Jokingly, I have always said that black people don’t go camping. Why? As a people, we have always struggled in American and know very well how it is to live without running water, sleep outside and other hardships. As a result, the thought of giving up our comfortable living space to voluntarily sleep outside with bugs, bears and snakes, much less on the ground, just does not appeal to us. Now, I know this is a stereotypical response and there are African Americans that enjoy camping but as a general rule, we’ll probably pass on camping. So, for all other ethnicities, if you ask us to go camping and we gaze at you with a puzzled look as if you have six heads. Don’t take it personally, camping is just not something that makes sense to us.
Intrigue
Prior to Memorial Day weekend, I had never been camping. Tee had been telling stories of camping as a child with her family and how that was the most enjoyable time of her life. As I listened, I became curious about this odd ritual. When she put up a tent in the garage to verify it would survive nature, all I could do was look at it as if a spaceship had landed at my house. I enjoy cooking on the grill but sleeping on the ground and fighting bugs did not appeal to me. However, the desire to “get away from it all” coupled with curiosity won and I decided to embark on this adventure.
Pack the Kitchen Sink Too
For those that have never been camping, you need to pack EVERYTHING. From toiletries for showering, shower shoes, pots and pans, cooking utensils, water, drinks, spices, bedding, tent, pillows to ice, entertainment, measuring cups, cast iron dutch ovens, first aid kids, lanterns, cooking stoves and more. I almost felt as if we were moving to another location. And yes, you do need a kitchen sink but this may come in the form of a wash bucket and dish liquid. You don’t want to leave food out because you ARE communing with nature and little critters (squirrels, etc) and bigger critters (bears) want food so don’t leave a trail.
Dutch Ovens
Before we went camping, I spoke to a couple of friends, namely Kathy and Bruce Jacobs. They are wonderfully kind friends that helped the camping clueless. They have a site, namely Outdoor Cook, that is full of recipes for cooking outdoors using cast iron dutch ovens. Note: The ovens with legs are the ones to get as you’ll need to put coals underneath of the oven for cooking. We chose the EB Casserole and The Best Meatloaf Ever for testing and I have to admit, both were surprisingly good. I’m actually looking forward to trying a few more recipes in the back yard since all I need is some coals, ingredients and little bit of time.
If you decide to try outdoor cooking, be sure to get a lidlifter. Once your delicious meal is ready, the dutch oven will be very hot not to mention, it will be covered with hot coals. You’ll need a device to remoe the lid and a safe place to ditch the hot coals. Bruce was quite correct in that his lid lifter, a hand-crafted one is much better than anything I’ve seen in the stores or online that range between $5 – $50. We didn’t buy one as we had and cast iron door opener that came with a fire pit. Last, if you’re truly interested in outdoor cooking, try a few recipes and check out a local IDOS or International Dutch Oven Society. Supposedly, they have these major bakeoffs and interesting recipes for all to try.
Best Campsite Ever
After all my concerns about camping, I did have a good time. The store and bath house at the campsite was perfect. Walking distance to both locations was not far away. I enjoyed taking a break from technology, weeelllll, for the most part I did. I had all these grand plans for reading Pam Slim’s book Escape From Cubicle Nation, polishing my nails and all sorts of stuff. What did I do? I slept most of the time, cooked and played cards. I did begin reading Pam’s book and if you’ve ever, even remotely, thought about being an entrepreneur, this is a must read but I digress. To find the location of the campsite, you must watch the video.
Enjoy and happy (safe) camping and outdoor cooking!!
