It's Camping Time!

Central Co-op's graphic designer Sue gives you great tips on stocking up for camping season.

Summer is upon us, which means it’s time for camping in the Northwest. Growing up in Western New York, I’ve spent most summers since elementary school camping and hiking and think A LOT about trail cuisine and self-care. At Central Co-op, we have a lot of great packable options for everything from an afternoon at the park to a week of backpacking. Here’s just a sampling of suggestions.

Caffeinate Up!
First things first: Coffee is a must. We have a selection of Fair Trade, organic instant coffees, including coffees from Mount Hagan, freeze-dried in either a 3.5oz container or in convenient, individually-wrapped packets. Or, try a lightweight plastic pour-over brewer from Melitta, and choose any coffee you like! Don’t forget to grind beforehand, or to hydrate later.

Keep your Protein game strong!
The Co-op carries a huge array of nuts and trail mixes in our bulk department. I’m partial to the delicious and well-balanced Mt. Rainier Trail Mix from Aunt Patty’s (brought to you by the fine folks from GloryBee). More adventurous eaters should try the Curry Cashew mix, while the Chocolate Lover’s mix reminds me of the gorp my dad used to make. Equal Exchange’s Organic Tamari Roasted Almonds are an awesome protein snack found both in bulk and pre-packaged for easy packing.

Speaking of protein, Justin’s single-serve nut butter pouches are another lightweight and easy-to-manage way to fill up fast (and saves you from trying to transfer peanut butter to a squeeze tube) and add a hearty punch to crackers or cut up veggies. The squeezable pouches are especially great if you -- like me -- end up getting really dirty when hiking and you -- like me -- tend to go places without great access to hand-washing.

The Co-op also carries a huge array of easily packable meat snacks and jerkys from socially and environmentally-conscious companies, including The New Primal, EPIC, and Vermont Meat Sticks. I’m a huge fan of the latter’s Turkey Pepperoni, as well as EPIC’s excellent Wagyu Beef Steak Strips. We have a huge selection of all kinds of dried and smoked meat in our Meat & Seafood deaprtment. Be sure to check out our extensive line of Backpacker’s Pantry meals as well!

Unwinding on the trail
One of the greatest things about the rise of canned microbrews is their portability for camping and hiking -- but don’t forget about wine! Underwood has a number of canned wines that are perfect for settling down at your campsite for the night or watching the sun go down. As more of a beer drinker, my favorite canned beer of the moment is Bellingham’s Aslan Brewing’s Pacific Ale.  

One Last Reminder from my Mom
She’d be very disappointed if I didn’t mention it: Don’t forget your sunscreen. The Co-op carries a number of excellent zinc-oxide-based formulas from companies like Badger, Mychelle and Goddess Garden.

Happy trails!

Sue

Date: Thursday June 22, 2017

Category: Summer

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