5 Essential Foods to Take Camping

Epicurious.com

Tanya Steele



We are headed off to New York's beautiful Adirondacks for a short family vacation tomorrow, and one of the nights will be spent backpacking in the wilds and camping out for a night. I intend to snuggle into my sleeping bag and look up at this view (above), all the while trying to ignore the rock in my back and quiet my quaking terror of neighboring snakes and spiders.

While one son is obsessively planning his fishing expedition, the other son is focusing on spotting the Eastern Big Foot, and my husband is already worried about getting lost, I am planning our meals. Here are the 5 foods we are taking for an entire 24 hours of camping--clearly this ain't no glamping!

Quick Cook Oats: Add water and dried fruit for an instant filling breakfast.

Assorted Apples: This most versatile of fruits can be a snack or dessert, or cut up and added to oatmeal or the sandwiches below.

Foil Packets: Nowadays you can small lightweight packets of tuna, mayonnaise, peanut butter, and jam, enabling you to have two types of sandwiches for lunch. Bring flatbread or whole-wheat wraps if you're short on space. Also grab packets of mustard and ketchup to spice up your dinner.

Frozen Meat and Edamame: It will thaw as you hike so that you can have protein-rich hamburgers and fiber-filled edamame cooked on your portable stovetop grill at night. They will taste like the best burgers you've ever had, and the edamame will fill you with their almost buttery goodness.

Trail mixor gorp: Great for energy, this mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit will keep you going, sate a sweet tooth, can be added to breakfast, and will not melt.

For recipes, gear advice, and packing tips, see our Camping and Backpacking 101.

See more from Epicurious:
Indulgent, Delicious Breakfasts
Quick and Easy Dinners
Delicious Lunch Box Recipes for Kids