Picture this. It’s the spring of 2003 and my Boy Scout troop is gathered for the annual election where scouts recommend peers to be considered for the Order of the Arrow. For those unfamiliar, the OA is basically the secret society of the Boy Scouts. There are rituals. There’s ceremony. There’s lore. Thirteen-year-old me thought it was the coolest thing that could possibly happen in the universe.

To my absolute shock, I was selected. Troops only had so many spots, and after the troop vote the scoutmaster and council still had to approve it. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised my peers voted for me, in hindsight I had built a pretty solid reputation in scouting.

Outside of scouting I was kind of a weird kid. Inside scouting? I was cool.I know how uncool that sounds, but still. I should also probably note that readers should take this whole memory with a grain of salt. It was a long time ago, I’ve smoked a lot of pot since then. 

The main premise of the OA initiation weekend was basically survival and free labor. They would take a group of candidates to the scout camp before the summer season opened and have us spend the weekend doing work projects to get the camp ready.

We were only allowed to bring a sleeping bag, a sweater, and a few small personal items. They gave us very little food. And we weren’t allowed to speak. Lunch at one point was literally a single can of chicken broth. Each meal had a twist to it too. With the broth, for example, if you didn’t have a Swiss Army knife or someone nearby who knew how to use the weird little can opener attachment you were pretty much screwed.

The “Guides” overseeing the weekend were… let’s call them spiritually committed to the experience. They’d talk to us while we couldn’t talk back. Nap in hammocks while we worked. Occasionally eat fast food in front of us. Character building.

One morning they handed each of us an orange and two eggs. No instructions. No explanation. Just vibes. So if you ever find yourself trying to get into a secret society and someone hands you an orange and two eggs, here is how you cook breakfast over an open fire.

Eggs in an Orange Peel

What you need

• 1 large orange

• 1–2 eggs

• Small pinch of salt

• Small pinch of pepper

• Optional: cheese, bacon bits, or chives

• Campfire with steady hot coals

Step 1: Prep the orange

Cut the orange in half across the middle. Carefully scoop out the fruit so the peel becomes a little bowl. Eat the orange while you’re doing this because you are a hungry scout and also because wasting food in the woods is bad karma. Leave a little of the white pith inside, it helps protect the peel from burning.

Step 2: Add the eggs

Crack one egg into each orange peel half. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. If you managed to smuggle cheese or bacon into the woods like a culinary smuggler, sprinkle some in.

Step 3: Cook over coals

Place the orange halves directly onto hot campfire coals or nestle them gently between the coals. Let them cook for about 6–10 minutes, depending on how hot the fire is and how firm you like your eggs. The peel will darken and char slightly. That’s fine. The inside steams and cooks the egg perfectly.

When the whites are set and the yolk is how you like it, breakfast is served. Eat it with a spoon or just carefully peel the orange skin back and eat it like a tiny egg taco. Congratulations. You survived the secret society test.

The White Tea

• 1.5 oz vodka

• 1.5 oz peach schnapps

• 0.5 oz lemon juice

• Lemon-lime soda

Add the vodka, peach schnapps, and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake briefly and pour over fresh ice. Top with lemon-lime soda. Light, citrusy, a little sweet, and just strong enough to make the fire look extra cozy.

If you’re at camp and things have turned a little feral, you can also make it as a shot: 0.5 oz vodka, 0.5 oz peach schnapps, 0.5 oz lemon juice, splash lemon-lime soda, shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.

After-Fire Notes

Cooking eggs in orange peels works because the peel acts like a little heat-resistant bowl. The oils in the peel protect it from burning immediately, and the moisture inside creates a gentle steaming effect. It also gives the eggs a tiny hint of citrus that’s surprisingly good.

More importantly, it feels like a trick you learned from a mysterious forest wizard, which is the entire point of camp cooking. If you try cooking eggs in orange peels, a few small tricks make it easier.

Use coals, not flames. Flames will burn the peel before the eggs cook. You want the steady heat of glowing coals.

Nestle the orange halves slightly into the coals, but don’t bury them. Too much direct heat can scorch the bottom. Use a stick or small branch to move them, not your fingers. The peels get hotter than they look.

To remove them safely, slide a stick or knife under the peel and gently lift them out onto a flat rock or piece of foil to cool for a minute before eating. And if someone ever hands you an orange and two eggs with no instructions, remember:

It might be breakfast. Or it might be the beginning of your secret society initiation. Either way, the trick still works.