I spent all of July with the scouts — the first two weeks with my own group, and the next two at a larger scout camp. On the second trip, my role was to make sure everyone at the camp was well-fed. I took over the provisional camp kitchen from the previous cook and immediately began putting my culinary plans into action. At last, I had the time and opportunity to experiment and test new ideas in the field.
The kitchen was functional but in need of some upgrades. There was enough workspace for prepping and a brick stove for heat, along with two gas stoves — one large and one smaller three-burner model. However, a few essentials were missing: a bench, hangers for clothes, a stand for the gas stove, and other small but important details. Step by step, day by day, I added new features, improved the setup, and ordered the missing equipment. With 50 to 80 people to feed every day, everything had to work efficiently and according to plan.
The scouts pitched in with food preparation. Each day, one of the patrols was assigned kitchen duty, giving me between three and seven helpers. Unfortunately, most had little to no cooking experience, so I spent a fair amount of time teaching them the basics. Even so, we managed to prepare two-course meals daily, add warm breakfast options, and serve every meal on time. The scouts learned quickly, and their help with ingredient prep and dishwashing was invaluable — doing it alone would have been nearly impossible.
I spent most of my free time in the kitchen as well. Determined to create as little waste as possible, I used spare moments to process leftover fruits, vegetables, and meats. I also experimented extensively with making my own cold cuts and preserves. For this, I built a makeshift smoker, which I used regularly throughout the camp.
I plan to write several articles about my experiences in the camp kitchen. Topics will include smoking and preserving food, as well as tips for reducing waste. Consider this piece the introduction to that series — and stay tuned for the next posts. As always, I’ll do my best to share something new at least once a week.
