Should I bring my mini-food processor camping?

That’s the debate in my mind. I don’t really need it, but it makes so many good meals and it’s not like it takes up that much space. I really want to make more of those red lentil pancakes, and I think at least on Friday night, it would be cool to soak the lentils in my truck and run them through the food processor. Maybe try to get the mix with enough water to make actual thin wraps rather than pancakes. They were so delicious.

And then I could make really good omelets with the food processor β€” the way it beats the eggs with the addition of a little cornstarch and milk is amazing. Then put lots of fresh veggies in the omelets, lots of fresh spinach, a little cheese, and maybe even some pulverized garlic, onion, and tomato. Some things are better chopped rather than turned into a sauce, but you get much more of the garlic flavor when the cloves are really chopped, and I like a good tomato sauce in my eggs.

At the same time, I do worry a bit about potentially damaging my food processor by bringing it up to camp. The modified sine wave inverter probably isn’t going to work well with the electric motor. But will a rough sine wave matter for a few minutes of use? It might get dirty, dropped, or wet. But on the other hand, the products it creates are so delicious, and it’s not the biggest expense ever if I have to replace it. The risk is probably low for the relatively low use I will have at camp. Plus, there should be a lot of sun to keep my battery well charged in my truck.

I will bring the food processor along with the red lentils. I also have bread that I baked earlier in the week. I’ll bring that too. I can get turmeric and make red lentil dahl to go with the meal, maybe with chicken or rice. I don’t have any ready to bring to camp, but I can always bring a bag with me and boil it up at camp during the day on the camp stove.

Vermont Population Density 2015

This map shows the population density of Vermont. While cities like Burlington and surrounding towns are fairly dense -- by small city standards -- the Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont is very remote, with areas with less then one person per square mile. Many towns in Vermont only have 30-50 people.

Buchannan State Forest Camping

To request a camping permit, please fill out the Buchanan State Forest Camping Application Form (PDF).

For information about campsite availability in Buchanan State Forest, please contact the district office at 717-485-3148.

The Pennsylvania State Forest Online Campsite Map shows locations and additional details for designated campsites.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Calling is recommended for camping requests occurring between 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. on Fridays.

Camping permit requests submitted over the weekend or a federal holiday will not be processed until the next business day. There is no fee for a camping permit.

Made some awesome hummus this morning. 🦹

The key is really to boil – simmer the heck out of chickpeas so they’re quite mushy, and to blend the tahini and lemon well before adding the chickpeas and a reasonable amount of aquafaba (chickpea’s water used for boiling – just enough to avoid straining the food processor motor). And then ample olive oil, sea salt and garlic. And run the food processor a lot!

I will bring the hummus up to camp for dipping, along with the cooked chickpeas I didn’t use in the hummus and save them for mixing with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and walnuts for a good treat up at camp. Probably get carrots for dipping in the hummus on my way up to camp, as I did celery for a workday snack this week.