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.

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.

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 Tips for RV Beginners

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Camping season will be back before you know it and you can enjoy an amazing camping experience with the following RV camping tips. Unlike many years ago, now you can drive your RV to a beautiful camping ground like Cheerful Valley Campground and enjoy the convenience of fresh water, sewer hookups, electricity and much more. Here’s what you need to know about RV camping as a beginner.

• For easy storage, you should use plastic containers to load your belongings and gear into the RV. Most rented RVs will not come with these containers so you should be prepared. It is one of the best ways to de-clutter your RV and improve your camping trip.

• Most RVs come equipped with a fridge, freezer, and microwave. You can prepare food at home and bring it with you or make it right here at the campground. Most people do a combination of both. They cut up the veggies and place the meat in a marinade while still at home. Later, at the campground, they finish the other items needed for their meals.

• Bring trash bags for collecting waste and disposing of it properly. They are also useful for wet bathing suits and towels when you’re headed to the laundry.

• You’ll want to have games and rainy day activities for the kids, just in case. Bring books and puzzles for quiet times inside the RV when you’re getting settled down for the night.

Most of all, relax and enjoy yourself. You’ve waited a long time for this vacation and we want you to be able to enjoy yourself and your family.

With these RV camping tips, your next trip should be memorable.

Growing an RV Herb Garden

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RV herb gardenIf you have managed to master the skills needed to cook in your RV, why not incorporate fresh flavors into your meals with your own herbs grown inside your RV. Herb gardens are compact and very easy to maintain and care for which makes them an ideal option for just about any type of mobile home.

Choosing Your Herbs

Avoid the types of herbs that may grow too large to keep in small containers. Some of the preferred smaller options will include marjoram, basil, chives, thyme, oregano and rosemary.

Planting

Choose deeper pots that come with drainage holes situated at the bottom so that any excess water can easily drain away. Use a thin layer of tiny pebbles at the bottom and then add a good quality potting soil. From seeds to the point that they are ready to use in meals, growing herbs in your RV can take as little as 3 to 4 weeks.

You must make sure that you give your herbs enough water and that they are able to receive adequate sunlight in order to enhance the growing processes. From time to time you can consider organic fertilizer to make sure the herbs are receiving all the nutrients that they need for growth.

Pruning

When you regularly prune the herbs you are growing you offer the plant with the best way to grow vigorously into hardy specimens. Remember that the more that you are able to prune the more your herbs will grow.

To enjoy the most out of your herb garden make sure you frequently check on the soil and to ensure it does not dry out. Also try to ensure that your herbs are exposed to a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight every day.

One of the benefits of a RV herb garden is that it can easily be transported between your normal residence and the RV home between camping trips. Fresh herbs are a fantastic way to enhance your cooking skills especially when you are away from home.

Light and Tasty Camping Salads

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summer saladSummer will be back before we know it, so there’s no wonder many people are already planning their camping trips. Having a nice meal in the wilderness is among the favorite activities of most people. Whether you love hamburgers or you’d rather have some hot dogs, a light summer salad is always going to complement your outdoor meals. You can find here, below, two favorites to try on your next camping holiday.

Summertime Strawberry Jello Salad With Walnuts

Ingredients:
1 15 oz pineapple (canned, crushed)
1 pack of strawberry jello
1 small Cool Whip
1/2 cup walnuts (raw, chopped)
16 oz cottage cheese

Drain the crushed pineapple in a colander as much as you can.
Put the cottage cheese in a large bowl and mix it with the jello.
Add the Cool Whip and the pineapple, and mix everything very well.
Add the walnuts, stir some more, and then let the bowl set in the refrigerator for one hour.
You can either put your salad in a covered bowl or in several individual containers. Keep it in a cooler. you can serve this salad as a meal course or as dessert.

 

Ingredients:
1 pack rainbow rotini pasta, cooked as instructed on the label
1 pack broccoli (drained and cooked)
1/4 pound of salami (diced)
1/4 pound of provolone cheese (diced)
1/4 cup black olives (pitted, sliced)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
1 pack Zesty Italian Dressing, prepared as per the instructions on the pack.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix them thoroughly. Add the dressing, and stir it in carefully, until you obtain a homogenous mix. You’ll obtain a light and delicious pasta salad that goes very well with any dish.

These are only two summer salad ideas. Try them, you’re going to love them! Your family and friends are going to love you, as well!

You Can Make Your Own Insect Repellent

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make your own mosquito repellentAny outdoors activity will expose you and guests to insects. This includes your camping trips, drinks out on the patio, parties at the beach and barbecues. Most of these insects have germs that can cause illnesses. For this reason, you’ll want to have plenty of insect repellent on hand during your outdoor activities. Most of the over the counter remedies have strong chemicals that aren’t good for your health or your body over the course of time. For this reason, you’ll want to make your own healthier versions of insect repellent. Here you’ll learn some very effective homemade insect repellent recipes.

There are some ideal essential oils out there that are very effective at repelling those vicious insects. Tea tree oil is one that works well against deer flies, ticks, and chiggers. If you’re out to alleviate black flies or mosquitos you’ll want to try some eucalyptus and lemon. Both of these work very well to help eliminate them. Another great remedy is peppermint oil and geranium oil blended together.

Never apply full-strength essential oil on your skin, it may burn your skin and cause a serious allergic reaction. Always mix it with a carrier oil prior to putting it on your skin. It’s far better to use one essential oil at a time as you prepare an insect repellent. If you’re going to mix the scents always choose essential oils that are from the same family. Lemon and lemongrass go well together as do lavender and eucalyptus. Tea tree oil and clove oil should always be used alone.

Another way to use lavender oil is to mix it with rosemary and peppermint oil to form your own version of an insect repellent. These are vital things to remember when you’re preparing your own versions of insect repellent.

Thus, your camping trips, barbecues and your parties on the beach or patio will be far more enjoyable when you employ these techniques to avoid insect bites. You’ll learn to mix and match your own preferred versions of these as you go. Just mix them in a spray bottle for best results.

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.