Hobo Dinner

We had this at a visit to Radical Roots Farm, near Harrisonburg. You can cook it in the coals of a campfire, or you can also cook it in your oven or on a charcoal grill. It’s a fun meal! Have your campfire music ready for the wait while they cook.

A campfire that has some good coals, or a charcoal grill or oven heated to 375 degrees.
A nice variety of vegetables- good vegetables to use are: Squash, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, hot peppers, onions, garlic (whole cloves can be nice!), tomatoes, beets, carrots, and anything else you’d like to roast.
Black beans or ground beef
Oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and any other condiment you’d like to marinate your vegetables in.
Aluminum foil
A shovel, hot pads, and/or tongs to remove the dinner from the fire, if you go that route.

Chop up different types of vegetables. They should be sliced about 1/4-inch thick so they’ll cook evenly. Also have ready your condiments, beans (or ground beef, rolled into smallish balls) and aluminum foil.

Cut a generously-sized piece of aluminum foil, so you will have enough on the edges to make a good seal around your ingredients. (If you’re not using heavy-duty foil, make a double layer.)

Compose your dinner of all the vegetables you have. Remember to add some oil and vinegar to make a nice marinade. Carefully seal your foil package, folding the seams over at least three times.

Place package carefully in the glowing coals of the fire. It will take 20-30 minutes to cook, depending on the heat of the fire.

When you get the feeling it might be done, take a package out using a shovel, carefully unwrap without burning yourself (remember, the contents will be steamy!), and test a potato. If the potato is done, it’s ready! If not, put it back in the fire.