Blog

Hello Scouters!

If you’ve never camped at HSR before, preparing meals to feed hungry Scouts and Scouters may seem to be a daunting task, there is no pizza delivery on the lake!  It is completely doable though to have great meals.  We have even made French fries and Eggs Benedict at camp, for a group of 30!

My first suggestion, is cook any meats you’re bringing with you, and freeze them.  Chicken, souvlaki, ground beef or stew beef for chili, can be pre-cooked, and just browned over the fire. We also like to make pulled pork for first night camp.  This saves greatly on cleanup at camp, and reduces the risk of spoilage.  The frozen meats also help keep your other fresh food cold, without needing as much ice.

Consider dividing your chilled and fresh foods into two coolers, one for the first half of the week, and one for the second.  Tape the second one shut with duct tape all the way around, write “Open Wednesday” on it, and keep it in a shady spot.  It will stay cold (dependent on weather and the cooler, this is not guaranteed).

For mornings when you have early activities, a quick breakfast of a bagel and spread, a piece of fruit, and some trail mix, provides energy for the canoe trip to H dock.  If you will be away from your site all day, have each camper make themselves a sandwich to take, and some snacks.  To change things up, we sometimes bring lunch fixin’s to H dock and make the lunches there, so the sandwiches don’t get so squished and soggy.  Hard boiling some eggs, and bringing them in the carton, provides a “side” with some staying power.  Finish off with a trip to the Trading Post for a treat!

When you get back from afternoon activities, a snack break including some fruit drink, and salty chips, helps replace electrolytes lost in sweating, and fends off heat stroke.  Kind of like sports drinks, but cheaper and with fewer plastic bottles.

The Country Store is a great help!  They stock a variety of groceries including bread, cereals, milk, eggs, bacon, chicken, ground beef, fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, drink mix, marshmallows, and have the best Nanaimo bars in multiple varieties.  You can replenish your ice, propane, naptha, paper goods and trash bags.  In addition, you can place orders, which will be picked up in town, and arrive at the store the next day for pickup.  You can even pre-order before you arrive, and pick up on Monday.  

It’s great to know you don’t have to bring everything with you, and can be flexible about meals as you go through the week.  This is how we decided to tackle French Fries and Eggs Benedict, with input from the campers and being able to get our ingredients for these meals later in the week.