Pack for Burning Man to Eat a Peach on Day Five on the Playa
Burning Man
Whether you’re packing for a week in the counterculture fest of Burning Man (where for one week, Nevada’s third largest and most ephemeral city is created in the Black Rock Desert) or a family-based backcountry adventure, planning ahead and then preparing to pack it out are the methods for preventing food-borne madness.
While wild stories about Burning Man’s debauchery abound, veterans know that there is far more to a “Burn” than Bacchanalian excess. A large demographic that prefers regular meals and some sleep over the edgier aspects of the free-wheeling city does indeed exist. My über-organized camp of ten was given the moniker “Spread Sheet Camp” which in the alternative environment that is Burning Man is too conventional to be considered cool. However, eating balanced meals and fresh fruit while others subsisted on instant noodles made it worthwhile, and was, in part, our form of radical self-expression — eating well, regardless of the circumstances. Plan ahead, even print out a menu. Include something simple but nourishing on your arrival day when the arduous task of setting up camp calls for true sustenance.
Packing and Preparing
A combination of dry ice and blocks of regular ice can make a freezer cooler. You can make your own large blocks of ice by freezing water in containers (think restaurant-sized ice cream tubs) or water bottles days before leaving. Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) is colder than regular ice. Using large pieces of dry ice wrapped in paper slows its sublimation or evaporation rate. Realistically, dry ice won’t last more than three or four days, so plan for thawing accordingly.
The closest source of dry ice to the Black Rock Desert can be found in Reno at the Crystal Ice Company in the Keystone Mall [1345 West 4th Street (775)323-5145].
You can pre-make and freeze meals like dahl or kitchari to store in the freezer cooler and label with the day to be used. When packaging any food, in or out of the coolers, minimize packaging since you’ll have to take it all out of the desert or backcountry. Food items can be directly labeled with cooking instructions to minimize waste.
For extra nutrition while camping in any setting, you can plan ahead and dry fruits and vegetables in a dehydrator for tasty, vitamin and mineral-rich snacks or additions to camp meals. Spice mixtures in reusable containers add zest and medicinal properties to a meal in the backcountry. If you’re spending a lot of time out in the sun, make sure to stay hydrated and eat enough salt. Gomasio, a mixture of salt and crushed sesame seeds, is an easy-to-pack source of salt, calcium and other minerals.
Kitchen scraps at a camp can be composted. Many Burning Man camps pack food scraps in mesh netting bags to make it easier to pack out of the playa. If you’re camping in bear country, take proper precautions with your waste as you would with your food. Compost all kitchen scraps. Many camps use mesh netting to dry the compost, making it easier to pack out.
Cooler Management
- Use coolers with good seals.
- Label coolers with contents to minimize opening coolers when rooting around.
- Assign beverage-only coolers.
- Organize coolers at the campsite or in vehicle by days to be used.
- Make coolers easily accessible to add ice on the road as needed.
- Check coolers daily. While at Burning Man, check early in the day as the ice lines can be long.
- Elevate with small pieces of wood to create airflow underneath to avoid the extreme ground temperature fluctuations.
- Minimize water contamination of food by placing ice and food in separate containers within the cooler.
- Use melted water for dishwashing to conserve water resources.
- Campers can pack individual coolers for food or personal-care supplies. (Some personal care items do not fare well in the heat of the desert).
Choose fruits and vegetables with durability. Wash and dry them thoroughly before packing. You can bubble wrap delicate fruits and vegetables and place in containers inside the cooler to protect them and prevent soggy water damage.
Produce That Packs Well For Camping
- Cherry tomatoes
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli
- Squash
- Grapes
- Apples
- Kumquats
- Nectarines
- Grapefruit
- Lemons/Limes
- Oranges
- Avocados (be warned these may ripen differently in different regions)
Ghee
Ghee (clarified butter) has a long list of Ayurvedic benefits including increasing ojas (vitality and immunity) and increasing lubrication in the body (important in the dry desert). Ghee is also an amazing camping food, because, when cooked properly, it will keep for a long time. Make sure to always use a dry utensil when scooping ghee out of the container, keep it well-covered and away from water.
You can buy ready-made ghee or cook your own starting with unsalted organic butter. For ghee making instructions, visit the LA YOGA website at: www.layogamagazine.com.
For more information about Burning Man, visit: www.burningman.com.
Amy Wong is an avid foodie and Burning Man veteran who regularly packs for the playa and creates homemade dried fruit and gomasio blends for her friends.
By Amy Wong
