Camp Hygiene I
Cooking, Meal Prep, Hand Washing, and Equipment Hygiene.
1. Hand Washing
This one covers several areas, and is one of the most important. A few years back, we spent a week on a guided river rafting trip. The trip leader's qualities, in addition to having an intimate knowledge of the area through which we traveled, was his insistence on one one aspect of camping,
hand washing. Without exploring all the reasons why this was important, our guide made it plain that this was not a negotiable requirement, so much so that he placed his hand washing station at the beginning of the line for food. While it was not so stated, his rule was, "either wash or don't eat." Everyone washed, at least partially because the food was sooooooooooo good.
Personal hygiene does not stop there. As important as it is for the diners to wash up, it is just as important, if not more so, for the cooks. and their helpers, to do so as well.
As with most things, the easier the task, the more likely is is that it will get done. Enter the Wishy Washy. Many of our campers have adopted this ingenious device into their regular camping gear. Like a doctors wash station, the Wishy Washy is foot operated, meaning that no one need touch it. It is easy to operate, small enough to easily stow in the vehicle, and easy to set up.
- Wishy Washy Improved DTK.jpg (128.71 KiB) Viewed 2198 times
On a somewhat related, and possibly controversial topic, I need to note that the type of soap we use can make a difference, both in terms of effectiveness and health risks. Here I refer to soaps that contain "antibacterial" ingredients and other nasty chemicals. A controversy has been brewing for some years over the effectiveness and health risks related to soaps that contain these ingredients.
Preliminarily, it should be emphasized that the purpose of hand soaps is to remove contaminants from the skin. In a very real sense this can very effectively be done with just regular soap by means of the mechanical process of vigorously rubbing hands together, for 20-30 seconds. Multiple studies have shown that this simple hand washing technique can remove almost all viruses and bacteria. The addition of an antibacterial ingredient in soap is purported to kill bacteria only,
not viruses, and has become controversial not only for the claim that it kills bacteria, but more importantly, for its possible negative health effects. The Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, has an excellent article explaining why, here:
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017 ... hold-item/.
The other issue for so many of todays products, and in particular, soaps, are the multi-syllabic, unpronounceable chemicals that soap makers include in their products. If this is of concern to you, grab your favorite soap container or wrapper, and find the ingredient label, and look 'em up. For me, I
prefer the simpler approach of soaps that contain only natural ingredients (nothing antibacterial.) Azure plant based and natural hand cleaners ( no antibacterial agents, SLS, SLES, Laureth-7, EDTA, Phosphates, or Phthalates).
- Azure Hand Soap.jpg (23.65 KiB) Viewed 2198 times
2. Kitchen Hygiene
Closely related to personal hygiene is kitchen hygiene, and it includes, equipment cleanliness, food prep areas cleanliness, and dish washing. In each of these areas, your greatest tool to improve hygiene is, hydrogen peroxide. So first up.....
Cutting Board Cleanliness
Pet peeve here. Watching one of our cooks pull out a well used, dirty cutting board, just gives me the shakes. Dispensing with the wood vs plastic cutting board debate, I will only mention that I use white plastic. For me its cheaper, easier to clean, and easier to see when its dirty. The key here to good camp hygiene is not the material from which your board is made, but how well you keep it clean. I've seen this enough to know neglect, when I see it.
- Dirty Cutting board-1.jpg (37.69 KiB) Viewed 2196 times
Cutting board maintenance is not difficult, and while diluted bleach can be used, hydrogen peroxide and/or vinegar will not be as harsh on the board, AND will kill the bad stuff just as well. With a small bottle of both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, you will be able to remove the worst contaminants from your cutting board, with these steps:
- Wipe all food residue from board with damp cloth or wash as usual
- spray entire surface of board with vinegar let sit for a minute or so, and then dry
- spray evenly with hydrogen peroxide and let sit for a few minutes and then dry with paper towel.
Vinegar is an effective disinfectant, and hydrogen peroxide is effective at killing bacteria and viruses. Together they contribute to a clean food prep environment
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Observe expiration dates, as the 3% solution will lose its effectiveness quickly
- Badly stained plastic (nylon) can be cleaned by leaving HP on the surface for longer periods of time, (preferable done before the trip)
Most stores will carry this small quantity of HP, and it looks like this:
- Hydrogen Peroxide spray.jpg (19.21 KiB) Viewed 2196 times
Food Preparation Area Cleanliness
Most all of us use a table of some sort to prepare meals. It takes very little effort to clean these surfaces. Pick up a spray bottle (or two) of hydrogen peroxide and make sure that the contents are fresh. For personal safety, also opt for the plastic container (to avoid broken glass.) A quick spray and wipe down of your prep surfaces is great camp hygiene.
Dish Washing
This one is plain simple. Hot soapy water and a good rinse. The good rinse is as important as the wash, as you don't want soap residue to be cooked into the next meal.
The ingredients of common dish washing soaps are another example of multi-syllabic, unpronounceable chemicals that soap makers include in their products. Again, If this is of concern to you, grab your favorite dish soap container or wrapper, and find the ingredient label, and look 'em up. For me, I prefer to use a soap on my dishes that is as free of the nasty stuff as possible, and in that regard, at least at the moment, this is the best I have found.
- Branch Basics.png (107.08 KiB) Viewed 2181 times
