Dry Camping -- Microwave Popcorn

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Ok, as some of you know, Pam and I love to dry camp. In fact, probably 60 to 70 percent of our camping is without services.

But one thing I've always missed when dry camping is microwave popcorn.

I mean, it's hard to work a microwave without electricity! So we usually have to go without.

But not too long ago, I figured out how to dry camp (something I love to do) and eat microwave popcorn (something I also love).

And that's invite some rich guy with one of these fancy Honda generators to go camping with me!

That's right.

I went a knockin' on Michael's trailer door while dry camping at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, with two packages of microwave popcorn. (Pam made me bring two so I could share.)(I was against the idea and felt Michael would be honored to fire up his generator and pop my corn without me having to share it with him!)

Anyway, being the nice guy he is, Michael started the generator, popped the two bags of corn ... and the scent of freshly popped corn drew a crowd from the surrounding trailers.

So in the end, I only got a couple of handfuls. But hey, a little is better than none!

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As I remember it, the occasion was actually the showing of the slide show of pictures from the caravan over Trail Ridge. Couldn't be done without popcorn! (Although the showing of the slides actually COULD have been done without the generator)

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Nancy's right ... you can't (and we didn't) watch a movie without some popcorn!

But the event did give me "food for thought" in that if I ever want some microwave popcorn while dry camping, all I gotta do is find a rich guy with a generator and "sweet talk" him into popping it for me!

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I was recently in Target and found a 12V popcorn popper. I admit I was drawn in with the possibility of popcorn anywhere and bought one. Mine is a small one (just one quart), but I think they have slightly larger ones also.

I'm probably going to find that these things draw more current than they're worth, but thought I could always drive around the campground with it plugged into my car until it was done.

Hey, some of us will do anything for a bit of popcorn!

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Hey,

I thought popcorn and camping always went together (especially since
I don't like marshmellows). But....

Aren't you supposed to use a kettle with a turny thingy on the top
over a camp stove or even over a fire?

Microwave?

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Joe, we used to have one of those ... but my wife got tired of turning the paddle crank.

Come to think of it, she got tired of turning the paddle crank on our homemade ice cream maker.

She wanted me to take a turn ... but it looked like it was way, way too much work for me to do!

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Humph. way to much work, my foot. you want to eat you turn the handle. :yep. I got one of those turny things for this very reason. popcorn. I find it cooks quicker then the microwave. Honest.

there is cleanup though, but it's rinse and wipe or drip.

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Skip bought me a hand crank ice cream freezer a few years ago, so we could have home made ice cream when 'boondocking.'

Have never done it, though. I'm leery of what to do with the brine...

Someone suggested we let it evaporate and then throw the salt away. Anyone have a better (less time consuming) idea? :shg

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
I went a knockin' on Michael's trailer door while dry camping at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, with two packages of microwave popcorn. (Pam made me bring two so I could share.)(I was against the idea and felt Michael would be honored to fire up his generator and pop my corn without me having to share it with him!)

I almost lost my hand when I reach for the P Corn. :o

Oh, and guess who got the BLACKY little crusty ones, Thanks “C”. ;)

PS: The slide show was good!

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>>lost my hand

Didn't your mother ever teach you about sharing??? When I passed you the bag of popcorn, I didn't expect you to keep it!

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>>black crusty ones

Hey, in some cultures, the old maids (unpopped kernals) are considered a real treat!

The "blackened" old maids sounds like a cajun delicacy.

And I gotta tell you, I really, really, really like to eat the partially cracked, unpopped kernals ... particularly if I can swirl them around in hardened butter on the bottom of the bowl!

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Orginally posted by Charles Watts
>>lost my hand
Didn't your mother ever teach you about [b]sharing??? When I passed you the bag of popcorn, I didn't expect you to keep it!

Now Charles, you no how your are around P Corn.

Shake your head and L:E:EK at your Avatar. You’re scaring me.

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Orginally posted by Mary F

Skip bought me a hand crank ice cream freezer a few years ago, so we could have home made ice cream when 'boondocking.'

Have never done it, though. I'm leery of what to do with the brine...

Someone suggested we let it evaporate and then throw the salt away. Anyone have a better (less time consuming) idea? :shg

let it evaporate? :umb That would take forever. and you sure don't want to drink it. :sick I don't know!:huh

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Orginally posted by Joe Mielke

Hey,

I thought popcorn and camping always went together (especially since
I don't like marshmellows). But....

Aren't you supposed to use a kettle with a turny thingy on the top
over a camp stove or even over a fire?

Microwave?

Way back when I was a kid, our popcorn popper was a wire basket with a wire lid and long handle. You held the basket over the campfire (or gas burner at home) and kept the popcorn from burning by shaking the basket. I don't remember ever getting any of those nasty burned kernals.

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Charles, you don't need a gas generator. During the power crisis in Calif., I read about a family that used a bicycle to create electricity. The bicycle was in their living room and was (I guess) hooked up to a battery thingy that ran the TV. Anyone who wanted to watch TV had to generate power for it by riding the bicycle.

It'd be good excercise for you, or should I say for Pam.

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>>good excercise for you, or should I say for Pam

Hi Carol! Good to see you here! (Note to all ... Carol is one of my favorite people ... in addition to a long time friend.)

Me, on a bicycle? Pedalling? I don't think so!

However, Pam will be happy to hear we're taking her bike to Colorado with us.

Thanks for the idea, a perfect marriage, Carol! She pedals. And I eat! That way atleast one of us keeps our girlish figure.

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uhhhhmmm... and old pan with a lid and some oil? heat it up, shake it on the stove... would that work? seemed to work well back in the dark ages of my childhood :conf

Hey what ever happened to JiffyPop? Stuff wasn't half bad and I remember as a kid my Gram bringing it for us. Do they still make it?

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Yep, they still make it. We'll have some at the national rally. But it's not for those of us trying to attain that girlish figure Charles was mentioning. There's not a "Lite" version.

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:jester Goal: Find a way to make "low fat" popcorn while camping for those of us who are Cholesterol blessed but love the stuff anyway. :thumb

Dave

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Orginally posted by Debi Cundiff

Yep, they still make it. We'll have some at the national rally. But it's not for those of us trying to attain that girlish figure Charles was mentioning. There's not a "Lite" version.

There are certain things in life not meant to be lite... cheesecake... fudge... gravy... and popcorn, specially if it's loaded with melted butter :thumb

Another thing my Gram used to do was to pop the corn in a teflon (aging myself here) kettle without the oil. It had a smoky taste to it which was pretty good. She liked it best that way. Only thing is you have to be very careful about keeping the kernals moving and not getting the pan too hot or it will burn and stick. She had the magic touch for doing it... me... I destroyed two of my t-fal kettles trying it, so now I stick to either microwave popcorn or the oil in the pan method.