"Camping tips for long term or week end trips"
Camping Tips
These camping tips are extremely helpful if you happen to be camping along a body of water. You may be surprised to discover that you have access to one of natures refrigerators. We used to camp out a lot so I have quite a few camping tips to share. We used to tie a yellow rope around the handle of our gallon of water and milk jugs and let them sit in the water to keep them cold.
Yellow rope was easier to see in the water. Plus, we used that yellow rope to tie things to the top of the car or truck (like bedding)to keep them off the ground during the day. You can use a 5 gallon metal bucket with a tight fitting lid and place enough rocks in the bottom to keep it sitting upright in the water. You should still tie it to something to keep it from being swept away with the waters current.
If the water is cold enough or the weather is cold, you can store your cooked meats, cheese etc in this container. Water should be higher on the outside than the food is on the inside to keep the contents of the bucket cool. Keep a rope on it and stake it in the ground or tie it to a strong tree. Animals won’t smell the food as easily (or at all) and will most likely move on.
These next few camping tips are geared toward those campers who are living outside in a tent or a small vehicle and there’s no body of water near. Long term camping can be frustrating in many ways. Food storage is at the top of the list! You may need to use another way to keep your food cool. This can be done by keeping food in the trunk of your car in cold weather or digging a hole in the ground.
To keep your water, milk, eggs etc from freezing in the winter snow, dig the hole before the first frost to plan food storage for the winter. Camping tips aren't just for those on vacation. I spent most of my childhood camping out. I've actually used all of these tips!
Place a few layers of newspaper in the hole and then put the food on top of the newspaper. Put a few more layers of newspaper on top. Place a plastic trash bag on top of the newspaper. Place a piece of cardboard inside the trash bag. Cover the trash bag with a light layer of dirt. Just enough to hide it. This will serve as a make-shift door to your food. During the snowfall, you can simply lift the cardboard to get what you need and replace it again. Make sure to keep heavy snowfall shoveled off for quick and easy access.
If you experience minimal to no large wild animal problems, you can store food outside in a wooden box with a latched top. Depending on your weather, both day and night, you can store almost anything you would normally put in a fridge. To keep food from freezing, line the box with a quilt or old blanket. Use a staple gun to keep the blanket in place.
These are camping tips for washing dishes while on a camping trip. It doesn’t have to be a Walt Disney production. All you need is water and dirt. No. You don’t need soap. I'll show you how to get the germs off the dishes safely to keep you and your family from getting sick. But use soap if you’ve got it! If you don’t have soap, use wet dirt and rub it over your dishes to remove food particles. Dirt is a natural abrasive like sand at the beach. Rinse the dirt off first with river or lake water. Next, rinse the dishes with bleach treated water if possible. Cold or warm, it doesn't matter. Use 8 drops of unscented bleach for every gallon of water and stir with a clean utensil. Let sit for 30 minutes. This water is safe for you to drink if you have ran out of bottled or other drinking water.
If you are camping along a body of water,use the river or lake water. Try not to use your drinking water. Wash and rinse your pots and pans the same way. Place pots and pans over campfire or stove and heat until water has evaporated. They are clean and ready for your next meal. You can also heat river or lake water to at least 212° F and boil for at least 1 minute to make it safe for consumption. Once cool, it’s safe for drinking. Of course, you can use this water for cooking too.
Your best cooking and clean up options during a camping trip may be large, one pot meals for a family of more than three. Here are a few examples to help you. Start preparing these meals at breakfast time and let them simmer to doneness, stirring occasionally.
Chili
Garlic beans to make refried (use for burritos, tostadas etc)
Stews
Soups with pasta (chicken noodle)
Soups with rice
Chicken and Dumplings
These meals will take a while to cook but you will have more than just one meal for your family. Clean up will be very fast and easy. Pass these camping tips along to anyone who needs them! Always help out fellow campers!
Camping Tips to Breakfast Casserole Recipe
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