Cheerful Valley Campground

Come Camping in New York’s Finger Lakes Region

1412 Route 14, Phelps, NY 14532, 315.781.1222    Email Us

Homemade Insect Repellant

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herbal insect repellentCamping trips, patio drinks, beach parties, and BBQs will expose you and your guests to numerous insects in the area. Most insects carry germs that could infect you during such occasions. That is why you need to have the right insect repellents to get rid of these unwanted pests. Most over-the-counter insect repellents are made of strong chemicals that are not good for your health and well-being over time. That’s why you need to make use of homemade insect repellents to get rid of these insects.
Essential oils are the most effective when it comes to repelling insects. Tea tree oil is great against ticks, deer flies, and chiggers. Lemon and eucalyptus are great against mosquitoes and black flies. Geranium and peppermint oil blended together is also an effective mosquito repellent.

You should not apply a full-strength essential oil directly on your skin. It should always be mixed with a carrier oil before rubbing on the skin. It is better to use one essential oil at a time when preparing the homemade insect repellent.

But if you plan to mix the scents, you should mix oils within the same scent family. For example, lemon and lemongrass go together while eucalyptus and lavender could be mixed together. Tea tree and clove oil should be used on their own. Lavender oil could also be mixed with rosemary and peppermint to make an insect repellent. These are very important things to consider when making your own homemade insect repellent.

We’ve seen an increase in the use of non-toxic oils for insect repellent lately and thought you’d like to give it a try.

You Meet the Nicest People When You’re Camping

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volleyballWe see so many people get to know each other here at Cheerful Valley Campground. Some may meet because their campsites are near each other or maybe their kids met at the playground and family friendships were built from that. Lots of times it happens when one camper helps another. You might be having trouble backing in and a neighbor steps in to help or you might help your neighbor when you see they can’t keep their fire going.

There are lots of opportunities to talk to new people when you are camping. It’s often just part of the conversation that you ask each other where you are from, what you’re camping in, how long you’ve been coming, and things like that.

Then you may find you have a few things in common. Your kids might be the same age or you may know someone who lives near the person you are getting to know. We’ve seen lots of friendships happen over simple things like laundry and walking pets.

That’s part of the fun of camping. People tend to relax and feel willing to meet each other. You might be laughing as you compete in a Ladder Ball Tournament and decide to get together at the campfire that night. Maybe you meet someone who is as serious about Bingo as you are. Most people meet each other over something fun, or in an effort to be of help. We love seeing it happen.

We have campers who have been friends for many years but only see each other here. They catch up each year when they come camping and find out about new babies, kids’ graduations, and health issues that happened throughout the year. They really are good friends and it all started when one of them showed the other how to cook breakfast in a tinfoil packet.

Life is good when you are camping and having friends waiting for you when you get here makes it even better.

Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls for Cool Weather Camping

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dutch oven cinnamon rollsCool weather need not be a reason to avoid getting out in the great outdoors to go camping.  Our bodies require more calories in the cooler climate of spring and fall though, and some favorite calorie dense comfort foods can be cooked over a campfire with a just a few pieces of gear.

Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH

1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast

2 tablespoons honey or 1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups warm milk (100° to 110°)

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

About 5 1/3 cups flour

FILLING

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

FINISHING

1 tablespoon butter (for greasing the dutch oven)

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

AT HOME

  1. Make dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast with 1/4 cup warm (100° to 110°) water and the honey. Let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, eggs, and salt. Using a dough hook, gradually mix in 5 cups flour, then mix on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes; if dough is still sticky, add another tbsp. or so of flour. (You can also mix and knead the dough by hand.)
  2. Put dough in an oiled mixing bowl, turning so it’s oiled on all sides, and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until double, about 1 hour.
  3. Punch down dough; knead a few times on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into an even 12- by 24-in. rectangle.
  4. Make filling: Spread butter on dough. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts; sprinkle evenly over dough, leaving a 1 1/2-in. strip clear along the top long edge.
  5. Roll up, starting at other long edge, and pinch seam closed. Cut log in half crosswise. Using paper towels, oil inside of a 2-gal. resealable freezer bag. Put half-logs inside, leaving some space between them, and seal bag. Freeze until solid, at least 6 hours and up to 1 month.

IN CAMP

  1. Transport frozen dough in a cooler up to 1 day before baking. Remove logs from bag, ideally while still somewhat firm, and cut each crosswise into 6 slices.
  2. Finish rolls: Butter a 6-qt. dutch oven. Arrange slices cut side up in pot. Cover with lid and let rise in the sun until dough is puffy and holds a small impression when pressed, 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare a fire (see “How to Bake in a Dutch Oven,” below).
  4. Bake rolls until they’re browned and a skewer inserted into bread comes out clean, 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. Remove pot from fire, uncover, and let cool about 15 minutes. Loosen rolls with a table knife. Mix honey and powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tsp. water; spread on top.

How to Bake in a Dutch Oven

Lewis and Clark brought one to the wilderness. So did the early pioneers to Utah (it’s now the official state cooking vessel). And so should you, because it means you’ll get to bake–and eat–carbs in camp. All you need is a 6-qt. camp Dutch oven (one with legs and a flanged lid; lodgemfg.com), some regular (not competition-style) charcoal and a chimney or hot embers from a wood campfire, and a heatproof spot like a fire ring or bricks set flat on an area free of flammable material; check your campground’s fire rules.

  1. Prepare the fire. If using charcoal: Light 50 briquets in a chimney and burn till they’re spotted gray, 15 minutes. If using a campfire: Scrape the fire to the side, level out a space the size of the Dutch oven, and mound the hot embers nearby (2 to 3 qts. worth).
  2. Lay a bottom ring of hot coals. The area of the coals should be slightly smaller than the circumference of the dutch oven. Put the oven on top and set the lid in place.
  3. Lay a top ring of hot coals. Use metal tongs to arrange a single ring on top of the lid around the lip. Evenly space a few more coals across the lid. Set any extra heated fuel aside. To check the food and temperature, lift the lid occasionally.
  4. Tweak the temperature. To decrease heat, scrape away some fuel. To increase heat, or to cook longer than 45 minutes, add 5 or 6 new coals to both the top and the bottom of the dutch oven (touching lit ones so they’ll ignite) about every 30 minutes.

Get The Kids Involved in Planning and Packing

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Kids help at the campsiteKids love the fun stuff about camping. They get to run, play, swim, and eat special treats while they are camping and we all love to see them have a great time. They get even more out of it when you involve them in all phases of camping. Get them to help you with planning, packing, maintaining, and unpacking at home. They may mumble and grumble a bit but you’ll be helping them build a love of camping when they are grown with families of their own.

Planning
Get the kids involved in creating a checklist of things that will be needed for the trip. They can let you know what foods they will enjoy eating and what toys and games they will want to bring. You can ask them their opinion on how things should be packed and what they should be packed in. Maybe each child can have their own backpack to hold their treasures or they may like to help pack kitchenware in plastic tubs. They can help mark them, too.

Setting Up and  Maintaining
The kids can help with unpacking once you arrive. They love to have an opinion about simple things like where the toiletries should go and where the pool toys should be kept. While you are camping they can be given responsibilities around the campsite. Maybe it is their job to set the table, make the beds, or keep the game pieces together.

Unpacking
When you get home they can help unpack. They will learn about laundering the sleeping bags and getting them ready for the next trip. Many hands make light work and you’ll make far less trips to the car with the kids helping out.

It really does give them a broad perspective on the work part of their vacation and teach them skills that will help them to continue camping for many years to come. They may grumble a little but they really will thank you later.

 

 

Your Fur Kids Love Camping With You

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Pets at the campgroundEach year we see more and more campers bringing their beloved pets along with them on their camping vacation. It makes sense that they are members of the family and will get just as much enjoyment out of camping as you do. There are a couple of things you can do to help them navigate their way around an unfamiliar campground for the first time.

Keep them near you – They may be a little nervous when they see all the unfamiliar people and smell unfamiliar smells. If you keep them near you and try not to leave them alone on the campsite, they have a better chance of quickly becoming comfortable in their new surroundings.

Bring prescriptions – Make sure you bring plenty of their medications, both over the counter and prescriptions. Have a few days extra on hand just in case you decide you’d like to extend your stay or take your time going home. Having an extra few days worth will come in handy.

Food, Beds, and Toys – Bring as many of their familiar favorites from home as you can. It can be quite comforting for a pet who is nervous over their new surroundings to be able to snuggle into their own bed with their own toys.

These small things should help you get the most out of your camping trip for you and for your pets. We look forward to seeing you here this year.

Camping Hacks You’ll Find Useful

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We all appreciate tips that make our favorite things to do even more fun. These 10 camping hacks are tips that you may not have thought of, but you’ll find yourself using all the time!

  1. Make an inexpensive lantern or reading light by filling a gallon jug with water. Invert a head lamp so it’s facing the water and secure it to the gallon jug with the strap. The kids will think it’s cool and you can make it up in just a few minutes.
  1. Pre-scramble eggs for breakfast and pour them in a bottle (an orange juice bottle works brilliantly). No more hauling eggs in a carton to the campsite, and worrying about or dealing with breakage and waste! When you’re ready to make breakfast, you just pour out the scrambled eggs and cook them as you usually would.
  1. If you’re not using a blowup mattress for sleeping, bring foam floor tiles. Sleeping with only a sleeping bag just got a LOT more comfortable! The tiles will keep you protected from the cool ground as well.
  1. Forgot to take your keys out of your pocket when you went swimming? Prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the lake by attaching a wine bottle cork to your key chain.
  1. Make your own port-a-potty with a five gallon bucket, camping toilet seat, trash bag and kitty litter.
  1. Who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast? Mix up your pancake batter and store it in disposable cake icing bags, clipping them at the ends—when you’re ready to cook, snip off the end to create a tidy dispenser!
  1. Create a mini medicine cabinet with a pill box; simply clip the paper labels from the packaging of every day OTC medicines, affix them to the lids of each compartment and take a few of everything with you.
  1. Recycle Tic-Tac containers to hold spices for cooking.
  1. Recycle a pill bottle by filling it with a cotton ball, band-aids, alcohol swabs, and individual antibiotic cream packets.
  1. Don’t want to use tons of matches? Coat a cotton ball with Vaseline and wrap in a square of tinfoil. When needed, cut an ‘X’ in the foil, pull out a bit of the cotton, twist it into a wick and light. It lasts long enough to get your kindling started.

Grilling Fruit & Veggies at the Campsite

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Juicy steaks, chicken, burgers, and hotdogs are great on the grill but you can make some delicious taste treats by grilling your fruits & veggies, too. They are a fresh option to add to a meal and it’s a good way to get the kids to get their fiber while they are here.

You can grill pineapple rings or peach halves and then serve them with cool and creamy vanilla bean ice cream. The heat from the grill will caramelize the fruit and make it even sweeter. You can grill them as is or, as is done in the video below, you can add balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, black pepper, vanilla, and apricot preserves. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Kebabs are a way to grill your veggies and the kids love eating them off a stick. It’s just more fun that way. This recipe nice, fat mushrooms, sections of corn on the cob, and a variety of other veggies. Add some garlic, lemon, and lots of fresh herbs. It will be wonderful.

Fresh fruits and veggies will balance the other favorites on your camping menu and they are so easy to prepare and serve. We hope you’ll give them a try and we’re looking forward to seeing you here again soon.

Camping With Pets

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Pets at the campgroundCamping with Pets is an enjoyable experience and we are seeing more of it all the time. You little fur-kids make the whole trip a joy when you’ve planned ahead and for the unexpected.

Be sure to carry a copy of their vaccination records with you. If something comes up and you have to take them to a Vet while traveling, you won’t have to rely on your memory and your pet can get the care it needs in a hurry.

Bring plenty of their medications. Try to stock extra, just in case. You never know when that road less traveled will call you to take a side trip and you don’t want to run out of their meds in an unfamiliar place.

Some people find it helpful to put a sign on their RV that there is a pet in residence. Campgrounds are a friendly place and that can be intimidating for a shy pet. It’s helpful to warn others there is a pet inside your rig so they don’t accidentally open the door and let your little one escape.

We know you love your pets and we love that you bring them with you. We are looking forward to seeing you walking around the campground this year.

 

Dutch Oven Recipes for Easy Camping Meals

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Dutch Oven recipesDutch oven one-pot recipes are the perfect solution for all those who want to enjoy a good meal at home, but don’t have the time or the skills to cook it. When using one-pot recipes, you add all ingredients at once, so you don’t have to do anything else than peeling, chopping, dicing, and then setting the pot on the stove top or in the oven. If you don’t have an oven, the Dutch oven is exactly what you need to slow cook your one-pot meal.

You can find lots of Dutch oven one-pot recipes online, either on YouTube or on special cooking channels for websites like The New York Times. There are also many bloggers who publish tried and tested recipes. Nonetheless, you should make sure you use popular food blogs, in order to avoid spoiling your meal. There are many small bloggers who don’t have the means to cook all the recipes they publish, so they tend to take some photos from Flickr or Pinterest, and use random ingredients and quantities. This is why you have to stick with the popular ones, as they wouldn’t risk their fame by publishing fake recipes. For instance, The Pioneer Woman, Simply Recipes and David Lebovitz are all famous blogs you can trust. These modern bloggers don’t have a lot of time, so they’ve adjusted their cooking style and their recipes to the hectic life we all live these days. If they can put all ingredients in a pot, add water and spices, and cook it over low heat until all juices and flavors are released, they are surely going to do it. Even better, they are going to blog about it, so you won’t lack inspiration for your own kitchen. Just make sure you do have a Dutch oven, as this is one of the tools you’re going to use a lot.

Packing for a Family Camping Trip

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family campingIf you are taking your family camping then you need to know how to pack. There are a lot of items you do not want to forget when you are out and about in the woods or wherever you are camping. You can find out more about how to pack below.

You need to make sure that you pack fishing poles if you plan to go fishing with your family. You should also remember to bring anything else that you want to do while you are out camping, including board games or whatever else you want to do with your children. When you are packing you have to keep in mind that you may not be able to bring everything with you all at once so you may have to make multiple trips back and forth to your vehicle.

Make sure that you pack a first aid kit. If you have children then you know that they get hurt easily when you are not looking or even when you are. You need to have all that you can get in terms of safety gear so that nobody gets hurt and has to deal with an injury not being tended to. You may want to bring your cell phone even if this is a trip you want to take to get away from technology. You can turn the phone off while you are camping but if there is an emergency you can turn it on and get help right away.

These packing tips for family camping should get you started. Make sure you create a checklist and that you add every item that you are going to need. Then, go down the list and you should not run out of whatever you need when you are out camping.