Thursday, August 30, 2012

RV Etiquette Reminders

RVing is about adventure and fun!  If you own an RV we know you enjoy nature, meeting new people, campfires and making memories with your family and friends.   You want to keep the good times rolling, so check out a few simple etiquette stand-bys so every RV trip is as fun as the first!    
  
Introduce Yourself to the Neighbors- Be friendly with other RV campers! It always pays to be kind.  Here's a few reminders on RV Park Camping.
  1. Don’t Trespass- Respect the property of other RVers.  Walk on paths and not your neighbor’s yard.
  2. Pet Peeves- Try to restrain your pooch from late night howling serenades to the moon!  Also, be sure you dog or cat doesn’t roam free from your RV area into your neighbors.
  3. Clean the Dump Station When You’re Done- Remember, your dump station often faces another RVer’s patio space.  Consider leaving hose stored away until you need to dump.  Be courteous and insure everything is washed down after you do dump.
  4. Parking the Rig- Keep all awnings and slide-outs from your RV on your side of the parking rig. 
  5. Late Arrivals- Being unobtrusive while pulling in your RV may be a challenge, but keeping setup to a minimum on your late night arrivals is a good gesture toward fellow RVers.
  6. Respect Quiet Hours- Keep the noise from your party to a minimum and within your property.  Respect other RV campers going to bed at an earlier hour.
  7. RV Caravan- When traveling with other RVers, choose a lead driver, agree on a route and average driving speed before departing.
These tips were taken in part from Explore RV.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Canning Relish in an RV

 We found this blog over at: http://lifeinanarv.blogspot.com/

Today was relish making day in the ol’ RV. Two weeks ago or so, I put up 27 quarts of dill pickles and decided I wanted to give relish making a whirl. Now, I am not a fan of sweet relish. I mean, it’s ok, but it’s not my favorite. I like dill relish. I found a recipe that looked straightforward enough, click HERE for the link. I wanted to add in some more stuff and I decided to monkey around with the spice measurements.
I started out with 6 pounds of pickling cucumbers.And…I’m not sure what in the hell possessed me to want to chop all this up by hand, but I did :/
Chop, chop, chop…
Slice, slice, slice…I even sliced a bit of finger…not too bad, though.
And, finally, after, literally, 3 hours, I came to the end of the damn cukes. I was really starting to hate those things!
See…6 pounds all with my handy-dandy, rummage sale find cleaver…I love that thing!
Six pounds makes a lot!! This pot was the other rummage sale find, it’s a six-quart.
I had obtained some purple bell peppers from the farmers market on Saturday…I chopped them up, too!
Interesting color combo.
These are “Godfather” peppers…at least that’s what I was told from the guy who runs the produce stand where I buy all my cukes from. I chopped them up, too.
3 good-sized onions got chopped up…
and an entire head of garlic. You can never add too much garlic.
I added 1 cup canning salt to the chopped veggies and let it all set for an hour. Then I drained it and rinsed it well in cold running water.
This is my water bath canner aka Godzilla! It takes 2 burners on the stove inside. I forgot to have Bob set up the camp stove this morning before he left for work, so it was do or die!
This is my relish brine…6 cups of white vinegar, 5 teaspoons EACH dill seed, mustard seed and celery seed, 1-1/2 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon tumeric and that whole head of minced garlic…bring it to a boil…
Add the drained and rinsed veggies into the brine and bring it back up to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Sterilized jars waiting to be filled.
Relish is starting to simmer…
Looks good, huh?
I was able to fill 11 pint jars, so I think it’s a safe bet that I will not have to buy relish in the coming year.
I processed the jars for 15 minutes in the water bath. I always flip my jars upside down when they come out. Someone who is far more knowledgeable than I am in the canning department told me to do that, so I do and I’ve never had a jar not seal up for me. I leave them upside down for about 15 minutes. As I am writing this, I can hear PING! PING! PING! I love hearing that sound!
Peace!
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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Perfect time to Camp in Winthrop!

So.... School is starting just after Labor Day.  Our RV Park and Campground in downtown Winthrop, WA will be much quieter.  Come take advantage of our Warm Sunny Weather.  Relax and enjoy watching the deer and birds meander throughout our park. Visit with us and other campers of you choose ;o).  By the Way... For any of you who don't know... We have joined the Good Sam Club and Passport America.  Good Sam Campground.  We are big rig friendly.  See reviews on our park at Yelp!RVParkReviews and Trip Advisor.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Convenient and Creative Camp Cooking

All season we've been impressed by the tantalizing smells of our guests camp cooking.  If you are concerned about creating a fabulous camp meal, don't be! Just about anything can be made in your outdoor kitchen.  We've seen Lasagna, Carne Asada, Rice and Vegetable Stir Fry (rice made on the fire!!) and of course, Steak, Chicken, Salmon, etc!

Here is a link you can check out for highly rated camp meals including an entire section devoted to Vegetarian Cooking: Camping Recipes

Experiment with them and no worries... If they don't work out our Campground is just one block away from many fantastic restaurants in downtown Winthrop :o).  Dining in Winthrop