Monday, December 26, 2011

Tin Can Hobo Cooking

While researching some survival stuff I washed then placed three raw Idaho potatoes in a tin coffee can. Once I had a nice bed of coals in my little wood stove, I put the stood the can up in them,shut the dampers and waited one hour.
The potatoes came out perfectly. The bottom one was a little charred, but totally edible.

I love this process because it didn't cost me anything and is fool proof. No aluminum foil, no garbage.
I'm saving the tin can. Has anyone else noticed that coffee cans, among other things are becoming mainly cardboard?



Some of the coffee containers have a metal bottom and top ring with the middle section being cardboard. This is no longer recyclable.
And, us hobos can't cook in them!

Back on the book reports. The Never Say Die has a whole chapter devoted to first aid, most of which is straightforward common sense. I studied the sketches detailing how to bandage with a large triangle, which seems to be the Canadian Air Force, circa 1979 preference. A large bandanna could be folded in half to create this triangle. I found it very useful just thinking through the support system the special wrap provided.

Ok, back to 2011. We're heading into the election year with complaints from the GOP candidates that Life Isn't Fair. They did not get their 10,000 registered voter signatures to qualify them for various ballots. Well, go shake some hands. What are you crying about?

How's it going in your neighborhood?

6 comments:

  1. Potatoes look great. My favorite coffee no longer is metal but cardboard. I almost missed it at the store yesterday, because of the packaging change. I wanted to experiment with a woodburning hobo stove. What is your favorite size can/brand make a stove?

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  2. Hm. When I use a few different sizes of tin cans, maybe it would be useful to scrub them out and stash them with the food stash. Might come in handy.

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  3. Hi Flo, the backpacking hobo stove that I used for my Foothills trail hike was a large tomato juice can. Its like 4 ounces, a little sooty, so use a plastic walmart bag for easy handling when cool, before packing it. Us hobos love walmart bags, you can find them everywhere, even on the trail!

    ok, then, I did try a hobo stove with a gallon size can, thats more for a base camp thing, but you can use larger fuel things, but you need a bigger pot base.

    I have started buying coffee in the gallon tin cans cause they have nice plastic lids. When the price gets outrageous, I'll switch. Right now walmart has the off brand for under 6 bucks, and its better than instant....just a hobo's taste buds here, no connosier.

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  4. I agree, proud hillbilly, we might not be able to get real tin cans soon. Cardboard juice boxes, paper stuff. I recycle too, so now the new packaging goes into the garbage. So sad

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  5. Thanks, I was not sure if it was a juice or coffee can you used. We recycle all our paper and cans, so I will be drinking some tomatoe juice soon! Excited to read about the Maya ruins on Fort Mountain. That's quite a hill to climb on a bicycle. Have a great new year!

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  6. Thanks Flo. You know you're a serious gear freak when you buy food for the container it comes in!
    Happy New Year to you too.

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