CAMPING MEALS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 78, 24 December 1937, Page 9

CAMPING MEALS

Plan in Advance to Avoid Monotony A SUGGESTED MENU (Extract from the Otago Automobile Association Year Boolc 1935-36). To plan the meals in advance when going camping is highly desirable as it avoids monotony and ensures that all stores needed will be available for tha dishes which are to be cooked. On the other hand, in view of the uncertainty as to weather, and as to supply to fresh food, it may at first appear to be a time that, owing to unforseen circumstances, the whole of the plan may need to be dropped. Even under these circumstances, the planned menu is a great help, as it can be rearranged and the meals changed over, or one dish substituted for another as need arises. The following menu is planned for a summer camping party which moves every day, not less often than every second day, it able to buy fresh meat, etc. To be on the safe side, it carries emergency rations of tinned milk, fruit, etc. The mid-day meal does not involve cooking or much washing up. No allowance is made for fish that might be caught to make a welcome addition to the diet. Dried fruits, when used, should be soaked overnight. Fresh fruit should be used as often as pos- ! sible, especially for lunch. No travei- | ling on Sunday.- With these words of I explanation, I now give you a sampic menu: — A WEEK'S MENU Monday Morning: Stewed apricots, shredded ! "wheat, milk, cocoa or coffee. ! Noon: Cold corned beef, bread, ( tomatoes. I Night: Pressed beef, cabbage, ! potatoes, pie. Tuesday. Morning: Bacon and fried potatoe% ' tea. Noon: Cold left-over meat, salad. Night: Stew and dumplings, beans, junket and peaches (dried). Wednesday Morning: Prunes, shredded wheat, cocoa. Noon: Creamed salmon or salmon Mayonnaise, tomatoes and bread, dates. Night: Irish stew, (chops, tomatoes, carrots, onions), choc. blancmange and fruit. Thursday Morning: Pancakes. Noon: Tinned tongues, cucumber. Night: Sausages, potatoes, cabbage, fruit sago. ' Friday Morning: Tomato and bacon, tea, toast. Noon: Hard boiled eggs and cheese, salad. Night: Curried vegetables and rice or' stewed rabbit, vegetables, boiled pudding. Saturday Morning: Serambled eggs. Noon: Tomatoes and spaghetti on toast, dates. ' Night: Mince, Greens, potatoes, dumplings and syrup. Sunday Morning: Ehubarb and "" shredded wheat. Noon: Bacon and eggs, (no travelling to-day). Night: Hot corned beef and carrot, potatoes and vegetables, jelly and fruit salad. As soon as she has drawn up her menu, the mother of the party makes' outherlists: — (1) Foods to be prepared well in advance (a week or more). (2) Foods to be cooked just before leaving. (3) Stores to be packed. (4) Stores to be brought fresh. 1) Foods to be prepared well in advance: Unless the family consists of experienced campers, the first few days are apt to present culinary problems, hence it is as well to stock up the moving larder with ready cooked foods. Also one gets ravenous after outdoor exercise all day$ "pieces" and "stop gaps" are always in demand, so a plain "cut.and come again" cakd is useful (2) Foods to be cooked just before biseuits such as "parkin" and cookies. Hence I would suggest the following:-— (a) A large plain fruit cake. (b) Several plum puddings — cooked so that they only Tequire half an hour to finish them. (c) Some tins of biseuits, cookies, etc. (d) Some fudge or other plain toffee. (e) Home-made cordial. (2) Foods to be cooked just before leaving: — (a) A large mason jar of salad dressing. (b) One or more double crusted pies with bacon and egg or fruit square fillings. (c) A round of corned beef or some pressed beef or brawn, Aberdeen sausage or ham. (3) Stores to be packed and Teplenished as used: — Flour, cornflour, sago, rice, sugar, cocoa or preparatory drink, coffee, tea, condensed milk, goiden syrup, dates, raisins, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, eurry powder, baking powder, rennet, gelatine, bacon, dried peaches, dried prunes, dried apricots, potatoes, onions, carrots, shredded wheat, kornies, wheeties, cheese, marmite, jam, honey, tinned salmon, sardines, meat, fruit, (peaches, pineapple, ' etc.). (4) Stores to be brought fresh:-— Butter, bread, meat, milk, tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables, fish eggs. Recipes: — Boiled salad dressing, cabbage salad, ham and egg pie, fruit square filling, stew and dumplings, dumplings, stewed rabbit, Aberdeen sausage, fruit or lemon sago, curried vegetables, parkin, treasure trove, creamed salmon, vegetable liash, fish chowder. Althougli space does not permit of my going into the matter of equipment I would like to draw attention to one of the biggest godsends to habitual campers — the fireless cooker or hay box. One of these can be quite easily homemade to fit on to the running board of the car. Working on the principle of: insulation, like » thermos ilaak* i| can,

be used to keep things either hot or] cold. For instance a stew can be sim-| mered for say three-quarters of an hour before the morning start, popped into the fireless cooker, and emerge at lunch time, completely cooked and still hot; or butter jelly, (in a mason jar or covered basin) after being cooled in ruri-, uing water or shade all night, can be E»ut into the "cooker" which would have been left open in the shade overnight to cool thoroughly, and kept cool md firm even on the hottest day. For jooking things such as porridge during the night, it is also ideal.