#camping #cooking #cobbler
On April 5, 2024 to April 7, 2024 Scouts from Pack 440, Troops 440 and Crew 440 of Ellijay, Ga gathered at Fishtrap Park of the Coosawattee River Resort to enjoy the final weekend of Spring Break in fantastic fellowship.
Upon arrival, the Scouts and their families started by choosing the best sites for their tents and quickly building the campfire for the evening. After a long day of work, play, and packing for a weekend adventure, Scouts and Scouters enjoyed a relaxing night stargazing around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and having our favorite campfire dessert, S’mores.
Alas, a Scout must play and the new playground at our host site provided appropriate exercise to run off the sugar before bed! The true nature of a Scout is also curiosity, which led Girl Troop member Eloise to test the temperature of the Coosawattee River for us. She confirmed that it was, in fact, very cold. Eloise soon was able to use her trusty paracord to make a common scoutcraft, the close line. (Tip: always hang your close line away from the group and above neck level to avoid the WWE move inspired by what we are pretty sure is the Scout close-line.)
After a restful night’s sleep, Atomic Marshmallow Patrol Leader, JJ started chopping potatoes for his new signature breakfast meal, the Mountaintown Man Breakfast Dutch Oven Meal. This meal consists of golden potatoes, eggs, and bacon, combined in a Dutch oven and cooked on the campfire. It was certainly a crowd-pleaser. As Dutch oven meals tend to take longer to cook, it is recommended to have fruit such as apples, oranges, or bananas to hold you over and create a balanced meal.
After breakfast was quickly devoured and cleaned up, Scouts and Scouters broke out their fishing poles for a very important lesson that must be learned… the fish don’t always bite! A Scout is cheerful and that did not get them down! Led by the creative architectural genius of Webalos member Luke, they proceeded to build a riverside lodge sandcastle decorated by findings from both nature and found litter (that was later disposed of) until it was time to start lunch.
Lunch was led by Webelos member Lucy who learned how to properly start coal in a camping grill provided on site. She then instructed all attendees how to construct Foil Packet Pizza Sandwiches! These meals are especially convenient as they can be made on a grill or cooked directly on hot coals from the fire. These easy camping sandwiches were accompanied by chips.
After lunch, Scouts broke into patrols to work on Scout Skills, explore, and complete a few rank requirements. Scouting is fun and fun was had in a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Before dinner, we had time for Scoutmaster Conferences followed by a Board of Review. Congratulations to Eloise and JJ on their rank advancement!
We are almost certain that the 13th point of the Scout Law is: A Scout is Hungry! For dinner, campers constructed Coosawattee Chicken Kabobs to roast over the fire using a handy folding campfire grill.
Simultaneously, Chairman David cooked up his famous Wildberry Cobbler made in a Dutch Oven. This recipe is made better knowing that the berries were grown with love in the backyard!
Don’t be fooled! More S’mores were consumed.
Finishing the night with more playground time with other kids at the campground, all were soon tuckered out and ready to hit the bedroll.
Up with the sun and not quite ready to pack it out, another round of the Mountaintown Man Breakfast was cooked by Senior Patrol Leader James & Patrol Leader JJ to energize all for campsite breakdown. (In case you were wondering, yes, more S’mores were made. You didn’t think we could bring home leftovers did you?).
After all the campsites were broken down and packed away, Scouts did a final sweep of the campsite for any litter and had time for a level 5 raid in the nearby Pokemon Go gym. Once the gym was defeated and defended, Scouts and Scouters disembarked with many memories, pictures, and full bellies.
S’Mores Recipe
1
servings5
minutes5
minutes1
hour10
minutesA classic over-the-fire dessert that is fast, simple, and delightful
Ingredients
Large marshmallows
Graham Crackers
Milk Chocolate Squares
Directions
- Prepare S’more by breaking chocolate bars into sections and placing a square on half of a graham cracker with the other half of graham cracker on standby.
- Using either a marshmallow roasting stick or a stick found in nature and carved into a point by the Scout (if Scout has Whittling Chip or Tote’m Chip) , proceed to roast large marshmallow over an open flame to desired readiness. (If the marshmallow catches fire, blow out flames, do not fling creating a flaming marshmallow bomb.)
- Place cooked marshmallow on top of the chocolate square and use the top half of the graham cracker to push the marshmallow off of the stick. Place graham cracker half on top of the marshmallow to create a sandwich. Squeeze and eat.
Notes
- Equipment - Roasting Stick
Mountaintown Man Breakfast Recipe
8
servings15
minutes45
minutes1
hour10
minutesIngredients
3 to 4 eggs
Pound of potatoes
Half a pack of cheap bacon
½ stick of butter (optional)
¼ of water
Seasoning
Directions
- For a 10” oven put approximately 15 coles in the charcoal chimney and light
(1.5 times the diameter of the lid 10 x 1.5 = 15) - Cut Potatoes into small chucks
- Layer Bacon on the bottom of the oven
- Fill the oven with potatoes to within an inch of the top
- Crack 3 to 4 eggs over the potatoes
- Cover with Bacon
- Place the lid on the camping oven
- Put ½ as many coals of the diameter of the oven on the ground and the same number as the diameter on the lid (10” oven use 5 on the ground and 10 on top of the lid for 350)
Notes
- Equipment: Camping Oven, Charcoal Chimney, Wooden Spoon, Knife, and chopping board
- Pro Tips: Cheap bacon works best. Sweetened bacon has sugar and will stick to the bottom of your oven. Butter, oil, and grease helps to season the oven for easier and faster cleanup. Add a ¼ cup of water and two tablespoons of butter to add flavor and to help the potatoes cook faster. Also, season as you like. Salt, pepper, and garlic will add a lot of flavor. I like Tony’s Creole seasoning in grits and the Mountaintown Man Breakfast.
- LNT / Packaging: Take eggs out of the styrofoam container and place them in a camping egg container along with your butter. A camping egg carton is a small plastic egg carton that holds 12 eggs or 6 eggs and two sticks of butter. Take the potatoes out of the plastic sack and place into a compressor bag. Don’t cut them up because they will oxidize. They are safe inside their peel. Bacon can be placed in a small Tupperware container. Alternatively, you could use your potato sack as a sump bag with leaves in it to filter dirty dishwater. Add the leaves and food particles to your garbage bag then Pack it In Pack it Out.
Wildberry Cobbler Recipe
10
servings15
minutes1
hour1
hour15
minutesIngredients
1 pound of berries
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 egg
Dash of salt
Directions
- For a 10” oven put approximately 15 coles in the charcoal chimney and light (1.5 times the diameter of the lid 10 x 1.5 = 15)
- Fill the oven with one pound of any kind of berries
(blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and/or strawberries) - In a ziplock bag or Tupperware container mix 1 egg, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of flour.
- Pour flour, egg, and sugar mixture over the berries in the oven
- Cut the butter in patties and place on top of the mix
- Place the lid on the camping oven
- Put ½ as many coals of the diameter of the oven on the ground and the same number as the diameter on the lid (10” oven use 5 on the ground and 10 on top of the lid for 350)
- Cook for 60 minutes at 350 degrees
Notes
- Pro Tips: To evenly brown the crumble on the top turn the oven clockwise 90 degrees then turn the lid back 90 degrees every 15 minutes. The loop on the top of the oven should always be pointed in the same direction, maybe North if you know which direction that is. Turn the oven 3 times. At the end of the 4th 15-minute timer, the cobbler will be done. Also, make sure the oven is on solid ground. If the legs of the oven sink into the ashes then it will smother your charcoals and slow your cooking time. NOTE: Wind plays a big factor in the cooking time. Add more coals in windy conditions.For a thicker crust double the crumble with 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, and 2 eggs. For a full pound of fruit and double crumble use a 12” camping oven.
We did the Mountaintown Man Breakfast with and without aluminum foil. The no foil breakfast didn’t burn and was much easier to clean up. Which method works for you?