The last days I have been camping with my boyfriend at a beach in Evoia. While we were there, we were making our own food so I figured it would be useful to give out some tips about vegan food you can make while camping.
First of all you should take with you a cooler filled with ice to preserve some foods that need to be chilled, fruits and vegetables and of course, water and other drinks. Usually when camping in Greek beaches you should be able to find ice somewhere close, because they sell for the campers[we were unlucky and had to drive 40 minutes to find ice] to fill your cooler again. But with a good cooler you can keep ice for 2 days.
Things you definitely need for snacking are stuff that do not need to be chilled like peanut butter and your favorite bread [we had sprouted hemp bread], cereal bars, nuts, raisins, and you should really invest in some goji berries for a super health-kick snack. You should also have with you some apples, a watermelon or melon and bananas. I also brought with me cherries but they need to be in the cooler, so unless you have space, just take the fruits that can be out of the cooler.
For lunch, you should plan ahead, because no-one wants to cook in the heat. Unless you like hell. You need something cool, light and refreshing. So the best thing is chilled dips. Many dips, that you will make before you leave and keep them in your cooler. You need a dip for everyday you are going to be camping. You can make hummus, guacamole, salsa, eggplant dip, soy-tsatziki, vegan sour cream and the list goes on. So lunch is dipping time! You can dip anything you like but here is some nice combinations : hummus with wholewheat pita and carrot sticks, guacamole and corn tortilla chips, hemp bread with soy-tzatziki and tomatoes.
Now for the dinner you are going to cook, but simple things. The best is to grill. You can prepare some things to keep in the cooler like home made veggie burgers, but thats it! The rest you do it there. You just need to bring vegetables, bamboo skewers and lots of your favorite tofu. So you cut up the vegetables and tofu and make veggie skewers that you are going to grill. You can also grill whole portobello mushrooms to put the in burgers , pineapple rings and of course corn on the cob.Some of the staples you should have with you to cook : onions, tomatoes, a shitload of lemons, salt, pepper, oil and your favorite ’steak sauce’.
You should also bring with you potatoes, quick cooking rice or quinoa and burger buns[if you make burgers] to have next to the grilled stuff. The rice or potatoes can be cooked on a SMALL gas powered cooking stove, which is necessary for camping cooking. With that, a pan and a pot you can do anything! Stir fries, pasta, sauces whatever.
So now I am going to list some of the equipment you need :
-a cutting board
-a sharp chopping knife
-reusable forks,reusable plates,reusable cups[dont be lazy and get plastic and just throw them away. You can wash everything with sea water!]
-a pot
-a small wok
-wooden spoon
-air tight containers, zip lock bags, garbage bags
-a kitchen towel and oven mits
-food covers to keep insects away from your food
-ecological fire starters [you can find them at big supermarkets]
-a grilling basket, tongs and turners
-a good lighter
So basically with all these things you are food-complete. Now dont forget to bring with you loads of water to drink, maybe some beers, and what I found was the best part of camping was fresh coconut water. Coconut water is even more refreshing than water and a good isotonic that makes it perfect for the heat. You can get either cans of coconut water, or whole young coconuts that you can find at Asian supermarkets.
P.s. And get these cheap-ass solar garden lights! Very very cool for camping!
I hope this was useful, and wish you a great summer camping!
