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Tips for Making Your Next Camping Trip Waste-free
for Environment911.org

Nobody likes having to bring home a big bag of garbage and cans after a long camping trip. Not only does it end up smelling gross, you know it’s totally wasteful.
So here are some tips on how to reduce your environmental impact and keep your next camping trip completely waste-free.

Reusable Water Jug – You can fill it up at home, and it collapses down when it’s empty for easy storage. This will save you from buying any big plastic water jugs or bottles from the store.

Prep Food at Home & Bring Frozen – If you decide on meals that you can prep at home, it means saving time at the campsite, and if you can freeze them, it helps keep things in the cooler cold while it defrosts. Another bonus is that you can store any leftovers from meals in said jars afterwards.

Solar Lights – This is a no brainer as there are lots of string and in-ground solar lights that will help you save on lanterns that use batteries or fuel.

Reusable Plates, Cutlery, Glassware – Yes paper plates might seem easier (and might be if you’re camping when there isn’t a fire ban), but if you bring enough reusable camping dishes, they’re easy to clean, or if it’s a short trip, just rinse them and do the dishes at home. And if you wash some of the mason jars you brought your food in, you can use them as glassware as well.

Dish Towels vs Paper Towels – Same thing as above – bring a few dish towels instead of letting the paper towels pile up. If you have a clothesline, they’ll dry easily during the day as well.

Growler Fill & Pre-Mix Drinks – Get growlers filled on the way to the campsite and then you’re not left with piles of cans that you have to deal with the whole time. And if you pre-mix some cocktails in mason jars, you’re also not dealing with juice jugs of all sorts and then all you have to do is add ice.

Ice Packs vs Bags of Ice – Speaking of ice, ahead of time, make some ice for your drinks in your freezer at home, and just use ice packs (and your frozen food) in the cooler to cool your items. Not only will this prevent you from having a ton of plastic ice bags afterwards, but it’ll save a bunch of money as the ice packs are reusable. (My friends even reuse the ice pack from their meal kit delivery boxes.)

Invest/Repair/Rent/Borrow/Buy Used Camping Gear – If you don’t have an item that you want for camping, there are lots of places to get it instead of buying something brand new. Sometimes you can find brand new things for sale online, or call up that friend you know that’s an avid camper and ask to borrow an item for your trip. It saves you money, and you can give some gear a second life.

I wrote a few recipes for BC Living from when I went camping on the August long weekend (at Twenty Mile Bay) - Gourmet Camping Recipes for Your Next Camping Trip.
Some of them are long, so I figured I’d break each of them down into their own posts (means extra photos too!) - the first being Jackfruit Tacos!

“Skip the roasted weenies and indulge in these easy-to-make camping recipes

These dishes might look fancy, but much of the prep work can be done at home (and then frozen), and all of them can be done on a camp stove if there's a fire ban. Oh, and they can also all be made vegan!

So make your grocery list, get shopping and start prepping these delicious and nutritious camping meals...”

Jackfruit Tacos (paired with Persephone Goddess Golden Ale)

The jackfruit should marinate for at least a day, so you can either make everything the day before you leave (and have a quick and tasty meal as soon you get to the campground), or marinate it at the campsite the day before you want to eat it. Store-bought tortillas work well if it’s a few days in and you need the preservatives, but if you can get some fresh ones (I get mine from here), or frozen ones that you heat up/cook (like these vegan ones), your taste buds will thank you. (Plus, you can make breakfast tacos in the morning with the leftovers.)

TACO INGREDIENTS

1 can jackfruit (approximately 230 g)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp coriander (ground)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tbsp of chili paste (optional, add spice as you like!)
Salt and pepper
½ cup of chopped onion
2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic
Tortillas, your choice!
Lime wedges for garnish (optional)

CABAGE SLAW INGREDIENTS

Half a small reg cabbage, thinly shredded
¼ cup cilantro
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp olive oil

AVOCADO CASHEW CREMA INGREDIENTS (OPTIONAL)

½ cup cashews, soaked overnight or for several hours
1 small avocado or half a large one
1 clove of garlic
Juice of half of a lime
¼ cup cilantro
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp water

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the cashews the night before or in the morning.
Drain the jackfruit and rinse, then break apart in a bowl until it resembles pulled meat. You can also place it in a reusable (or Ziploc) bag and squish it to break it up, which makes it slightly easier.
In a small bowl, mix together the chilli powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, salt, and brown sugar. Then stir in the chilli paste (optional) and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Add to the jackfruit, mixing until it's fully coated. Either cover or zip up baggie, and place in fridge for at least two hours (but overnight really helps let the flavours come together).
In a larger bowl, place the cabbage slaw ingredients and mix together. I use my hands to do this, as it helps soften the cabbage a bit when it’s been massaged. And then put in the fridge, covered.
To make the crema: drain the cashews and rinse, and then add them and the rest of the crema ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend together until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more water to thin it out. You can also add a bit of olive oil, or more avocado to make it creamer if needed. Cover and chill.
When you’re ready to cook, heat up a pan (I prefer cast iron, but any pan will work) and warm your tortillas, one by one, covered with a clean dish cloth or wrapped in foil). You can also do this in a foil packet over the fire, but keep an eye on them, or they will burn and stick together!
When done, in the cast-iron pan (or frying pan), heat a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for two more. Then you can add in the spiced jackfruit and stir.
Add approximately half a cup of water and continue to cook, letting it evaporate while you stir the jackfruit for about 10 minutes. Test the seasoning and see if you need more salt.
To plate, place the tortillas on a plate, then some of the avocado crema (or sour cream*), a scoop of the jackfruit, and top with the cabbage mixture and optionally drizzle with more of the crema.
Serve with an optional lime wedge—and a cold beer (lagers, golden ales and pilsners are all good choices here.) I paired it with Persephone’s Golden Goddess Ale—light and refreshing, and it came out of an ice-cold (literally) cooler, which is hard to beat.

*NOTE: If you want to make the crema to take with you, you can, or if you want to skip it and just bring sour cream, that’s another option. A sliced avocado is also an excellent topping that you can just chop up at the campsite.

Makes 8 to 10 four-inch tacos