Camp Breakfast Tips: Rise And Shine

Sunrise and a bowl of sweet maple-and-brown-sugar oatmeal. Or a cup of steaming java. How about pancakes brimming with fresh blueberries? Every camper has a favorite morning meal that cranks up his engine for a rigorous day on the trail. We gathered readers’ favorite breakfast recipes and tips, through the mail and online at backpacker.com. Read on to learn how to make the first meal the best meal of the day.

EGG OPTIONS

Salmonella doesn’t show up on the list of things to experience in the backcountry, which is why backpackers have always been wary of taking fresh eggs along for the ride. Now a company called Davidson’s has found a way to pasteurize eggs, heating them ever-so-slightly to kill the nasty bacteria that causes food poisoning. Although Davidson’s eggs are now safer to pack along than other fresh eggs, company spokesperson Gerry Mullally warns that pasteurization won’t prevent egg spoilage. Davidson’s pasteurized eggs can still spoil in as little as 5 or 6 days, says Mullally, especially when it’s hot, so eat them fast. Davidson’s pasteurized eggs were rolled out in the East this spring and will be available at most supermarkets nationwide by the end of the year. For more information, call (603) 528-3042.

If you can’t find Davidson’s Pasteurized Eggs in your store, there are other egg-cellent options:

• Break fresh eggs into a zipper-lock bag and freeze. The package should thaw by the time you’re ready to scramble up breakfast the morning after you hit the trail.
• Powdered eggs, available from AlpineAire (800-322-6325) and Adventure Foods (828-497-4113), have always been a backpacker’s companion. Use them as you would fresh eggs.
• Egg Beaters, found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, are the healthy, low-cholesterol version of whole, fresh eggs.
• Freeze a container of Egg Beaters and they’ll be defrosted by the first day’s breakfast.