SC - SC- Best food for War

[Alderton, Philippa]

We've been talking about the best food for War (whichever War), and I've
seen some good suggestions and comments, including Stefan's questions as to
what do you want.

That's really the bottom line-

What Do You Want?

Now in Caer Frig, most of us are experienced campers/warmongers, so we have
a pretty good idea what we're doing. We can come up with something as simple
as a bowl of Ramen noodles, or as complex as you'd care to think of- Duck
Enchiladas, Southern Fried Chicken, the Perpetual Soup Pot, Ras' Testicles,
Stefan's Stock, or whatever. The thing is, Planning!!!!

First, you need to think about what you have to cook on. Is it simply a
campfire (what sort of wood?), a Coleman stove, what is your heat source?

Next, how good are you at cooking on it? Can you simply boil water? Or are
you capable of making a complicated, delicate sauce?

How much room do you have in which to pack food, and have it arrive
relatively intact?

What do you like? What are you willing to tolerate? How much money do you
have? How much time do you have?

We at Caer Frig (now, SPCA) are, as I said, experienced campers. As we've
grown and developed as a camp (admittedly, of Cooks), we're each thinking of
what we can bring to make things easier and more interesting. At the moment,
our big discussions has been about causing our sink to arrive, and working
with more period campfire equipment- some of you need to figure out how to
come up with a convenient, reliable heat source.

So, this is what we have.

A screen tent, for food storage.

Tables, cupboards/shelves, mostly improvised from boxes and crates.

My gas/charcoal grill/smoker/steamer, which can deal with 40 lbs of food.

Assorted Coleman white gas or bottled gas camping stoves.

My smithing experiments.

Coolers- lots of coolers.

Ras' wonderful supply of canned goods.

Dried foods- beans, flour, spices, herbs, baking powder and soda, coffee
(we've been forgetting coffee pots for some reason- this year we'll have 20
;-) tea, chocolate, dried soups, bouillion, ramen noodles.

Fresh produce- whatever is in season and we can get a lot of, cheap, before
we leave home.

Commercially canned stuff- look for sales.

Frozen foods- Margali brought us a bunch of legs of lamb, shrimp, and ducks
this year, last year Ras and I split on a lamb. Frozen stuff will keep for
at least a week, if you have a good cooler, and stay out of it other than to
grab food WHILE you're replenishing the ice.

We charge $10 per person to eat with us- this goes for milk, etc, and
there's another camp fee of $10, which handles firewood, etc.

Different people come in at different times- we just ask that they bring in
fresh meat, and last year, because of the possible drought, bottled water.

If you want to share it, put it in the Cook Tent- otherwise, keep it in your
own tent.

Anyone who's hungry is welcome to cook whatever they want, whenever they
want it- Otherwise, we take turns planning and cooking dinner.

Last year, Margali planned and served dinner for everyone in our camping
block on Land Grab Evening. We also fed the Land Grab Staff. We also fed at
least half of Pennsic throughout the War, and we discovered that No Hungry
Person dislikes quality leftovers.

So, think about what you want to do, and work from there. For some folks, it
may be a better option to buy out, with perhaps some cold cereal or fresh
fruit and instant coffee in camp- for others, pre-packaged, pour into water
and boil type foods might be the best bet, and for others, sharing the work
as we do might be most convenient.

By the way, we're still open to having people from the List join us at
Pennsic this year, as long as you pre-register with us- if you're
interested,let me know. We're particularly interested in giving a home to
new persons at Pennsic, as well as those of you coming from furrin parts.

Altogether now,

"What does Phlip do?"


Phlip

Nolo disputare, volo somniare et contendere, et iterum somniare.

phlip at morganco.net

Philippa Farrour
Caer Frig
Southeastern Ohio

"All things are poisons.  It is simply the dose that distinguishes between a
poison and a remedy." -Paracelsus

"Oats -- a grain which in England sustains the horses, and in
Scotland, the men." -- Johnson

"It was pleasant to me to find that 'oats,' the 'food of horses,' were
so much used as the food of the people in Johnson's own town." --
Boswell

"And where will you find such horses, and such men?" -- Anonymous