The season for campfires and toasty marshmallows is here. But man cannot live by s’mores alone.

So it’s hardly surprising that camp food has inspired its very own publishing niche, complete with practical, macho and whimsical approaches to the fine art of the weenie roast. The newest batch of camp cookbooks includes a British charmer, a macho Tim Allen-esque tome and what can only be described as “camping with Jeeves.”—The best of the bunch is Annie Bell’s new “The Camping Cookbook: 95 Inspirational Recipes, From Hearty Brunches to Campfire Suppers” (Kyle Books, 176 pp., $16.95) — and not just because it’s encased in a plastic sleeve that evokes old Brownie Scout handbooks.

Bell is the British food writer behind two particularly tasty volumes — “Gorgeous Vegetables” and “Gorgeous Christmas.” This camping foray was inspired by Bell’s husband’s wish to spend his birthday on a sailboat-camping vacation. So when Bell says these recipes are tried and true, she means they were tested under conditions that will make your Mount Diablo or New Brighton setup look like something out of “Top Chef.” Your work surface may be a picnic table, but at least it doesn’t bob up and down.

Bell’s prep tips alone are worth the price of the book. And the paramount consideration for everything — from her basic camping marinade to the cucumber feta couscous, grilled pork chops with aioli and Cowboy Coffee Beef — is to minimize the water required, both in preparation and cleanup. The book is obviously written by someone with experience in scrubbing camp pots. With cold water. In the dark.

It’s a very British book, so American audiences will be alternately charmed (Enid Blyton references!) and put off (egad, kippers?). But there’s plenty of humor and practical wisdom. And like any good camping book, there’s a heavy emphasis on bacon and coffee.—Stand-up comics Mike Faverman and Pat Mac sprinkle plenty of humor into “Ultimate Camp Cooking” (Andrews McMeel, 216 pp., $14.99), which riffs on the DVD cooking series of the same name.

It’s a book for guys who like to camp, carouse and cook hardy food that’s rich enough to horrify cardiologists and aromatic enough to make the entire campground jealous.

(Campground jealousy is a theme of the book. Also, bears and off-color stories. Tim Allen’s character on the old “Home Improvement” sitcom would have loved this book.)

Unfortunately, all that flavorful aroma relies heavily on canned and processed ingredients. A recipe for Mexican Lasagna, for example, calls for cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, enchilada sauce, nacho cheese sauce and refried beans, layered between ready-made, corn tortilla shells.

It’s not an entirely can-opener-centric volume, of course. The book also includes recipes for grilled asparagus, salmon with fresh herbs and a Dutch oven blueberry cobbler.—“Campfire Cookery: Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 304 pp., $29.95) is a curiosity in itself.

Co-authors Sarah Huck and Jaimee Young, recipe developers and testers for New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark, have lavished considerable attention on their prose. Some might find the results charmingly whimsical. Others may not. Here’s the introduction to a recipe for Charred Fennel and Finocchiona Tartine:

“After a long day amongst the Boticellis at the Uffizi, nothing pleases like a stroll to the nearest piazza for a goblet of Chianti and a platter of this revelatory sausage laced with wild fennel seed harvested from the wooded hills and uninhabited fields of Tuscany.”

In her foreword, Clark confesses she’s not entirely sure when her assistants are joking, but she knows a good recipe when she sees one. We do, too, and there are many here. But we don’t nibble tea sandwiches when we camp. And it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be dining on this duo’s squab stuffed with pâté and served on china.

That said, a campfire breakfast that includes a Flying Dutchman’s Asparagus and Aged Gouda Omelette sounds pretty darn fabulous. As long as there’s coffee. And bacon.

CAMPING MARINADE—Yield: About 1/2 cup

1/3 cup lemon juice1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed into a paste1 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:1. Combine all ingredients in airtight container. Shake before use.2. Store in a cool place.Note: Marinade also can be used as a salad dressing.

“The Camping Cookbook,” by Annie Bell

CUCUMBER AND FETA COUSCOUS—Yield: 4 servings

1 mug couscousExtra-virgin olive oil, dividedPinch sea salt1 1/2 mugs boiling water1/2 cucumber, quartered and thinly slicedA few small fresh mint leaves, torn6 tablespoons Camping Marinade (see recipe)A couple of handfuls of green, pitted olives7 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Procedure:1. Combine couscous, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and salt in large bowl. Pour in boiling water and set aside. It will be ready in 10 minutes, but for the purposes of this salad, leave it to cool, then fluff it up with a fork.2. Toss in all remaining ingredients, adding feta last. Drizzle with a little more oil before serving.

“The Camping Cookbook,” by Annie Bell

DUTCH OVEN BLUEBERRY COBBLER—Yield: 4-6 servings

1/2 cup each all-purpose flour and granulated sugar1/2 tablespoon baking powder1 cup heavy whipping cream3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup fresh blueberriesConfectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Procedure:1. In large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cream and butter. Mix until it makes a sticky dough.2. Grease 6 individual ramekins. Drop about 1/4 cup dough into each ramekin and use your fingers to spread it evenly across bottoms and up sides to form a cup for the filling. Put a few spoonfuls of blueberries in each cup.3. Place ramekins in Dutch oven and pour a little hot water in bottom, so ramekins are half-submerged. Cover Dutch oven and put 8 hot coals on top and 4 around the outside of the bottom, but not underneath. Cook 35-40 minutes, or until dough has cooked through. 4. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

“Ultimate Camp Cooking,” by Mike Faverman and Pat Mac

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN’S ASPARAGUS AND AGED GOUDA OMELETTE—Yield: 4 servings

6 ounces pencil-thin asparagus, ends trimmed1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil1/2 teaspoon kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper, to taste8 large farm-fresh eggs, divided2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided2 1/2 ounces aged Gouda, grated (about 2/3 cup), divided

Procedure:1. Prepare medium-high heat fire, with flames occasionally licking grill grate. Let it burn steadily 30 minutes.2. Toss asparagus with oil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Carefully lay asparagus across grill grate. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to plate.3. In bowl, whisk together eggs and pepper to taste. Place skillet on grill. Drop in 1 tablespoon butter and let melt. Pour in half the eggs and sprinkle with half the cheese. Cook until sides and bottom are lightly set, about 2 minutes.4. Arrange half the asparagus atop omelet. Fold omelet over asparagus and cook 1 minute more. Divide omelet in half, and serve.5. Repeat for remaining servings.

“Campfire Cookery,” by Sarah Huck and Jaimee Young

Stand-up comics Mike Faverman and Pat Mac serve up off-color stories and recipes for rich food in “Ultimate Camp Cooking,” which riffs on the DVD cooking series of the same name. Photo by

Annie Bell’s new “Camping Cookbook: 95 Inspirational Recipes, From Hearty Brunches to Campfire Suppers” minimizes the use of water. Photo by

It’s sometimes hard to tell when the authors of “Campfire Cookery: Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors” — New York Times recipe developers — are joking. Photo by