Tuesday Tidings – May 4, 2021
Campground Update: Welcome to May!
On May 7th, we welcome our Seasonal Guests to the campground! We want our new and returning Seasonal Guests to know how much we appreciate your willingness to spend the season with us. Your campsites are clean, honey wagon turned up and campground activities will resume shortly.
Beginning Memorial Day Weekend, the Activity Center will open on a daily basis from 9am-9pm. COVID precautions include mandatory use of hand sanitizer when entering the room and the wearing of masks while in the building. Equipment needed for the games will be kept in the Welcome Center so they can be sanitized between uses. The pool will open June 1st – a full month earlier than last year!
Our Music in the Field series begins June 26th. So far, line-up this year includes Shyne, Generation X, Legal Tender, Livio Gravini, Rumors, Jason and Trev and the Brave Brothers. We are excited to welcome a few new groups to play the campground this year, including Legal Tender! The complete schedule will be ready soon so watch the bulletin boards throughout the campground and our website for all the details.
Campfire Cooking
I love campfire cooking! Burgers and s'mores soon became marinated steak kabobs and Dutch oven pot roast, biscuits and cinnamon rolls! I have always been interested in learning more about food, the sources of ingredients and food preparation. So interested, that I went to Berkshire Community College a few years ago and earned a Culinary Arts Certificate! One of our long term plans on the campground a new commercial kitchen in the basement of the Activity Center so that I can share my interest in food preparation with our guests and community.
When our family camped, I tried to incorporate a different campfire cooking method or recipe into each trip. Whenever possible, I incorporated fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products from a local Farmer's Market. Our Lanesborough Farmer's Market opens on Saturday, May 1st in the parking lot of the Berkshire Mall. I encourage you to build a visit there into your camping plans this year.
Do you want to try a new campfire cooking method this season? Why not try a pie iron? A pie iron is a hinged sandwich maker, used primarily for cooking over a campfire. When purchasing a pie iron, make sure the two halves of your pie iron can be separated for easy cleaning and seasoning. Pie irons come in circular and square shapes. Try purchasing one of each for a variety of recipes. If you often camp in large groups, you might want to consider a larger pie iron that can handle two pies or sandwiches as once. New cast iron pie irons will need to be seasoned before they are used in order to get a nonstick cooking surface. Directions for seasoning, if needed, will be included with your purchase of your pie iron.
Try this recipe next time you go camping:
Cheesy Spinach Calzones
(serve with pizza sauce)
Ingredients:
Refrigerated pizza dough Sliced onions, bell peppers, mushrooms Mozzarella cheese
Frozen spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry Alfredo sauce (a few tablespoons)
Mozzarella cheese Minced garlic
Salt & pepper Pizza sauce
Coat a pie iron with cooking spray. Roll dough think and cut into pieces to fit iron; press one piece inside. Pile on the spinach, chopped onion and sliced peppers. Add sliced mushrooms, garlic, Alfredo sauce and cheese, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add another dough piece, close the iron and cook over warm coals. Turn occasionally until dough is cooked and nicely browned.
From: Dutch Oven and Cast Iron Cooking by Fox Channel Publishing
There are other terrific main dish and dessert recipes that can be made with pie irons. Let us know if you try it and be sure to take pictures to enter into our 2021 Photo Contest. Camping offers us time away from home with family and/or friends, a chance to relax in the outdoors and to recreate ourselves through physical outdoor activities, nature studies and learning new things! Try something new this year at Mt. Greylock Campsite Park!
Pat and Gordon Hubbard
Your Hosts
