Camping:

Tips
& Traps		 Getting
Ready		 Eating Out
(recipes & more)		 Activities

 
Eating Out:

Cooking Methods:

1. Cooking on a wood fire
 
2. Using charcoal
 
3. "Buddy Burners"
 
4. Camp (fuel) stoves

Basic cooking supplies and preparations:

The supplies that you need for cooking will vary depending on your method of cooking. Here is a basic list that covers most situations.

  1. Pots, pans, lids, roasting forks for cooking food

  2. Container for boiling water

  3. Flippers, turning forks and stirring spoons

  4. Pot holders for moving hot pots

  5. Cutting board, knives

  6. Measuring cups and spoons

  7. Mixing bowls

  8. Spoons, whisks and spatula if needed

  9. Serving platters and utensils

  10. Plate, bowl, cup, fork, knife and spoon for each person

  11. Food covers for platters (optional, but nice to keep bugs off!)

  12. Cleaning supplies (see list below)

Also, regardless of how you are cooking you will need:

  1. Safety equipment (bucket of water, baking soda, and/or a portable fire extinguisher).

  2. Matches

  3. First aid kit

Make sure to review the appropriate parts of the Girl Scout Safety-Wise book.

Planning meals / Division of labor:

Girl Scouts of all age levels can be expected to help, within their abilities, in meal planning, preparation, cooking and cleaning. Depending on the size of the troop, decisions can be made as a whole or by subcommittees.

Example: A troop of 12 Junior Girl Scouts is planning an overnight camping trip during which they will have lunch and supper the first day and breakfast the second day. The 12 girls divide into 3 patrols, "red", "blue" and "yellow." Each patrol is assigned one duty per meal: build and start the fire, food preparation and cooking, or cleaning and washing up.

Meal Fire Cooking Cleanup
Lunch red blue yellow
Supper yellow red blue
Breakfast blue yellow red

At the troop meeting prior to the campout, each patrol decides what food they will serve for their designated meal, the ingredients necessary to prepare that meal, the quantity of food needed to feed the troop and the cooking implements needed to prepare and serve the food. The Leader helps and makes suggestions. If time allows, the girls  - or one member of each patrol - should accompany the leader to the grocery store to purchase the required items.

Brownies can help decide what to have at each meal, either planning the menu from scratch or by selecting from choices made by the Leader. Brownies can wash their own eating dishes and hang them to dry and can help gather tinder and kindling for fires.

Cleaning up:

You will need:

Place the tubs in a row. Fill the first with cold water. This is the FIRST RINSE tub. After scrapping the plates, wash off any remaining loose food in this tub.

Put hot water and some dishwashing liquid in the second tub. This is your WASH tub. An adult should make sure that the temperature is appropriate and will not hurt the girls.

Put hot water and a small amount of bleach in the third tub. This is for DISINFECTING the dishes and helps remove the soap.

The last tub is for the FINAL RINSING of the cleaned dishes. After the dishes are washed, girls should place their personal eating items in an air bag and hang it from a suspended line to dry. (The line is typically strung between two trees but in a pinch you could hang it between two picnic tables.) The designated cleaning crew can then wash up and dry the dishes used for food preparation, cooking and serving.

Tip: If you used a fire for cooking, use some of the dishwater for putting it out but remember to sprinkle water on the fire a bit at a time to prevent large clouds of smokey steam from suddenly rising into your face!