GALA Campfire Cooking Workshop

On November 4th,  my good friend Rosalie and I went to a campfire cooking workshop put on by GALA.   Have any of my NH friends heard of GALA? Well they are just an amazing group! GALA stands for Global Awareness Local Action.  They were founded in 2006 and are located in Wolfeboro, NH.  GALA is a non profit organization whose mission is to create a community building model that translates sustainability education into local action that is practical, effective and fun.  GALA hosts many community events throughout the year,.  Things like this outdoor cooking class along with farm to table feast, contra-dance series and homesteading workshops. GALA does offer memberships that are renewable each year.  The memberships have many benefits and anyone can be a member. The price for memberships for an individual is just $15.00, for a family it is $35.00, students are $10.00 and businesses just $50.00. They also take donations! Let’s talk about the amazing campfire cooking class!

This class was so much fun and so informative! The class was $15.00 per person and worth every penny! We learned about dutch ovens, and reflection oven cooking and a little bit about pot suspension system! Our instructor for the night was Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School. Tim was so informative and gave us so much information in such a small about of time! I should also mention, Tim lives six months of the year off the grid traveling everywhere from Maine to Alaska. Tim does not just teach his skills…he practices them in his daily life.

When we pulled up to the location of the class, we were instantly impressed as the fire was already going with a tripod over the fire.  The tripod was huge and used to hold the cooking pots over the fire. Due to time, Tim already had the rice cooking! Tim did not waste a moment of our time.  He started the class putting together a 4-5 pound pork roast into a dutch oven with some potatoes, onions, a can of beer, cabbage and adobo peppers for more flavor and spice!  He covered the pot and moved some of the coals from the fire, placed the pot on top and added more coals to the top of the pot!

Next up were the sourdough biscuits. These were very simply made and placed on a baking sheet just like you would do in your own kitchen.  However, these were baked on the pan in a reflector oven placed directly in front of the fire. About half way through the cooking time Tim turned the pans so all of the biscuits would cook evenly.

Guide coffee was up next.  This was hung over the fire using the pot suspension system. The coffee and water were brought to a boil and taken off the fire,  then Tim swung the bucket of coffee to settle the grounds.  Yes, you read that right, Tim really did swing the bucket of coffee! I would have liked to have gotten a good picture or video, but the class was in the evening so it was just too dark!

Next up, fruit cobbler! We needed a dessert after all! This was super simple! Tim used fruit cocktail and cake mix.  What I found the most interesting is the amount of eggs he used! Tim doubled the amount of eggs that the cake box said to use and added two more eggs on top of that! Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Tim cooked these directly on top of the pot he was cooking the pork in and added more coals to the cover of that pot! Let me just say…it worked! The cake was fruity and very moist! Perfectly cooked!

Last, but not least, Tim hung some chicken breasts over the fire using BBQ basket (like the one’s used for BBQing vegetables).  Are you wondering how everything tasted? It was all terrific, the pork was tender and flavorful, the biscuits were just right, soft with a little bit of butter!  I will admit I did not try the coffee as I am not a coffee drinker.  However, the group was very pleased with it! The fruit dessert was my favorite.  I was impressed with the flavor and how moist it was! Oh, I almost forgot about the chicken!  The chicken was beautifully browned, moist with a little bit of smokey flavor from the fire!

Have I mentioned Tim has a book? He did not have any for sale that night but did have one for all of us to look at.  The name of the book is “The Woods Cook” and can be ordered on Amazon. The book was full of information about how to cook over an open fire, the tools and equipment, along with lots of recipes! What a fun night we had and we can’t wait to support GALA and go to more of their events! GALA has a great website at www.galacommunity.org you will find lots of fun things to do and some great information!

Enjoy!