The idea for Camp Stew traces back to the late 1980s. When I was about 10 years old my father would take us camping up to the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains (a place called King’s Canyon). On at least one of the nights, he would fill a large pot half full of water, place it on the metal grate above the flames and let it boil. As this was occurring he would begin chopping up and tossing in nearly any edible and cookable food item that he could find around our camp site (preparing a “witch’s brew” of sorts). This included: potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, celery, sausage, burger, hot dogs, lettuce, beans, macaroni, chili, garlic, seasoned salt and then some! These stews were always different but the funny part is, even though the concoctions sounded terrible at first, somehow, magically, they turned out delicious every time. Thus, as I grew a bit older, hosting my own camp trips with friends, I started trying my hand at making my own versions of camp stew every year (with help from fellow campers of course). It has been a hit every time so far (or at least that’s what I’m told!). The tradition lives on!
If you happen to join CP for one of our camp trips, chances are you will get to try Camp Stew (and it’s different every year!). It’s is also almost always served with some kind of fresh bread and butter. Yum!
Some examples of our past Camp Stews
