Outdoor cooking for summer camping adventurers

This week, we're going camping and bringing along some good food. Hot dogs are OK, perfect for keeping the kids entertained, but there's no reason to leave your taste in good food behind when you toss the tent in the car.

Before you go, grab some fresh vegetables and eggs from the Ithaca Farmer's Market or a local farm stand, and don't stress too much about keeping them refrigerated. Most fresh fruit, veggies, and eggs can easily last a couple of days out of the refrigerator, though some vegetables will certainly wilt in a hot car.

On my way out of town, I stopped at the Valley View farm stand on Route 79, and found a wonderful variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. They even had little jars of pickled asparagus, perfect for munching.

Get your campfire going, and wrap sweet potatoes together in a big sheet of tin foil, after poking them a few times with a fork. Set the potato package near, but not in, the fire, and turn it over and around periodically... they should be done in about an hour, but you can poke with a fork to see how cooked they are. Now wrap some ears of corn in tin foil, still in the husk, with a tiny bit of butter tucked inside. They'll cook in 20 minutes or so on the grill, turned every few minutes. And last but not least, slice up some portobello mushrooms and an onion, and make another tin foil packet with those, some salt and pepper, and a little butter or olive oil, and set that on the grill. Shake it or turn it over from time to time.

If you're grilling some meat, that'll cook the quickest, and that does need to stay cold, so keep it with some ice or ice packs in a cooler that you won't be opening every five minutes to grab another beer. You can even pack it when it's still frozen, if you won't need it for a day or two. We've talked about marinades, but simple is often best. Sprinkle on some salt and grind some fresh pepper, brush on a little olive oil, and that's all you need. Just toss that on the grill and cook it for a few minutes on each side until it's done. Don't cut into it to check, that'll let all the juices out... push the top with your finger or tongs, and if it's the consistency of Jell-O, it's still very rare. As it gets tauter, it's getting closer to well done.