Welcome back to the kitchen. If you look around, you may notice something different...namely, no solid walls or roof, and we have a campfire nearby. Oh, that's right...we're in camp this time.
Cooking from a camp kitchen doesn't mean we can't still go medieval on our menus. In some ways, medieval recipes are more suited to camping than some modern foods. I will admit that I still have and use a propane stove for camping while I'm waiting for my craticula (roman camp-stove) to arrive, but the recipes I tend to use for camping translate just as well to an open fire or cook-box with a grill. Yes, I also still use a modern cooler to keep things cold, but I'll probably work toward more period methods of refrigeration eventually, as well.
Just like for a feast, preparation is key. Personally, I find it much easier, and safer, to do a lot of the cooking ahead of time so I just need to reheat and/or finish things off. This keeps me from having too much raw meat in my cooler, and I don't worry so much about food poisoning that can happen if meat gets too warm, or leaks in the cooler. Even better, if you have a multi-day event and can freeze the food that you want for the last few days, those foods work to keep your other food cold without the need for as much excess ice.
Years ago, fairly early in my SCA career, I cooked for a household at events. The numbers for each event varied from 15-40 people in our encampment, but averaged around 20. We learned that it was less expensive for everyone to pay a little towards food so I could buy in bulk, and I learned to plan and cook for larger groups. As a household, we also learned the difference that a well balanced menu could make to the event.To begin with, I cooked mostly mundane food, but over time I learned to cook period recipes instead. After cooking for events in Insulae Draconis, I've now had much more practice at being able to plan a period menu that is suited for a camp kitchen.
Even if you're cooking for a small group or family, most of the same considerations apply that you need to think about when you're cooking for a whole event. While camping, this can be especially important. Make sure all your dietary needs are met, and everyone will have a much better time.
Is the weather hot? Make sure people are eating enough salt and getting enough fluid. Also, hot weather means you won't want to cook much over a fire, and often hot food doesn't sound appealing in the heat, so maybe you can make thinks that can be served cold.
Is the weather likely to be cold/wet? Hot food can make all the difference, and having something that's easy to heat up whenever it's needed helps, too.
So, here are some basic concepts that I've picked up over the years that apply especially well to a camp kitchen:
1) Have easy food available on set-up night. Generally, this translates to pre-cooked stew/soup that can be reheated as soon as I have the heat available to cook it. Even if we've eaten on the way to site, the energy expended in setting up camp means we generally need to have food available. This is a basic traveller's fare, and is best as something that can be kept hot or easily reheated if you have people arriving late into the night.
2) Breakfast is important! While you may think you can skip it, it's really better not to. For hot events, this is actually a good place to start with making sure you have some salt for the day. Bacon is a wonderful thing, and eggs are easy to cook in camp. That's a great start for protein, and bread or porridge will get you some carbs for energy. Don't forget your water, too...hydration is always a good thing.
3) Lunch - make sure there is some available, and make sure everyone in your camp eats. It's easy to forget at a busy event, but lunch can be something easy to carry around with you. I generally try to have bread/meat/cheese/fruit available for lunch, but something fun like cold salmon or meatballs can be a nice change. If it's a cold weather event, soup that has been pre-cooked and just needs to be reheated (or the leftovers of your traveller's fare) is a welcome addition.
4) Dinners - Not nearly as involved as a feast, but should be just as balanced. Generally, there should be a meat and a starch at a minimum, and if you can manage vegetables that's even better. As I said earlier, meat can be cooked ahead of time and reheated. Depending on your starch, it can be too. Grains, such as a barley pilaf, can be cooked at home, frozen, and heated with a little water to be as good as if you cooked it fresh on site.
I should be writing more on camp cooking in the next month or so, after Pensic. In the meantime, an example of a camp menu can be found here.
Cooking from a camp kitchen doesn't mean we can't still go medieval on our menus. In some ways, medieval recipes are more suited to camping than some modern foods. I will admit that I still have and use a propane stove for camping while I'm waiting for my craticula (roman camp-stove) to arrive, but the recipes I tend to use for camping translate just as well to an open fire or cook-box with a grill. Yes, I also still use a modern cooler to keep things cold, but I'll probably work toward more period methods of refrigeration eventually, as well.
Just like for a feast, preparation is key. Personally, I find it much easier, and safer, to do a lot of the cooking ahead of time so I just need to reheat and/or finish things off. This keeps me from having too much raw meat in my cooler, and I don't worry so much about food poisoning that can happen if meat gets too warm, or leaks in the cooler. Even better, if you have a multi-day event and can freeze the food that you want for the last few days, those foods work to keep your other food cold without the need for as much excess ice.
Years ago, fairly early in my SCA career, I cooked for a household at events. The numbers for each event varied from 15-40 people in our encampment, but averaged around 20. We learned that it was less expensive for everyone to pay a little towards food so I could buy in bulk, and I learned to plan and cook for larger groups. As a household, we also learned the difference that a well balanced menu could make to the event.To begin with, I cooked mostly mundane food, but over time I learned to cook period recipes instead. After cooking for events in Insulae Draconis, I've now had much more practice at being able to plan a period menu that is suited for a camp kitchen.
Even if you're cooking for a small group or family, most of the same considerations apply that you need to think about when you're cooking for a whole event. While camping, this can be especially important. Make sure all your dietary needs are met, and everyone will have a much better time.
Is the weather hot? Make sure people are eating enough salt and getting enough fluid. Also, hot weather means you won't want to cook much over a fire, and often hot food doesn't sound appealing in the heat, so maybe you can make thinks that can be served cold.
Is the weather likely to be cold/wet? Hot food can make all the difference, and having something that's easy to heat up whenever it's needed helps, too.
So, here are some basic concepts that I've picked up over the years that apply especially well to a camp kitchen:
1) Have easy food available on set-up night. Generally, this translates to pre-cooked stew/soup that can be reheated as soon as I have the heat available to cook it. Even if we've eaten on the way to site, the energy expended in setting up camp means we generally need to have food available. This is a basic traveller's fare, and is best as something that can be kept hot or easily reheated if you have people arriving late into the night.
2) Breakfast is important! While you may think you can skip it, it's really better not to. For hot events, this is actually a good place to start with making sure you have some salt for the day. Bacon is a wonderful thing, and eggs are easy to cook in camp. That's a great start for protein, and bread or porridge will get you some carbs for energy. Don't forget your water, too...hydration is always a good thing.
3) Lunch - make sure there is some available, and make sure everyone in your camp eats. It's easy to forget at a busy event, but lunch can be something easy to carry around with you. I generally try to have bread/meat/cheese/fruit available for lunch, but something fun like cold salmon or meatballs can be a nice change. If it's a cold weather event, soup that has been pre-cooked and just needs to be reheated (or the leftovers of your traveller's fare) is a welcome addition.
4) Dinners - Not nearly as involved as a feast, but should be just as balanced. Generally, there should be a meat and a starch at a minimum, and if you can manage vegetables that's even better. As I said earlier, meat can be cooked ahead of time and reheated. Depending on your starch, it can be too. Grains, such as a barley pilaf, can be cooked at home, frozen, and heated with a little water to be as good as if you cooked it fresh on site.
I should be writing more on camp cooking in the next month or so, after Pensic. In the meantime, an example of a camp menu can be found here.
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