Johnny Apple Seed Oatmeal

Oatmeal is the unsung hero of camping breakfasts. While it’s not as flashy as a cast iron breakfast skillet or a well-prepared egg sandwich, a bowl of warm oatmeal never fails to come through in a pinch. Nothing else is as economical to buy, easy to make, or as fast to prepare. When times are tough or you’re just in a rush, it’s oatmeal that comes to the rescue.

However, oatmeal does have one weakness: on its own, it’s terribly bland. This can be a major hang-up for a lot of people, especially anyone who has tried to eat a plain bowl of oats on their own. To attempt such a feat is a mistake people only make once in their lifetime. However, oatmeal’s nonexistent flavor is actually its greatest strength. While it’s certainly no masterpiece, oatmeal makes for a wonderful blank canvas.

So a little imagination is required, and here we’ve decided turn to fall for a little inspiration. These days, every roadside fruit stand we pass seems to be overflowing with apples, so decided to start there. Now, fresh apples are one thing, but we were going for more of nostalgic apple pie flavor, so we decided to “enhance” the experience with a seasonal spice mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove. Maple syrup, a camp cooking staple, was selected as the obvious sweetener. And finally, a medley of seeds (chia, flax, hemp) were added to bulk up the protein. When blended all together, the mix could hardly be considered oatmeal.

So if you’re looking to reinvigorate your morning bowl of oats, give this recipe a try and bring a little bit of fall into the mix.

If you make this breakfast next time you’re camping, let us know! Leave us a comment below or follow us on Instagram @freshoffthegrid and tag your camp cooking photos #sporkandknife so we can check them out!