Hello Friends, In the off season there is still plenty to do, still plenty to learn about, and plenty to prepare for before the upcoming camping season. This is especially true when it comes to the topic of cooking. Being outdoors you always have to be mindful of your surroundings, with the understanding that you share the immediate area with other animals who have senses that greatly surpass your own. As a camper packing light is important, especially when hiking, but keeping smells to a minimum before and after the cooking is done is important as well. Bears in particular love to eat, but eating human food can be particularly dangerous for humans and bears both. The bears can very easily get used to the idea of obtaining human food and in turn they lose a taste, and the drive, to obtain their natural foods. These bears will begin to lose their fear of humans, they will venture into human areas more frequently, even approach humans for their food becoming wildly unpredictable. This can lead to personal injury, death, property damage, it increases the bears chances of being hit by a car, poached, even euthanized… lets face it, those scenarios turn out to be a bad day for everyone.

Here is a really great article, from the National Parks Service, about why you shouldn’t feed bears, aside from the obvious reasons. This article will inform you about what bears consider food, including insect repellent, items used for preparing food, trash, soaps, and other items you typically wouldn’t worry about… We also appreciate this article because even though it is written specifically about bears there are plenty of other animals out there that are hungry. Put simply the ideas shared in this article can be applied to just about any occasion whether you are camping in a secluded forest, or a busy campground. As always it is important to check with the park, that you plan to visit, as they will have the best practices for that area when it comes to storing food. It is also worth mentioning that some parks are very strict about food storage, and fires for that matter, and will fine you, possibly even confiscate your food, gear, etc… if you fail to comply, so please camp responsibly, and camp safe.

That said, there is no better way to spend a lazy afternoon than around an open fire with family and friends, a cool beverage in your hand, and the smell of simmering food in a whirlwind of wood smoke. It has a way of calming our nerves, we philosophize about the future, it evokes memories from our childhood, and humbles our soul. It has a way bringing families, and friends, together, and there are few things better than food cooked over the open fire. Trying to find delicious recipes, on the other hand, while traveling light, and at the same time trying to be environmentally friendly, can prove to be challenging to say the least. With five daughters we know the headaches of traveling light, bringing food that everyone will enjoy, all while trying to keep the environment in mind.

In this section you will find recipes that we have discovered during our travels, even some of our own concoctions, along with tips and tricks to help you organize, plan, and be ready for your next adventure. As always we would love to hear from you in the comment sections so please, come join us in our our kitchen.

-Kimberly and Spencer