Vegetable foil parcels with herb butter

Common mistakes

• ×Putting parcels in the middle of the flames – burnt outside, raw inside
• ×Thick potato chunks – they do not cook through
• ×Only one thin layer of foil – it tears
• ×Edges only loosely folded – juice runs out, ash gets in
• ×Opening with your face over the parcel
• ×Leaving foil in the fire site
• ×Carrying butter uncooled all day

Materials

• Potatoes (waxy)

  Per person 1–2 medium potatoes (about 200 g)

  Cut away green patches, sprouts and eyes generously – that is where the natural bitter compound solanine sits.

  Raw potatoes need no fridge, cooked ones do: keep boiled potatoes cool on the way and eat them the same day.

• Firm vegetables (peppers, courgette)

  Per person half a pepper and half a small courgette

  Wash with clean water before cutting.

  Keeps for about a day out without cooling – carry in the shade and airy, not squashed.

• Onions

  Per person half an onion

  Curl your fingers in when cutting and cut on a firm surface.

• Butter or herb butter (cool box)

  Per person about 1 tablespoon of butter or herb butter from the cool box – or 1 tablespoon of oil

  Allergen: milk.

  Only from a cool box and on day trips; without cooling, use cooking oil instead.

• Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard)(optional)

  Cooking oil as an uncooled or vegan alternative to butter

  Never put out burning fat with water – cover it with a lid to smother it.

  Do not mix with petrol, spirit or other highly flammable liquids.

• Dried herbs (herbes de Provence, parsley, chives)

  Per person about 1 teaspoon

  Only bought herbs – no wild plants you have gathered yourself.

• Table salt

  Salt and a little pepper

  Salt improves keeping quality but does not replace heating through.

• Aluminium foil (heavy-duty)

  Per parcel two sheets of heavy foil, each about 40 cm long

  Edges can be sharp; conducts heat and electricity.

• Knife (fixed or locking blade)

  With a small board for cutting

  Cut away from your body.

  Rules on carrying knives differ by region – check local rules.

• Barbecue tongs or wooden tongs

  Long tongs keep your hands away from the embers.

• Leather or heat-resistant gloves(optional)

  Synthetic gloves melt onto the skin – only leather or certified heat-resistant gloves.

  Wet gloves conduct heat quickly.

• Dry firewood

  Dry hardwood for good embers

  Collect only where permitted.

• Lighter, matches or ferro rod

  Observe local fire bans.

• Water for extinguishing (bucket, canister or pot)

  Have several litres ready before lighting.

• Rubbish bag (resealable)

  For the used foil

Prerequisites

• ·A permitted fire site with good embers
• ·Able to use a knife safely
• ·Clean water for washing vegetables
• ·Tongs or a long stick for taking the parcels out

Safety

• Embers are hotter than they look, and they keep glowing under grey ash. Only put parcels into the embers and turn them with tongs or a long stick, never with bare hands; tie long hair back and do not lean over the fire.
• Butter only from the cool box and on day trips; without cooling use oil. Only eat potatoes when they are completely soft; cut away green patches and sprouts. Eat cooked food straight away while it is hot. Do not leave leftovers lukewarm in the pot or in the sun for hours – germs can multiply. Whatever is not eaten within about two hours and cannot be cooled goes into the rubbish bag. Allergens: milk in the butter.
• Fire only where it is allowed and there is no wildfire danger – use existing fire sites, keep water ready to put it out and extinguish the fire completely at the end. Take foil, tins and packaging back with you. Foil does not burn and never belongs in the fire site.

How it works

The double, tightly closed foil forms a small steam chamber. The water from the vegetables evaporates and cooks everything in its own juices, while the foil keeps ash out. At the edge of the embers the heat is milder than in the middle – so the vegetables at the bottom do not burn before the potatoes are soft inside. Because potatoes take longest, you cut them thinnest.

Background

Variants

Vegan

Use oil with dried herbs instead of butter, plus a few chickpeas from a tin (open it first!) for more protein.

For children

Each child packs their own parcel and scratches a sign into the foil with a little stick so they can find theirs again. Cutting soft vegetables such as courgette with a blunt knife. An adult puts the parcels into the embers, turns and opens them.

With cheese

In the last few minutes, open the parcel, put some hard cheese on top, close it again and leave it by the embers briefly until it melts (allergen: milk).

Without a fire: in the pan

Where no fire is allowed, steam the same vegetables with oil and herbs in a pan with a lid on a low stove flame. Stir now and then and add a splash of water if it starts to catch.

Common mistakes

• ×Putting parcels in the middle of the flames – burnt outside, raw inside
• ×Thick potato chunks – they do not cook through
• ×Only one thin layer of foil – it tears
• ×Edges only loosely folded – juice runs out, ash gets in
• ×Opening with your face over the parcel
• ×Leaving foil in the fire site
• ×Carrying butter uncooled all day

Limits and risks

• –Cooking times are guidelines – always do the doneness test
• –No instructions for raw meat or fish in the parcel
• –Only applies where fire is allowed

Material alternatives

Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.

Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard)

Dry firewood (Collect only where permitted.), Tinder (Carry in waterproof packaging.), Char cloth (charred cotton) (Store dry in a tin.), Finest-grade steel wool (Store separately from batteries – fire risk.), Fatwood (resin-rich wood) (Collect only dead wood where permitted.), Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol) (Store fuels apart from food and in original containers or bottles intended for them.), Petroleum jelly cotton balls (Use only pure cotton.), Tree resin (spruce, pine) (Resin is flammable and sticks to the skin when hot – melt it only slowly over low heat.), Birch bark (from dead, fallen wood) (Never peel from living trees.)

Aluminium foil (heavy-duty)

Emergency blanket (Tears easily once punctured; short-term shelter only.), Signal mirror (Do not flash into the eyes of people nearby or of drivers.), High-visibility vest (Keep within reach inside the cabin, not in the boot/trunk.), Warning triangle (Whether warning triangles are mandatory, or should be placed at all on certain roads (e.g. motorways), differs between countries – check local rules.)

Dry firewood

Tinder (Carry in waterproof packaging.), Char cloth (charred cotton) (Store dry in a tin.), Finest-grade steel wool (Store separately from batteries – fire risk.), Fatwood (resin-rich wood) (Collect only dead wood where permitted.), Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol) (Store fuels apart from food and in original containers or bottles intended for them.), Petroleum jelly cotton balls (Use only pure cotton.), Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard) (Never put out burning fat with water – cover it with a lid to smother it.), Tree resin (spruce, pine) (Resin is flammable and sticks to the skin when hot – melt it only slowly over low heat.), Birch bark (from dead, fallen wood) (Never peel from living trees.)

Lighter, matches or ferro rod

Ferro rod (Practise before you need it.), Fire striker and hard stone (Carbon steel, not stainless.), Bow drill set (bow, spindle, hearth board, bearing block) (Use only dry wood.), Burning lens / magnifier (Never leave lying in the sun – fire risk.), Fire piston (Maintain the seal.), Pump drill (spindle, flywheel, crossbar, cord) (Fix the flywheel firmly and centrally – a loose disc can fly off.)

Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.