I told you recently about our first backpacking trip. After a number of attempts, we finally made it out into the woods. We wanted it to be as perfect as possible for the girls. It is something we love to do and want to keep doing, so we kind of need them to love it too.

When you think of backpacking, you probably think about eating GORP or forcing down a reconstituted freeze-dried meal. I wanted to be more creative than that, so I’d worked on some recipes that we could cook in one pot, that while not as great as a home cooked meal, would be warm, hearty, and tasty after a day-long hike in the mountains.

One of the dinners we planned was chicken and dumplings. You can mix everything together in one pot and then drop the dumplings in to cook off just as the broth is finishing up. So, after we made camp for the evening, we got the ingredients out, prepped the dumpling batter, started heating the water, and pretty soon a great aroma was permeating the campsite. With veggies and chicken added and cooked, it was time to drop in the dumplings. With four of us eating, there were quite a few, so it took a bit of time to get it going and by the end, we were all really hungry.

I don’t know what happened next, I put my spoon in for one last stir, and then suddenly, the pot crashed to the ground. If you’ve ever cooked on a little backpacking stove, you know that it is sort of precarious, and also super-hot. There was nothing I could do. Dinner dumped clear across the ground. I managed to keep it mostly together (both myself and the food), and we were able to salvage enough off the top to make a meal, albeit with a little pine and grit added in. It was still pretty hearty, but for sure a disappointment. On the flip side, we have a funny story to tell about the girl’s first backcountry dinner. Next time I will be sure to balance my stove a little better and make sure that the food makes it to our plates. You need every calorie to hike strong in the mountains.

Whether you are cooking in the mountains or just trying to prep meals at home, they always taste better with home-grown veggies. And you are in luck! Our 4-pack veggies arrived this week, with lots of peppers, tomatoes, greens, and much more. Come out and see us to get those veggie gardens started. It’s time to Make Fall Happen in Florida.

P.S. If you are fan of The Office, there is a cold open with Kevin and his famous chili that went through my mind when my dumplings spilled. Watch it here for a laugh.