[Sca-cooks] Question about Camp Food

[UlfR]

Sue Clemenger <mooncat at in-tch.com> [2003.01.17] wrote:
> At our next A&S night, our barony will be discussing simple camp
> foods--foods that are do-able without a lot of fancy equipment, or
> spending all day over a stove, etc.

Almost anyting out of the early corpus (i.e  the Brown Goo) is doable in
camp. I then generally spend 1-2 hours on a dinner for 6-10 people,
which I feel is ok. A typial dinner then is something lika bukkenade,
mawmenny, egredouncye, saumon gentil, or chykens in hocche. To that
bread, rice or frumenty. Basically look at the recipe, and if no oven
is required you can do it in camp. With one exception; I do not do deep
frying over open fires if I can avoid it.

We usually have breakfast with porridge of some sort (barley is
prefered), bread, cheese, hot water (the use of which I do not ask,
since I am a purist), a simple lunch (caboches in potage, sawgete, rapes
in potage, etc), and a more elaborate dinner (see above).

One night on the big camping event (Knackebrod/Double wars) is "Health
food night" (so named since creme boylede is traditional; what's wrong
with starting with 1-2 litres of heavy cream?) when we invite a bunch of
nice people and feed them lots of good food.

I tend to pack the following kitchen kit (apart from washing up,
storage, etc):

    pots (3 pots of different sizes)
    viking style skillet (mostly for bread)
    collander
    grater
    cutting boards
    knives
    mortar and pestle
    wooden spoons and a couple of cups
    some extra wooden bowls
    a half dozen cookbooks (the originals)

My kitchen setup is an oval firepit, with two tripods (app. 4' high) and
a horizontal rod between them over the fire. Then I have an adjustable
pothook for each pot. Since I usually can pick -- or send out foragers
for -- firewood near the campsites I tend to use an axe and a small saw
(mostly for safety and convenience: the saw isn't really period for such
tasks). The wood we gather is mostly small stuff, branches and such with
diameters from 1/4" to 5", even if I remember fondly when they came back
with a long dead but standing small pine.  That stuff *burns*!

My "household" has over the years worked out a good way to organize
things. I cook most of the time (one other member does some of the
cooking as well), and the others keep the water containers filled, the
woodpile in shape, and wash up (in the hot water I heat while we
eat). We've talked about having a rota for the chores, but since it just
works and everyone is happy...?

We mostly build our own washup station, with two sinks (and a dishrack
that at least looks perioid; sticks and twine and an ex-navy/scout)
since the communal stuff can get quite special, and we prefer to keep a
strict "no food poisoning" policy. If no one specifically forbids it we
also dig a waste pit.

The "deal" is that they get three hot meals a day (we probably eat
better -- and cheaper -- than any other group around), I get to Cook!
Period Food! Over an open Fire! (yes, you can hear the exclamation marks
when I talk about it), and I will not get grumpy over having to start a
meal with gathering firewood, fetching water and then washing up stuff
so that I have something to cook in.

UlfR

P.S. Mem, do you want "Cooking Period Food in Camp Over an Open Fire"
for Serve it Forth?

--
UlfR                                             par at hunter-gatherer.org
I wake up each morning determined to change the World...
and also to have one hell of a good time.
Sometimes that makes planning the day a little difficult.   -- E.B. White