Grub Master Hints and tricks.
Thank you for doing your part for Troop 46 Outings. Attached listed below are several helpful hints and ideas to make the process simpler and help the troop be fiscally responsible. Assume your budget to be no more than $10.00 per boy. Remember, we are only cooking 4 meals (typically.) Also note that the boys will not have thought of everything on the menus. Please do your best to help your child plan good meals and fill in the areas that got missed.
1)The troop provides Ice, coolers, charcoal, Friday and Saturday night snacks/desserts, and Paper towels. We also provide soap, matches, oil, Syrup, peanut butter, bleach. Please do not purchase these items.
2)Bring cold food cold, and frozen food frozen, and plan to arrive a little early to load it in the patrol cooler.
3)Please pack other food in suitable containers (boxes). We will be loading all food in the trailer. Loose bags are difficult to deal with, and food ends up scattered all over. Boxes (with lids) that are labeled with your scouts patrol name or patrol number are stackable, and make it easier to load the trailer and access the food.
4)Shop at the Waunakee Piggly Wiggly. Tell the check-out worker you would like to charge to TROOP 46. Turn in the receipt to the scoutmaster when you check in for the campout. BUDGET $10.00 PER BOY.
5)Each patrol already has a stocked staples box consisting of syrup, oil, peanut butter, soap, bleach, salt/pepper/spices, and matches, powdered drink mix and hot chocolate. Do not buy these items unless your scout is certain they need to replenish the box and has either checked for shortages or been instructed by his patrol leader to purchase them. Not having a comfort item is a good lesson in “being prepared” Our quartermaster takes care of these items regularly, and it will be rare to need them.
6)DO NOT OVER BUY. The chances of having a scout drop off an outing is better than having one add in. Think about what your scout eats at home and plan for reasonable portions. In some cases, you might have to round up slightly, but try to avoid it. They are not as hungry as most think. We have recently been throwing away a lot of food. We want to see all the food eaten. See portion suggestions below. The troop has a lot of kids under 12. They will not eat that much. DO NOT THINK “THEY ARE HUNGRY…THEY’RE GROWING BOYS” and overcompensate.
7)Buy Generic, There is no need for designer breads, designer “Select” meats or name brand boxed products on a camp-out. Food-Club and store brands are the way to go when possible. Have your son help you shop for the best deal
8)Avoid uncooked sausage, bacon, and fatty meats. They take a long time to cook and create dangerous grease fire and disposal issues. Heat and serve is the way to go.
9)We want the scouts to cook. It is part of the learning. Avoid overly processed ready to eat meals.
10)Avoid glass jars when possible
11)Juice…Buy frozen concentrated juices including OJ, it is ¼ the price, and we have pitchers to make Juice in and it will not fill up the cooler. DO NOT BUY OJ IN JUGS
12)Milk…Assume 8 oz Milk per scout per meal that milk is served. No more than 1 Gallon per patrol for the weekend. Get Fat free Milk.
13)Eggs…2 per scout at breakfast
14)Butter…if needed, buy the smallest tub of margarine you can find. NO stick butter
15)Sandwich…1.5 sandwiches per scout, each with 1/8 pound of sliced meat- ham and turkey are most popular. NO designer bread.
16)Breakfast meat….Assume 4 strips of pre cooked bacon, or 4 pre cooked sausages at breakfast.
17)Meat…assume a little less than ¼ pound of ground meat per serving
18)Cheese… either buy American packaged slices or bagged shredded.
19)Chips.. Assume 1 tube of Pringles per 4 scouts. Pringles take up less room than bagged chips
20)Fresh fruit.. assume 1 piece per person per meal served
21)Cookies or snacks…not needed even if on list.
22)Condiments… Buy catsup, mustard, and mayo sparingly or not at all. The boys rarely use it…especially mayo and mustard
23)BANNED foods…Ready to eat cereal, uncooked bacon, Pop tarts, soda, hot dogs, Mac and cheese (unless a side dish or cooked from scratch) or there is approval from a scoutmaster.