need until you get off the trail.  If Philmont resupplied every 3 days, that meant that one was really taking only a series of weekend outings.  Might as well save the boots, plop down and eat like a king.  If one wishes 9 days in the Yellowstone back country, one better rethink the process.

[DuctTape]

Definitely need to do the math. I think we agree on most things. My last two longer treks this past summer were both 10 days with no resupply. One was canoeing without any portages (Lake Superior) the other was a 135 mile backpack (Adirondack Mtns). Last weekend I did a 2 night plop camp. Different gear and food for all 3 trips. All were great experiences which I wouldnt trade one for the other.

[Stosh]

Canoeing without portages?  That can be a culinary trek.    That I would take my aluminum DO and have a blast.  I have a 17' canoe that can haul 750#'s.  That's a lot of goodies.  Toss a line out back and there's no reason one wouldn't have a feast that evening.  

 

One has to be able to teach the boys all the different experiences from fine-dining plop camping all the way to survival death march with fantastic overviews and vistas.  I have been to BWCA on portages that are on the map, but have grown shut that in late August they can't be found and had to cut our way through brush to get to the next lake..  You know you are probably the first person that season to be in this part of the park.  That's a good place to be.

 

I never said we disagreed, @@DuctTape, I just use more realistic terminology when it comes to explaining the different treks....and I would rather miss a meal than eat some of that freeze-dried junk they over price and sell at the big box sporting goods stores.

[DuctTape]

We did eat extremely well. Due to mileage per day, we couldnt spend a lot of time cooking, so meals needed to be that which wouldnt take extremely long.

 

I too use specific language, and there is at least one place where we appear to disagree even though I have tried to address it. That being the insistence that freeze dried junk is the only option when backpacking. I may not eat as well on my backpacking trips as I do on other trips, but it doesnt mean I use prepackaged freee dried stuff. There exists a continuum of food options with the freeze dried at the extreme.

[ianwilkins]

Can I just say, over here in the UK, plop means something else*, so your mentions of plop camps has been amusing me since I first saw them mentioned in this thread. Thanks for cheering me up!

 

* let's just say a bodily product that rhymes with "hit".

 

Ian

[DuctTape]

I missed your line about tossing a line. We did, and ate lake trout every day.

[Stosh]

We did eat extremely well. Due to mileage per day, we couldnt spend a lot of time cooking, so meals needed to be that which wouldnt take extremely long.

 

I too use specific language, and there is at least one place where we appear to disagree even though I have tried to address it. That being the insistence that freeze dried junk is the only option when backpacking. I may not eat as well on my backpacking trips as I do on other trips, but it doesnt mean I use prepackaged freee dried stuff. There exists a continuum of food options with the freeze dried at the extreme.

 

My problem is my boys get all excited about the marketing packages of the freeze dried "food" and want that.  I ALWAY repackage proportioned, regular food, i.e. rice, noodles, pudding, pancakes, etc. in zip lock, mark them up and eat often times what I would normally eat anyway.  Even then, when backpacking the really long distances, I do rely on foraging to supplement the food.  I remember going to Canada fishing with the buddies and only took rice and oil.  We ate like kings!  As you can attest, frying up lake trout doesn't take very long at all.   Minute Rice is really about 5 minutes...    

[Stosh]

Can I just say, over here in the UK, plop means something else*, so your mentions of plop camps has been amusing me since I first saw them mentioned in this thread. Thanks for cheering me up!

 

* let's just say a bodily product that rhymes with "hit".

 

Ian

 

For all you Brits, we'll try to use the term GLAMPING instead.  

 

Full Definition of PLOP

intransitive verb

1:  to fall, drop, or move suddenly with a sound like that of something dropping into water

2:  to allow the body to drop heavily —usually used with down <plopped down on the couch>

transitive verb

1:  to set, drop, or throw heavily

2:  to place or set carelessly or hastily <plopped the money into stocks>

— plop noun

 

We use the term to plop down in one spot for the camping with the expectation that extra gear is available from the nearby trailer and/or mothership.  

 

Otherwise, there's no way for anyone to understand on the forum all the alternative slang uses of certain words, (wink, wink) "if ya' know what I mean."

[Eagledad]

Can I just say, over here in the UK, plop means something else*, so your mentions of plop camps has been amusing me since I first saw them mentioned in this thread. Thanks for cheering me up!

 

* let's just say a bodily product that rhymes with "hit".

 

Ian

Oh I know what you mean, many of the over use small camp sites in the Northern Tier area are best described as plop camps. 

 

Barry

[DuctTape]

My problem is my boys get all excited about the marketing packages of the freeze dried "food" and want that.  I ALWAY repackage proportioned, regular food, i.e. rice, noodles, pudding, pancakes, etc. in zip lock, mark them up and eat often times what I would normally eat anyway.  Even then, when backpacking the really long distances, I do rely on foraging to supplement the food.  I remember going to Canada fishing with the buddies and only took rice and oil.  We ate like kings!  As you can attest, frying up lake trout doesn't take very long at all.   Minute Rice is really about 5 minutes...  

 

Agreed. Sometimes we grill the fish to mix it up.

[ianwilkins]

Not sure I'd ever describe a scout camp as glamping! Though I'm sure that BP fellow had something to say on the subject, was it "any fool can be uncomfortable on camp"? Or "and fool can camp in good weather"?

 

Oh, apparently the first has origins in the military, ends "in the field", the second...pass.

[ianwilkins]

Oh I know what you mean, many of the over use small camp sites in the Northern Tier area are best described as plop camps. 

 

Barry

 

And yes, I've had a few plop camps in my time.

[blw2]

......

I think the cooking merit badge got it right -- home cooking is different than outdoor cooking which is different that cooking on a hike or trek.

 

Except I wasn't commenting on the MB.... I'm thinking more about the normal routine.

An occasional plop camp or DO is great in my opinion... but it can be such a big production....

But again, this is just all my opinion and preference..... not necessarily what any given patrol wants to do....

 

I enjoyed your links on baking ideas by the way!  I think I'll try some of those in my jetboil some day!