The Great Outdoors - Kettle Moraine South

I consider myself a bit of an outdoors-man, or at least a lover of the outdoors, so upon receiving the invite of a winter camping adventure I jumped at the opportunity. Included with this invite was the promise of a freeze-dried meal, which seemed like an great way to do dinner while staying "hand-in-glove."


After spending a few hours shoveling the couple feet of snow into a usable campsite, and building an igloo to sleep in (however I opted for the tent), my companions and I built ourselves a fire and sifted through the wonderful selection of bagged meals that had been so aptly lain before us.

The choice was pretty obvious for me.



Our cooking gear restricted us to boiling 2 meals worth of water at a time, so I sat back and waited for round two. The first two bagged meals where accepted with a consensus of "It's pretty good", with the only complaint coming in it being a little bland. I figured my chili wouldn't have that issue, after peeking into the clear bottom of my meal-bag and seeing what appeared to be an abundance of dried spices.

The water came to a boil and I scooped out my recommended 2 cups of water to the bag, and waited the 10 minutes for it to cook, stirring occasionally.

Finally done, I grabbed my spoon and dug in. The first spoonful filled with beans and spice jumped onto my pallet with excitement. This chili did not lack flavor as the other meals did. No extra salt or pepper needed here, the flavor was full and aromatic. The only real issue I had with it, was that it tasted like vomit.

After another bite, I offered it up to the group with the classic line, "this is gross, try it." The other members of my group of 4 all made the same face upon tasting it that I'm sure I made. There was something absolutely vile about it. An acidic level would turn the blue litmus into the brightest shade of red before it even was fully soaked.

It took a few beers, but I finally got the taste out of my mouth (although belching became my worst enemy) and enjoyed the rest of my winter camping adventure. It was an achievement that I look forward to doing again, however next time, I'll pass on the chili.