Noshing And Nibbling
Recipes for campfire snacks and trail treats
By Jared Knight
Are you looking for some new treats to spice up the menu? Invite campers to participate in preparing these mouth-watering snacks and build their confidence in their culinary skills:
Cook An Egg In An Orange In The Fire
This is a fun way to teach children to use an orange as a way to cook an egg. Clean out a half slice of an orange, leaving only the peel. Crack a raw egg inside the peel. The peel serves as a cooking pot and can be placed in the fire. When the egg is cooked, campers can eat the egg right out of the orange peel after it has been removed from the fire by an adult and cooled. There is a slight orange essence added to the egg that gives it extra flavor.
Ants On A Log
This is a perfect trail treat for hiking. Fill a small stock of celery with either peanut butter, cream cheese or a cheese spread and then a place a few raisins on top. Prior to serving this treat, camp counselors should be aware of any peanut or dairy allergies of the children in their group as well as the recommendation to only serve raisins to children over the age of four.
Roast Hard Taffy On A Stick
Instead of roasting marshmallows, campers can try roasting hard taffy on a stick. Soften the candy by placing it in the fire on the end of a roasting stick for a few seconds, and remove it from the stick after it has cooled. The different fruit flavor of each piece of candy provides a wide variety of savory taste.
Peanut Butter Cup And Vanilla Wafer Sandwich
This is a new alternative to the traditional S’mores snack. Place a bite-size peanut butter cup still in its wrapper near the fire to melt it slightly. Then they take the wrapper off of the peanut butter cup and place it between two vanilla wafers. Prior to serving this snack, camp counselors should be aware of any peanut allergies of the children in their group.
Pop Popcorn Kernels—Fire-Building Contest
As a way to improve fire-building skills, challenge children to be the first to build a small cooking fire and then attempt to pop a few kernels of popcorn in a metal cup with a little bit of popcorn popping oil. The first camper to do this successfully is the winner.
Seasoned Pretzels
For older campers (ages 10 and older), this trail treat is made with a 32 oz. bag of large pretzels, one 12 oz. bottle of butter-flavored popcorn popping oil, one tablespoon of dill seeds, and one tablespoon of garlic salt. Mix the seasonings and pretzels together in a large bowl and stir several times throughout one whole day and store in an airtight container until the time of the hike.
Jared Knight is the manager of Programs and Human Resources at Aspen Grove Family Camp and Conference Center in Utah. He is the author of four books published by Healthy Learning; 101 Creative Programs for Children, 101 Age-Appropriate Camp Activities, 101 Games and Activities to Strengthen Families, and 101 Swimming Pool Games and Activities. Knight can be reached via email at jared_knight@byu.edu.