How much water do you need for camping? Camp cooking, episode 2
At many campsites, the water used for daily contact purposes such as washing, and even for drinking, comes from mountain spring water piped in, and some sites even collect rainwater, so clean, abundant water resources are extremely precious at a campsite.
For many years, where our family of five plus 1 dog would get our camping water has always been a problem that troubles me. I did not want to add to the campsite's burden, but going a day without water is also impossible. Usually, for a three-day, two-night trip, we would first buy 2 large 10-liter bottles of drinking water, mainly for stewing and drinking. After they were used up, the PET bottles were left for the campsite owner to deal with.
In 2014, a two-week summer round-the-island camping plan going up mountains and down to the sea made us decide to buy a 20-liter stainless steel water container and refill water at fixed points, to cope with coastal areas or deep mountains where drinking water was insufficient. From then on, we finally said goodbye to bottled water!
As for daily-use water, the biggest consumption is showering and washing food. If it is winter or high mountains above 2000 m, we choose not to shower (because we are not sweating at all), and at most we wipe our face and hands.
However, washing ingredients is undoubtedly a step that consumes a considerable amount of water. I once thought: to stew a soup for 5 people, how much water does the whole process actually use? Also, if you want to drink delicious stewed soup while camping, how should you do it in the most water-saving way?
After thinking it over, I felt that all soups are still best cooked at home in advance, then simply reheated on site before eating. That is the most water-saving and least troublesome way! XD
[Camp Cooking 02__ Tomato Wild Vegetable Bean Stew Soup] Camp cooking time: 10 minutes
This nutritious soup has a base of tomato, onion and mushroom. The starch source can be potato or chestnuts harvested in autumn; potato makes the soup thicker. The protein source is chickpeas.
It is likewise a soup that can be made at home in advance as a semi-finished product or concentrated pack, then frozen into blocks. At the campsite, thaw it and bring it to a boil, then add green vegetables and you can feast on it.
Without the labor of washing and chopping vegetables in the wild, and without consuming canned gas for stewing, you can still drink delicious soup. It is really awesome! (says me)
The scene I imagine for enjoying this dish is: one day finally climbing into the misty dark forest of Dabajian Mountain, or being among the small forest campsite of Tianshi Farm, when a cold wave strikes. At that time, if I could eat a small pot of still steaming tomato wild vegetable bean stew soup, with French bread, pre-rolled small rice balls, or quick instant "couscous" (North African millet, couscous) that can be eaten after steeping in boiling water for 5 minutes, it should warm my heart so much that I would be moved to tears!
[Camp Cooking 02__ Tomato Wild Vegetable Bean Stew Soup] Camp cooking time: 10 minutes
Method as follows:
Ingredients:
Minced garlic 5 cloves
Minced onion 1/4 piece
Cherry tomatoes half a jin
Mushrooms 5 (sliced)
Carrot half (chopped)
Potato 1 (cut into small pieces)
Chickpeas 1 can
Celery 1 stalk
Water 1 liter
Salt to taste
Black peppercorns a little
Black vinegar a little
Preparation before departure:
1. Stir-fry mushrooms until fragrant, add minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (at this point you can add basil, Hungarian paprika and other spices and stir-fry together), then add onion and stir-fry until it changes color.
2. Add chopped carrot, potato chunks, chickpeas (must be blanched first), and peeled tomato. Stir-fry until the tomato paste turns red, then drop in one bay leaf and add water to cover the ingredients.
3. After bringing to a boil over high heat, turn to low heat and stew until the carrot softens, then turn off the heat.
4. Let cool, put into zipper bags or fresh-keeping boxes and freeze (or refrigerate for later use).
At the campsite:
Thaw the pre-made tomato bean stew soup, bring to a boil, add celery and cook for about another 2 minutes, add an appropriate amount of salt and a little black vinegar, sprinkle with black peppercorns, and it is ready to enjoy! ^ ^
*Served with sliced French baguette, it is the warmest and most wonderful meal in the wild!*
Recipe photography Chen Shi-Yu
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