Once a morning has been scented with sizzling bacon, scrambled eggs and hot-off-the-griddle flapjacks, you’ve got a memory for life that bears repeating. Although not a breakfast eater on most days, I grew up with the concept and embrace it heartily. It’s how families bond, children feel special and friends connect. Something about the sleepy hour of breakfast time puts people in a mellow mood. Politics and religion are dinner party fare. Morning conversations are more along the lines of where to find the best apricots for jam or which trails to hike.

I learned the importance of breakfast from the master, my uncle Reg. His energetic pancake productions always lured observers into the kitchen on those sleepy, lazy mornings at their country house in Northern California. He made quite a show of it — and my cousin Bonnie and I made the perfect audience. We giggled and gawked at every act he performed, from the operatic tunes he sang off key, to the breaking of the eggs (held high, and broken swiftly with a single blow from his left hand).

From his post at the stove, while beating the egg whites to an exact stage of firmness, he would direct the troops to the proper setting of the table, the heating of the syrup and the melting of the butter. During the act of folding those perfect egg whites into the batter, he would lecture us all on the importance of perfectly executed egg whites.

Thanks to such childhood memories, breakfasts take on a special significance for me under three conditions: Summer’s in the air; we’re gathered at some sort of retreat, be it campground or cabin; a hoard of likable people are milling about.

Well, those conditions merged last month for a group of us invited to Margy and Dave Buchanan’s Corvallis-area century farm and winery to celebrate the summer solstice. The Friday eve of the solstice had its own charm with plenty of the house wine, Tyee (with good friend Dan Bottom’s private label, Chateau Derriere, holding its own), and a outdoor buffet table groaning with potluck offerings from smoked salmon to grilled albacore and rockfish to brats, along with a decadent array of salads and savory sides.

The morning of the first and longest day of summer unfolded slow and lazy for the 12 who survived the night. Under the fresh summer sky, coffee and conversation eventually morphed into breakfast mode as our pal Paul Tate whomped up a batch of buttermilk-laced flapjacks while I quickly cooked up mounds of heavenly scrambled eggs loaded with delights sauteed and staged the previous day. We reached the finish line in perfect harmony, as hungry friends sat down to a hearty-but-simple meal, rounded out and perfected by friend Peg Herring’s homegrown and canned peaches and applesauce.

A few tips for making outdoor or cabin breakfasts for a crowd

First of all, take a clue from my husband when it comes to bringing along the necessities to pull off cooking breakfast for a group. As self-appointed equipment wrangler (and with years of experience living with me!), Steve figured out what we’d need to facilitate cooking under rustic conditions: He filled a couple of flip-bins with extension cords, portable butane hotplates with extra gas canisters, two electric griddles, plenty of aluminum foil, zip-top baggies, dishwashing soap and towels, sponges and extra water.

Additional basic cooking equipment to consider: nonstick skillet, medium to large lightweight pot, portable grate (if cooking over a fire) or portable gas or charcoal grill, tongs and spatulas.

Extravagant equipment to consider: We love our portable gas burner that uses a small butane cannister. In fact, we love it so much we have accumulated three of them! They are relatively inexpensive (we paid $15 for one several years ago and about $20 for the third one).

• Figure out your menu in advance and measure ingredients ahead of time and pack in zip-top bags. Label each bag accordingly.

• If your cooler is large enough, opt for block ice over cubed; it lasts longer. Or better yet, fill gallon milk jugs or 2-liter soda bottles with water and freeze; they keep the cooler cold and won’t create a puddle in the bottom of your cooler.

• Use a separate cooler for drinks so as not to open the food cooler too often.

• For your final camping breakfast, use your leftover meats and vegetables to make omelets.

• Prechop ingredients such as onion, peppers, etc., at home, then pack in zip-top bags. Also consider precooking sausage and bacon, then freezing for a quick breakfast preparation.

• Instead of risking broken eggs, crack them at home and gently place them into a hard-sided reusable water bottle or quart-sized canning jar. They transport really well this way. You can pour them out one egg at a time (really!) or simply dump the contents into a bowl to whisk for scrambled eggs.

• Have a supply of kitchen equipment/utensils packed and ready to go for spur-of-the-moment outings: decent knives (a chef’s knife for chopping; a paring knife; a serrated knife), a nest of bowls, spatula, can opener, wire whisk, grater, sieve or strainer, tongs, disposable lighter, wooden spoons, serving spoon and fork, paper plates, cutting board, kitchen towels (bring enough of them so you don’t have to worry about laundering them during your trip), paper towels, quart- and gallon-sized zip-top bags, plastic wrap, heavy-duty foil (can be used for everything from lining baking pans for easy cleanup to constructing individual meal pouches to cook over coals, or even as a stand-in for a simple grill or a water bowl for your pooch) and garbage bags.

• Cook ahead whenever possible. For example, instead of buying expensive precooked bacon, buy 2 or 3 pounds of thick-cut bacon and cook on a cookie sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and freeze or refrigerate. This “almost-cooked” bacon can be quickly reheated in the microwave or in a nonstick skillet, and there’s no messy bacon grease to deal with. Additionally, preshred your cheeses and precut fresh vegetables into nibble-sized portions.

— Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, cookbook author and artist. Contact: janrd@proaxis.com.