Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your three-month supply, and your longer term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed. Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!
This week for your 72-hour kits, add an ax and a shovel. These two items can be useful for various reasons during an emergency and should be items that you own already. Obviously, these will probably not fit into your actual kits, but you should have a short list of "grab" items that you should get on your way out the door if you are leaving in a hurry.
How's your three-month supply coming along? Don't forget medications and over the counter medicines that your family uses on a regular basis. Don't forget to also have "sick foods" like saltines, soups, and Gatorade. I recently bought a large can of powdered Gatorade that has proven to be quite handy when my kids and husband have been sick this past winter/spring.
We're still gathering rice this month for our longer-term storage. Along with the rice, don't forget to store flavorings like bouillon and other seasonings. What are your favorite simple rice flavorings? I also enjoy lemon pepper, but I'd love to branch out a bit. What kinds of flavorings do you use?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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5 comments:
We don't usually add anything to our rice, but if we're trying to get rid of rice that's been sitting for a while... lime, cayenne, cumin. Whatever sounds good in the spice cabinent.
Add chicken broth instead of water and any spices you like. We like to add garlic powder and Italian seasonings. Marjoram and rosemary are also good. Makes a nice pilaf.
If I cook rice that's not going to be part of a casserole or anything else, just as a "side" or as part of stir fry, or someething, I cook it with bouillon and rosemary and sage/marjoram. It's SOOOOO good!
I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I love to put brown sugar on my rice and eat it like oatmeal. It's good for breakfast or to have a little bit like that for dessert after dinner.
I'd like to respectfully disagree with the recommendation for an ax and a shovel in a 72-hour kit.
I have been backpacking and camping for years, and in my opinion, if there was ever a need to carry those items, I feel it would have come up by now. Here's my reasoning:
An ax is over-kill. It is very heavy, and to be honest...kinda' dangerous. In the hands of an inexperienced user, it is not uncommon for injuries to occur. A better tool would be a small multi-tool (Leatherman, Gerber, etc) with a saw attachment. The whole idea behind wanting an ax would be to cut wood for a fire or to cut wood to make a shelter. You can easily do the exact same with a safer and MUCH lighter tool. And I'll be honest, I usually just "break" wood with my hands and feet. Stomp on it, lever it between the ground and another fixed object, or even swinging. Dead wood is easy to break, and live wood can be easily sawed if necessary.
As far as the shovel, I'm assuming this is needed to make a latrine. I have owned a variety of eTools (aka army shovels) for years but I've never used one to make a latrine. They make a $1 orange plastic shovel that you can buy at any camping store, and I can see having that on hand, but not a full-blown shovel. Again, heavy and rarely, rarely used. You can use a stick to dig a hole for a latrine and you don't have to carry it with you when you're done.
My big mantra for a 72 hour kit is "weight...weight...weight". Yes, you'll probably just end up throwing it in the back of your car as you egress to safety. And so perhaps having these things isn't so terrible. But if you have to ditch your vehicle for whatever reason...leave those things behind and learn easier, lighter ways to accomplish the same thing.
Sorry for the long post - hope I'm not offending anyone, just wanted to offer my perspective.
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