Is This Really Good, or Am I Just Starved?: Rhonda Ghent's Camp Recipes

Rating:
Summary: Good advice and good recipes for the novice camper
Review: The first thing that I should do is describe what this book is and is not as it is not entirely clear from the title. First you have to understand the Rhonda Ghent is a character in a young adult mystery titled "Plight of the Children". So, since the book is supposedly from her it is focused on easier recipes, cooking, and activities for adolescents. The information in the book is most appropriate for what we used to call "Cadillac camping", or camping where you have a cooler, multiple pots and pans, etc. It does not contain information or recipes of value to the backpacker or true wilderness camper. That having been said, it is one of the best books for the novice camper.

If you are going to go camping with the family for the first time in a State Park or commercial campground or some similar situation you will find this to be a very valuable book. As a person who does do a lot of wilderness camping I appreciate the fact that it provides a lot of good tips and details that the inexperienced camper might want to know in order to have a positive experience.

If you have a Dutch Oven (a very versatile cooking device and recommended for this type of camping) you need to make sure you read the section on seasoning the oven. A lot of people don't season their cast iron items and as a result ruin them after only a couple of trips. The book contains so much more than just recipes. It includes advice on what to take and what not to take, lots of ideas for getting children involved and helping them have an enjoyable trip, and even critically important things to be aware of when camping. For example, make sure children do not throw logs that have poison ivy on them into the fire. The irritating oils can become airborne and can even be breathed in to create an irritation in the lungs.

One of the things that I did not like was some of the advice was common twenty years ago but frowned on today. For example, building a keyhole fire with a foot deep circular pit. Digging a fire pit is against the rules in most parks and generally frowned upon by most campers today due to the effects it tends to have on erosion and other factors. Here in Florida if you dig a fire pit of any kind in a State Park you can be fined and asked to leave.

What I did like about the book was not only the vast amount of advice for first time campers but also that that meals were typically easy to make and very age appropriate for an adolescent. This is important because cooking over an open fire is not the same as cooking on a stove. These recipes are pretty much foolproof and sure to make the trip a positive experience for everyone. If you are new to camping and want to make it a family event there is a lot of experience and good advice packed into this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good advice and good recipes for the novice camper
Review: The first thing that I should do is describe what this book is and is not as it is not entirely clear from the title. First you have to understand the Rhonda Ghent is a character in a young adult mystery titled "Plight of the Children". So, since the book is supposedly from her it is focused on easier recipes, cooking, and activities for adolescents. The information in the book is most appropriate for what we used to call "Cadillac camping", or camping where you have a cooler, multiple pots and pans, etc. It does not contain information or recipes of value to the backpacker or true wilderness camper. That having been said, it is one of the best books for the novice camper.

If you are going to go camping with the family for the first time in a State Park or commercial campground or some similar situation you will find this to be a very valuable book. As a person who does do a lot of wilderness camping I appreciate the fact that it provides a lot of good tips and details that the inexperienced camper might want to know in order to have a positive experience.

If you have a Dutch Oven (a very versatile cooking device and recommended for this type of camping) you need to make sure you read the section on seasoning the oven. A lot of people don't season their cast iron items and as a result ruin them after only a couple of trips. The book contains so much more than just recipes. It includes advice on what to take and what not to take, lots of ideas for getting children involved and helping them have an enjoyable trip, and even critically important things to be aware of when camping. For example, make sure children do not throw logs that have poison ivy on them into the fire. The irritating oils can become airborne and can even be breathed in to create an irritation in the lungs.

One of the things that I did not like was some of the advice was common twenty years ago but frowned on today. For example, building a keyhole fire with a foot deep circular pit. Digging a fire pit is against the rules in most parks and generally frowned upon by most campers today due to the effects it tends to have on erosion and other factors. Here in Florida if you dig a fire pit of any kind in a State Park you can be fined and asked to leave.

What I did like about the book was not only the vast amount of advice for first time campers but also that that meals were typically easy to make and very age appropriate for an adolescent. This is important because cooking over an open fire is not the same as cooking on a stove. These recipes are pretty much foolproof and sure to make the trip a positive experience for everyone. If you are new to camping and want to make it a family event there is a lot of experience and good advice packed into this book.