Camping without
meat doesn’t have to be all that different than camping as an omnivore. It can
be as easy or as difficult as one wants to make it. I have survived car trip
and weekend camping road trip with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon to supplement
the limitations. It’s possible to spend a weekend on peanut butter, bread,
fresh fruit, assorted nuts and granola and other non-cooked foods. That’s not
typically how I camp.
To keep things easy, I tend to
plan my meals and menu around what the rest of the family is having, making substitutions
and variations as needed. I want to spend as much time enjoying the water, the
beach, the trails, and the people and not the whole weekend chopping, prepping,
and cooking. A lot of the things they
eat, I eat, with once big exception. Corn on the cob grilled in the husk over
and open fire continues to be a family favorite all summer long, as are foil
wrapped baked potatoes topped however you like (white or sweet). The omnivores
and me, have learned to co-exist while spending time together in the great
outdoors.
1.
First thing is first – take and make things you like. Don’t worry about who suggested what
or what some book suggested. If you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to want
it. Look at your favorite standbys or the things you grew up knowing and can be
adapted. Baked sweet potatoes are great and full of nutrients, but if you don’t
like sweet potatoes, don’t bother. Oatmeal is great in the morning, but only if
you actually like oatmeal. Hot dogs are iconic camp food, but I didn’t eat hot
dogs when I ate meat, and I don’t like the texture of the veggie dogs now. They
don’t make their way into my cooler because I’m not going to eat them. If you don’t like it, you won’t eat it.
2.
Keep it
simple. I don’t want to spend the whole weekend hunched over a fire,
especially if it’s hot. This is a great time to pull of packaged veggie burgers,
brats, or dogs. Supplement with easy vegetables cooked on skewers, in foil
packets, or in pans as well as premade salads (I often take a premade pasta
salad made at home) and fresh fruits and veggies. Planning my menu with the
menu my brother and mother makes means I don’t have to do all the cooking for
myself and we can cook somethings together. Foil packets are easy to make adding
everything together, closing, and cooking in hot coals or on a grate over the
fire. I try to cut up as much as possible before hand so cut down on prep time
by the fire. Peppers and onions are almost always chopped up ahead of time and
placed in containers that fit easily into the cooler. My brother eases up
desserts and sweet tooth by baking ahead of time easy to grab cookies and
treats like cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and muffins. Days when the afternoons
are hot and I don’t feel like cooking, I’ll grab premade pasta salad from
cooler, make a sandwich, or snack on raw fruits and veggies. Vegan jerky,
hummus, and granola bars are great additions for snack or to supplement meals.
3.
Don’t stress
over the little things. Even the best laid plans get waylaid. It’s not the end
of the world. Things happen. The fire takes forever takes forever to get hot
enough to cook or rain breaks out or something burns. Adapt, move on, and don’t
let it ruin the whole trip. I don’t always eat everything I pack and sometimes,
my intention to make something is replaced by spending extra time in kayak or taking
a nap after spending the morning on the beach. It’s okay to not follow the menu
perfectly. If you forget a pan, it’s okay. Use foil or make a new plan.
4.
Treat
yourself. You haven’t had a s’more since you were a kid? Grab some vegan
marshmallows to roast over the fire (heavenly childhood memories when I found
those) or use banana pieces in place of them. It’s okay to throw pita chips or
pretzels into the basket to go with your hummus and veggies. Camping is about
enjoying nature and each other, not about judgement for yourself or others.
5.
Plan
ahead to make sure you have the things you need and want. How long are you
going to be there? How many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners? Keep it simple on
the days you set up camp and pack up camp. After setting up tents and unloading
firewood, the first night is often simple or premade – my brothers favor pizza from
a local shop. (Plus, it’s not uncommon for the camp grounds we stay at to have
BINGO that night, and they don’t want to miss that.) The day we pack up and
leave often consists of a breakfast of foil packets or muffins, lunch, if we
are still there similar. We tend to avoid heating up any pans or pie irons the
last day so not having to wait for them to cool before they can be safely
packed away. We also plan for different things that might be going on during
the weekend, especially holiday weekends where they may be fireworks or
something going on.
Like everyone, I have
my stand-bys. Tofurky brand brats hold up to the heat of cooking well and can
be topped with fire cooked veggies and sauce (BBQ is my preference) or chopped
up in a foil packet. Throughout the summer, fresh corn on the cob is soaked in
water and cooked directly over flames. We keep it warm in an extra cooler while
the rest of the meal is cooked. Potatoes wrapped in foil are a meal or side anytime
of the year, and can be topped to everyone’s preference. Pie irons are filled
with pizza fillings or peanut butter as snack or meal. For chili trips I often
make vegan chili or mushroom vegetable stew that warms a person body and soul,
and perfect to eat by a campfire. Foil packets continue to be a standby for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner filled pretty much whatever you like. For dinner
or lunch packets I often fill with potatoes, mushrooms, various veggies,
sometimes cut up veggie sausage or beefless tips, using a hard cider with spices
or olive oil. I like the flavor the hard cider infuses with the food as it
gives a nice cooking liquid. Breakfast is often foil packets (because you can cook
just about anything you wish, including a potato/veggie hash) or oatmeal. Sometimes
waffles or French toast, but I’m not really a morning person & even the
fresh air and trees of camping are not going to make me one.
Before the trip, I
talk with my mom and brother who oversee the general group menu and make a plan
to coincide. (He does most of the cooking on these family trips and I often
help with the vegetable things.) I want to enjoy my trip and make as less work unnecessary
work for me. It may seem like a trivial thing, but I’ve been a vegetarian among
omnivores a long time, and sometimes eating similar and the same meals as the
rest of them makes people better as ease. I still get plenty of my “weird foods”
in, but there is something familiar about making veggie brats or veggie burgers
for the meals they are eating the meat versions and eating mushroom stew while
they eat their version. Food is communal and it can matter very much in social
settings. Even the vegan marshmallows for my own s’mores make my lifestyle
appear less threatening and weird to those around me and perhaps less strange
for those considering limiting or cutting meat from their diet. Much of the
time, this means little and in the end I’m still going to eat what I want and
what I like, but it can make the differences seem less and keep peace between
those contrasting ideals. For those who grew up roasting marshmallows and
hotdogs over the fire, having a vegan version is comforting and reminds us of
those happy childhood memories. It’s okay to take those family traditions and
adapt them to your preferences and make new traditions.
As you plan the menu, don't forget the staples- the little things like oil, salt & pepper, any seasonings you might enjoy, sweeteners (such as maple syrup, agave, raw sugar, or honey as you prefer), hot beverages such as tea bags or hot chocolate, and hot sauce. These things make life easier as tastier. I keep mine in my plastic bin in easy to use containers.
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