The power's out for days at a time. Survival preparedness
Good morning, all.
I tried to bump an old thread with this topic, but it appears to not have worked. So, with the busiest time of hurricane season approaching, I thought a discussion on camping/survival meals might be timely once again.
What supplies do you stock up on for times when the power may go out? I know I generally look down my nose at many canned products, but when the power has been out after a week, and the frozen meats have been cooked to make them last just a few days longer in the coolers, what do you eat to get you through these times?
I grew up on the coast of Florida, and many times the answer was to leave home until power was restored because damage was so extensive. But I am now in the middle of the state where wind and minor flooding may occur, but damage is not so bad as to be dangerous and staying put is the wisest bet.
When the power first goes out, we use the grill extensively for as long as the meat in our freezer retains ice crystals. As soon as the ice crystals are nearly gone, I grill up the rest and portion it into zipper bags to keep in the ice chest for three more days.
The following site was shared in the other topic I tried to bump up, but it is one I have had for a long time as well. Boy Scouts Camping Recipes (http://www.boyscouttrail.com/boy-scouts/boy-scout-recipes.asp in case the html does not work)
I love using my non-enameled cast iron Dutch Oven on camping trips and in these situations. You can cook nearly anything in there and eating a variety of meals brings comfort to dealing with the boredom that lack of power brings.
What are you favorite camping/survival recipes?
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11 Comments:
Ya know, that is a good question! I was a first class girl scout many years ago, but I haven't camped in some 40 years so if there is an emergency/no power I am stuck. They are calling for some major flooding tonight due to Bill and I am hoping that I don't have make a plan. We live in a town with an important substation belonging to the electric company and when there is a power outage it is rarely long and they give out dry ice if it lingers. I am spoiled and this thread will give me some advice, no doubt and a reason to think ahead.
janaatwg at 1:17PM on 08/23/09
We have a camp stove and a grill, so we can cook pretty much anything.
CJ McD at 2:03PM on 08/23/09
We practically never have a problem (those are famous last words, aren't they) but 11 years ago there was a very bad ice storm in the northeast and some people here were without power for a month (I lost mine for a few hours). My sister lost power for a week last winter in Kentucky, by which time she'd run out of wood for the stove which they were using for heat and a little cooking. So I guess all of us should think about this.
When I prepared for camping a long time ago, I made sure to keep things very light weight, but that's not really an issue here at home. I tend to think I have enough boxed goods and some canned goods in the house to last a few days. I have an electric stove though, so the boxed goods aren't going to serve me well. I have canned beans, canned fruit, tuna fish, peanut butter. I'd do well to see there were crackers in the house to go with those things! My freezer sits in the garage, and in winter (when I'm most likely to have a problem) it will keep the food for quite a while.
So. If I could drive I'd bring food to the house of a friend with a wood stove. In the ice storm of '98 there were some roads that stayed iced over for a few days making driving impossible.
The one thing I know I don't have and need to have is a few gallons of water. I don't usually drink bottled water, but it would be pretty essential in an emergency. Of course there's always the reservoir of water in the hot water heater, but it's hard to remember not to let it mix with incoming water which could contaminate it.
lemonfair at 2:30PM on 08/23/09
I'd be much more worried about losing heat than electricity during our winters in WI.
The power was out for a few days last spring due to severe flooding. We have a big freezer and had plenty of food to share with neighbors. We were all stranded, so we might as well help each other out.
As mentioned above, having several gallons of bottled water on hand was essential (we did and had some frozen too), since there was a chance the city lines were contaminated.
CJ McD at 3:47PM on 08/23/09
Living in Houston for 30 years, I am all too familiar with the need for hurricane preparedness. One of my best friends during a power outage is my little propane burner I got at the restaurant supply. I use it to make coffee (boil water, use a French press!) and to heat everything without having to turn on a huge grill.
We stockpile a lot of tuna and peanut butter - great for making sandwiches when it's just too hot to heat anything. Neighbors all get together and we grill everything in our fridges and freezers together and share. Makes the meals a lot more fun!
There are a gazillion items you can store for this type event. Make sure you have lots of water, too! Our water went out last year after Ike and didn't come back on for days!
Chef Jo at 5:23PM on 08/23/09
when i was little and we knew the power was most likely going to go out, my parents would always make a HUGE HUGE bowl of air popped popcorn, along with some pans of homemade pizza, and we would all sit on the porch and eat and watch the storms roll in. not practical for hurricanes, but it is a favorite memory of mine. i suppose its a tornado alley thing - everyone loves to sit outside and look for funnel clouds.
listener at 7:34PM on 08/23/09
I have always been taught to *never* open the fridge/freezer if the power is out. Unless it lasts 3+ days, and then grill all meats and rescue all veggies there if you can. The times I have been without electricity, we wimped out and ate restaurant food.
Of course there are staples in your pantry you can use. Peanut butter, jams, bread, canned fish, canned fruits or veggies, any fresh fruits or veggies (now is the time to test does a raw onion really taste like an apple?), canned chili, baked beans, can cook dry beans & rice if you have a heat source, candy, nuts,
blizcheetah at 7:55PM on 08/23/09
the thing that got me through Ike? Vodka
hungryinhouston at 8:59PM on 08/23/09
It was gin for us after Charley and the other 4 that year. We solved some of the problem by installing a whole house generator that comes on 30 seconds after the power goes off. However, i have been hurricane ready all my adult life as we lived in Houston and then south Florida and i always have several cases of water, nutrition bars, chunky soups, chili and stew, canned fruit all for use after you and the neighbors have eaten every thing from the freezers and fridges. If the power still isnt on, you can flee to family up North or a hotel ( if you can find one that isnt full of electric company workers). Charley was a moveable feast as we ate our way through the neighborhood. It was a good time for a while.
ocarol at 9:37PM on 08/23/09
I'm a newbie to Houston, so Ike last year was exciting! We used our propane grill and ate everything in the freezer - from the gallons of organic blueberries, to the meat. Gearing up again for Hurricane season. Saving all my milk jugs for water and making sure the pantry is well stocked with easy quickly available food. (Though I REALLY hope it doesn't happen again.)
I have enough dried beans to carry us through almost any adventure.
Elizabelle at 8:55AM on 08/24/09
I suppose it'd easiest to stock the provisions part of an emergency kit with MREs and jugs of water. MREs can store for a pretty long time and are self heating.
In addition to what has been brought up (like having a portable grill and cooking perishables as well as using pantry items), I would say cooking fish with acid (survival ceviche!) is probably a good way to go. It's a way to cook if you don't have a grill or heat source to cook with.
@blizcheetah: I don't understand the rational for not opening your fridge/freezer for 3 days. As I understand, this is regarding survival prep, not a minor blackout not due to disaster/emergency. For a short power outage, seems reasonable not to release the cold that is built up since you aren't about to try to eat all the food. But I can't imagine most fridges or freezers being well insulated enough to maintain food for 3 days. At that point in a disaster/emergency, you may really need that food and some of it might not be so great anymore.
wunami at 4:41PM on 08/28/09