Food tips for Burning Man

The Burning Man Festival encourages collaboration among artists to express themselves creatively, and that includes festivalgoers experimenting in the kitchen. The week-long celebration attracts over 60,000 participants, all of whom need lots of sustenance out in the scorching desert sun. Every Burning Man attendee is responsible for bringing all of their own food and drink onto the Playa, which can be a major challenge for first-timers.However,  many participants go above and beyond and cook up culinary delights for other attendees. For those looking to participate, consider properly preparing for the festival by learning about sustainable camping practices and long-term food portioning. Culinary courses online will assuredly help you come up with creative and safe ways to transport and store your food for this unique event. To get you started, here are a few food tips for planning a trip to Burning Man:

Seal everything
Desert winds can kick up a lot of grit and dust that you don’t want to end up in your food. If possible, use a vacuum sealer to make sure all of your food stays fresh and dirt-free during your time at Burning Man. Sealable sandwich bags, such as Ziplocs, also work well.

Bring enough water
Burning Man officials recommend bringing 1.5 gallons of drinking water per person per day. On top of that, you’ll need an additional gallon of water each day for cooking and cleaning. Each person in your group therefore should have 2.5 gallons of water available per day, totaling 17.5 gallons per participant if you’re planning a week-long stay.

Bring plenty of nonperishables
Make sure you have plenty of ingredients that won’t go bad in the heat. Odds are you’ll have several coolers’ worth of food that needs to be kept chilled, but these receptacles will only do the job for so long. Make sure to stock up on dry bulk ingredients such as rice, beans, nuts, pastas and long-lasting bread such as pita or naan.

Portion your ice
You’ll want to bring a lot of ice in coolers to keep food and drinks at the right temperature. However, it’s an inevitability that the ice will melt. If your ice is portioned out in plastic bags or packs, then once it is melted it can be used for drinking water and it will cut down on slush at the bottom of your cooler. Also, label your coolers based on what foods they contain to avoid opening them unnecessarily, keeping your food cool for a longer duration of time.