OT: help with camping trip

[shoney]

My husband has been begging me to take the boys DS8 and DS10 camping. I looked on line and found Strawberry Park in CT. They rent lil' log cabins in addition to traditional tent camp sites. I booked for Memorial Weekend. At the end of the reservation, the girl told me that the cabin is not stocked at all YIKES...I understand sheets and blankets, etc...but no pots, pans, silverware, bbq...etc. I am used to timeshares where you get that stuff. Now I am clueless!

I don't want to spend a fortune on camping equipment, but I will need to cook for the weekend.
What tips can you give me?
Simple recipes that require few untensils?
Should I cook and prep at home and just bring it with us?

Anything that is a "must Pack" item? I have lots of aluminum pans left over from a party last year.

any help will be appreciated!

 

[teacherlisa1978]

You can do the traditional hot dogs over the fire or we add chili and make chili dogs, that's one pot. There are also sandwiches chips fruit, etc. I always prep taco stuff ahead of time and then we only have to reheat the meat. Cereal muffins and fruit in the morning are also low maintenance. We love to camp in the summer, hope this helps.

 

[LMC]

We LOVE to grill when we camp. That's about all the cooking I do. I would suggest getting a small grill/charcoal and use that. Does it have a stove or anything? If so, take a small to med size pot and fry pan just in case you need them. Or an electric griddle would be better than the fry pan. I would take the heavy duty chinette paper plates (good for steaks) so I could throw away most everything. You won't really need to "take" alot of stuff that you don't already have at home or that can't be disposable. It's only for the weekend. You may or may not have a fridge so plan on a large cooler if need be. You can freeze food for Sat, Sun, Mon use so that it does not spoil if you don't have a fridge.

 

[luvmy3]

I always make pre-made mac and/or potato, and egg salad to bring with us. I slice up veggies and put them in baggies. I cook chicken legs in the crockpot and just pop them on the grill at camp. We eat alot of cold cut sandwiches for lunches while camping. We bring our small gas grill and do all of our cooking on that, except for spaghetti and meatball night.
The cabins we rent come stocked with pots and pans and utensils so I don't have to bring a ton of stuff. The few things I bring just in case they aren't there are a sharp knife, tongs and a metal spatula. Everything else I bring is disposable.

 

[shoney]

great ideas...keep them coming. The log cabin actually has a frig and stove. We will bring a small charcoal grill that we already have.

We aren't big breakfast eaters...fruit, yogurt, cereal will do it. I will definately buy cold cuts for sammies for lunch.

Mmmm...my mouth is now watering for a grilled steak!!!!

 

[wgwtgb]

I don't really have any more suggestions to add to the ones given, as my MIL usually does the food packing for camping. But, what I did want to add was I hope you have a great time! I didn't think I would enjoy camping, as I am a very girly girl, but I love it, and most of all MY KIDS LOVE IT. It has made for some of the best memories (and pictures) we have. So in addition to packing food, rememer your camera!!!! We love it so much now that we are actually looking into getting a camper for ourselves. Hope you have a great time.

 

[gillenkl]

Go to the "camping at Disney" board and you'll find a post with recipes. There is also a board for general camping not just at disney.

 

[Bren's Mom]

You can make pancakes super easy on an outdoor fire...buy one of those 'add water and shake' canisters. Done.

Hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken...anything that can be grilled works. I like to pre-marinate london broil and bring it with us in a plastic ziploc in the cooler. Those are easy and yummy.

Buy disposable paper plates, napkins, silverware. Bring paper towels. Don't forget a good, real knife and some steak knives. Wrap in foil to protect yourself when packing. Bring a snack size baggie or salt and pepper...or buy the disposable ones at the grocery store. You'll need ice for your cooler. And drinks...bring bottled water (I bring gallons and then make a gallon of lemondade or iced tea right in that gallon jug...bring a funnel and the mix.)

Bring some folding chairs or 'chair in a bag' things.

Don't forget marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars! Use a stick as a skewer.

Anything that you can put in foil can be cooked in an open fire or on a grill. You can preboil potatoes and bring them. Put them in foil with some onion and seasoning plus a piece of chicken or fish...easy one packet meal.

ETA: I'm in CT and I'd never heard of Strawberry Park...so thanks, I learned something new today! And we've camped a number of times with our kiddos in a camping cabin...we love it...if you ever want a recommendation for anyplace in NH let me know...it's our camping location of choice! :`)

 

[Tink9295]

First let me tell you that Strawberry Park is beautiful! It's in Preston CT. Neaer Foxwoods casino. It is a huge campground with a couple of pools and a huge concessions stand that makes decent food. My daughter had her 8th grade party there last May and the staff was awesome! The did a great job with planned activities and served over 100 people off their grills in the kitchen. The food was good and the kids were happy.

The concession stand has a good menu with a variety of different things (not just burgers and dogs). The grounds are huge. The website does not do it justice.

The cabins were cute. I would definitely bring a electric griddle and a crock pot. A grill would be good too. Start a meal in the crock pot and it's ready for you later. You can always go to the casino for dinner. There are a lot of different options there.

Enjoy your trip. I'm sure you'll enjoy Strawberry Park.

 

[Tramp68]

A crockpot works great for camp meals. You can precook taco meat, chili, sausage and peppers, etc.

The meals can be precooked, frozen and placed in the cooler for keeping.

Together with the usual grill items you should easily be able to take care of a full week of camping!

I have been dying to go to Strawberry Fields, but have not made it yet.

Another awesome campground is Lake George RV Park in NY. We met a guy there who said it was his favorite spot with Strawberry fields a close second. They have an indoor pool and a playhouse wich does magic/ventriliquist/comedy/reptile shows on the weekend. The entertainment on site and close by cannot be beat!

www.lakegeorgervpark.com

Thirdly, Check out Darien Lake Campground. It is attached directly to a former 6 flags park with waterpark and park admission is included with camping. You can literally walk into the park, enjoy the rides and come back for lunch and go back in to the park. They have a performing arts center and a nightly laser show.

www.godarienlake.com

Good luck and Happy Camping!

 

[kaywoody]

We camped with a screen cabin over Spring Break. We stayed three days in the freezing cold (had to go to Walmart and buy plastic sheeting to staple over the screens). I took my electric skillet and electric griddle and was able to cook the whole time.

We did:
Hot dogs and sausages (over the fire)
Pancakes (electric griddle)
eggs and bacon (griddle)
Fajitas (I bought the preseasoned meat and grilled it on the griddle) I planned to cook over the fire, but it was raining
Quesadillas- made with leftover fajita meat and cooked on griddle

Everything was yummy and my kids thought it was the best vacation trip ever... and we went to Disney 2 months ago (guess they forgot about that!)

 

[LMC]

You may want to check to see if they are allowing campfires when you will be there (closer to that weekend of course). Where we camp (in the South) they have burn bans and you can not have a camp fire unless it is in a "fire pit". Not even a ring on the ground. We bought one of those things from Lowes that is sorta like a grill but no grill top with a screen cover we can put over the top. and see if you can take in your own wood.