Hints & Tips

out the chill. Besides, what better way to ,greet the

DUTCH OVEN CHARCOAL HINTS

morning than to watch the sunrise Cut both ends

from tin cans and step on them to flatten before

storing them in trash bags. Critters have been

known to stick their noses in, get their heads stuck,

and die. Better yet, open your cans at home, pour

into double zip-lock bags and take these along

instead.

Use Kingsford charcoal, this is not

commercial, but the bargain brands seem not to last

as long. If not Kingsford, try lump charcoal instead

of briquettes. It lights easier and burns hotter. If a

12 oven is used, place 14 briquettes on top and 10

on the bottom. That puts the temp as close as you

can get to 350 degrees. Try placing heavy duty

aluminum foil on the ground between the oven and

the charcoal. This will leave no trace of your fire and

help reflect the heat to the oven. Next best is to

carefully loosen the sod in a 14in circle down to a

depth of 4in. Put the charcoal in the pit and then

place the oven in the pit. Be sure to cover the pit

after cooking to

PEARLS OF GEEZER WISDOM

When broiling bacon over an open grill, try

cooking it on foil. It will prevent charring, which often

happens when you cook bacon on a grill. Racks

from an old oven make good lightweight grills.

Spray with Teflon spray for easier cleaning. Don't

use racks from old refrigerators. Some were made

with cadmium plating, which when heated can give

off toxic fumes or spill its way into your food.

Cadmium is a 3heavy metal that is toxic when

ingested or inhaled. To prevent pasta from boiling

over, add one teaspoon of olive oil )to the cooking

water before adding pasta. 4 ounces of cheese will

yield 1 cup of grated or cubed cheese.

For a fun and extremely messy break in a long

term camp, order a couple of chilled watermelons

from the commissary. Spread out a large clean poly

tarp. Have each patrol hold the melons above their

heads and then on a signal drop them onto the tarp.

Yes, we said BUST them and let them eat the melon

with their fingers.

leave no trace of your fire.

DUTCH OVEN SEASONING HINTS

No doubt you have noticed that Geezers use a

lot of olive oil in these recipes. We have found that it

not only adds good flavor, but it is best for seasoning

or reseasoning your ovens or any cast iron. After

cleaning with hot water only, reheat the iron to

almost smoking and then let cool. While still very

warm to the touch, wipe down with Dan olive oil

soaked cotton rag. After cooling, the iron should

have an oily sheen to it. Don't throw the rag away

after you are finished. Save it in a double zip-lock

bag. The older and oilier the rag is the better it will

season your iron.

If you want to save room in your cooler and still

have to keep eggs fresh, make a mixture of one

pound of lime to one gallon of water in a plastic one

gallon jug, put your eggs in the jug, and add the lime

water. The eggs will keep without refrigeration for

some time.

Tents and dining flies tend to get a might funky

toward the middle of a long term camp. Get a large

red apple and poke several small holes through the

skin. Plug every hole with a whole clove and hang in

the tent or dining fly. Stories have it that it will also

cut down on the flying critters in the daytime.

When pitching tents or putting up dining flies,

drive your stakes in at an angle toward the tent at

about a 30 degree angle. There is less chance of

the stake pulling out on its own in a wind and you will

have less effort to pull them out when it is time to

break camp.

DUTCH OVEN COOKING HINTS

When baking breads or sugary desserts, line the

oven with heavy duty aluminum foil in a crisscross

layer before pre-heating. It makes clean up easier

and will spread and reflect the heat inside the oven.

When baking or cooking foods in a large pot lid

inside the oven, rumple five small strips of aluminum

foil into balls of the same size. Place the foil in the

bottom of the oven in a circle with the fifth in the

center. Put the pot lid on top of the balls and push

own gently to seat the pot lid. This allows a space of

about 1in from the pot lid to the bottom of the oven.

There is less burning and -more air movement in the

oven.

PEARLS OF GEEZER WISDOM

Take a few minutes out from trying out all these

recipes and read these camping tips gleaned from

the collective brains of the GEEZERS

When camping in one spot for a few days, Dig a

hole for your coolers. Line the hole with plastic or

foil shiny side in. Place your cooler in the hole and

cover with a blanket or extra sleeping bag. The ice

you came with may go home with you. Before you

leave, cover .the hole, replace the sod, and leave no

trace. Face your tents to the east. The early

morning sun quickly dries out dampness and drives

MORE PEARLS

If you're dehydrated, a hot drink may hit the spot

faster than a cold one. Recent studies have shown

that water gets into your bloodstream faster from

drinking hot liquids. Try heating that Gatorade and

watch what happens. Anterior nosebleeds can be

stopped by pinching the nostrils together for 10-15

minutes. If that doesn't work, try moistening some

cotton with Afrin nasal spray. Twist the cotton into a

cone and insert into the offending nostril. Leave

The Geezer Cookbook

-- 62 --

Dwayne Pritchett