AROUND THE KAMPFIRE (TIPS ON LIVIN’ OUTSIDE.)

Ways To Take Eggs Kampin’

I know most of you have taken eggs camping by carrying them in store bought plastic containers (really the best way), the containers they were purchased in, buried in a box of cornmeal, wrapped up in your underwear, or you’ve cracked them open and put them in a Mason jar with a tight lid and just poured out whatever you needed in camp. Am I right?

I have found not the perfect way to take eggs camping but one that works but will vary your menu a mite. Try pickled eggs.

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Ray’s Pickled Eggs

1 dozen eggs (older is better – they peel easier)

White vinegar

1 dozen or so whole pepper corns

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1-quart plastic jar with tight fitting lid

Put eggs into a large pot and fill with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Put pot on stove and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for a few minutes. Cover pot and place off to the side. Let it set for about 20 minutes. Take cover off pot and set it under the cold-water faucet. Run cold water into the pot until the eggs are cooled. Crack and peel them.

Rinse eggs and place them in the plastic jar. Add the peppercorns and garlic powder. Fill the jar to the top with white vinegar and screw on the lid. Set the eggs in the refrigerator until you are ready to go camping. I have kept eggs for weeks like this. Here are a few suggestions on how to serve them.

Deviled Eggs -cut in two lengthwise, take out yolks, chop and mix with mayonnaise, a little lemon juice, salt, and sugar to taste. Put back into the white part and sprinkle with paprika.

Potato Salad – use like regular boiled eggs when making potato salad.

Egg Salad – Chop or mash the eggs fine. Mix with a little mayonnaise, minced onion, and minced celery. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve as a sandwich spread.

Egg Sandwich – Slice eggs thin and put between two slices of bread. Spread mayonnaise, mustard, or ketchup on one side. Add sliced onions, lettuce, tomato, bacon slices, or a slice of lunchmeat.

Sausage Eggs- Bury an egg in a ball of sausage, dip in beaten raw egg, water, or milk and roll in cracker crumbs, cornmeal, flour, or a mixture of the three. Fry until sausage is done.

Scotch Eggs – Bury eggs in your favorite meat loaf before you bake it.

Chef Salad – Add chopped eggs to your regular tossed salad

TEACHING EGG KOOKIN’

I often watch boys and grownups cooking eggs over blazing campfires and then turning out half burnt/half raw greasy blackened eggs onto their plates. It’s hard to keep from gagging when I watch them eat those burnt offerings to the campfire gods. I’m not a culinary arts chef but I know enough to ‘not’ turn out that kind of food.

Don’t get me wrong; I used to cook that way back when I first started camping as a Boy Scout. I’m glad our Scoutmaster was a doctor who had the foresight to bring along a roll of Tums for each of us and I’m grateful that my mom took the time to teach me how to fry an egg later on.

Over the years I have developed ways to teach Boy Scouts how to cook Mr. McCune’s way or to you grownups, Ray’s Way. Follow the instructions and good luck.

COOKING AN EGG ON A STOVE

Non-stick skillet                  Lid for skillet

Pam spray, a teaspoon of oil, or a little bacon grease

For eggs sunny side up – Turn stove burner on low and heat up the skillet with a little oil in it. Pour off excess oil. Crack eggs into skillet and put the lid on. Check after a minute or two. As soon as the white is cooked take eggs out and put them on a serving plate.

For eggs over easy without turning them or breaking the yolk –

Add a teaspoon of water, put the lid back on, and leave the eggs in the skillet until yolk forms a white coating. The yolk should still be soft.

For hard cooked eggs –

Leave eggs in the skillet with lid on until yolk is completely cooked.

KOOKIN’ EGGS USING A KAMPFIRE OR CHARCOAL

Cast iron skillet

Lid, aluminum foil, or large board

Oil

When cooking eggs using a campfire, never cook over the open flames. Wait until the fire burns down or rake some coals off to the side and heat the skillet over the hot coals with a little oil in the bottom. Set skillet off to the side, break eggs into the skillet, put on a lid or cover the skillet with a large cutting board or a piece of aluminum foil, and let eggs cook as described above. Do not put skillet back over the coals. Kiss those burnt, greasy, fried eggs with broken yolks goodbye forever.

HINT: Never break eggs on the edge of a skillet or bowl. Hit them flat on a hard surface like a cutting board or a picnic table. You will be less likely to break the yolks this way and you should be able to put the two shell halves completely back together. This way you can account for all of the shell and not have to discover stray pieces of shell with your teeth.