Tag Archives: hiking

May 20 2015

Check your kit

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit

Some of you may follow my Tumblr (http://offthearrowshelf.tumblr.com/)  or instagram (https://instagram.com/offthearrowshelf/) sites. Those that do, will have seen my recent post about checking the contents of  your first aid kit. For those that haven’t I’m going to expand on it a bit here.
Whether camping, skiing  hiking or enjoying field archery I always carry a simple first aid kit, either in my backpac, day sack or on my quiver belt. It doesn’t take up much space and weighs nearly nothing. One tip I have found is to put everything contained within into waterproof zip bags. It keeps the kit together and more importantly dry.
It’s nothing fancy, just a simple kit you can pick up from most outdoor stores with a few extra items, I’ve added over the years like antiseptic wipes, spare micropore tape, antihistamine cream, dehydration sachets etc.
I’m no medic but I have patched a few people up over the years and found it amazing how few people carry such a kit. It’s one of those things you hope to never have to use but am glad to carry. As it has been said “you hope for the best but plan for the worst“.
First aid kit and spare arrow tube

First aid kit and spare arrow tube

Since it’s the start of the summer and the 3d championships are just round the corner I use it as a reminder to check, replace and refill the kit. It’s worth checking to make sure everything is within date as sterile dressings, antiseptic wipes etc have a limited shelf life. When in Cotswold Outdoors this last Saturday I noticed they sell a refill pack for first aid kits, which is a good simple means by which to restock.

One addition to the kit this year is a tick card, which is a small credit size card with a magnifying glass and simple prongs to help you remove a tick (http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/lifesystems-tick-card-b3210065).
There has been a number of articles in the news about the spread of ticks and the increase in the number of reported cases of Lymes Disease.

Lymes Disease is a potentially serious condition and here is a link to a recent BBC news article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32429228 and another on the dangers of tick bites http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27255853

As if to prove the point within 3 hours of posting the original photo on Sunday, the kit was being used. They had been doing some maintenance at the wood and badly cut his hand when trying to saw some wood.

Thanks for reading

Feb 24 2013

Winter warming recipe for days shooting

Okay I know I am going slightly off topic here, but I thought I would share with you a soup recipe that  is an ideal winter warming soup when served with a couple of large slices of wholemeal bread.

It is excellent if you are out and about in the woods practising and need something warm. We keep it in a thermos flask and have it with a couple of slices of bread.

Since the recipe produces about 10-12 servings so we tend to freeze it in double portions and reheat it in the morning at home before we set off for the day.

How much does it cost and how many does it serve? We normally get about 10-12 portions from these amounts. Since all the ingredient are veg its pretty cheap and if you buy the pumpkin after Halloween it’s even cheaper. We grow a lot of the ingredients so this helps keep costs down.

 Ingredient list

  • 1 large size pumpkin
  • 2 onions
  • 4 -5 carrots
  • 1 Butter nut squash
  • 1 Swede
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 3 chilies red
  • Large piece of ginger
  • Cumin, Salt and pepper to taste.
The ingredients

The ingredients

Cut the pumpkin up and put pieces into a baking tray, sprinkle with cumin and a little oil, then slowly roast in oven for about an hour at about 200 degrees.

Roasted Pumpkin

Roasted Pumpkin

By baking it, the skin is much easier to peal off and it releases the sugar in the pumpkin. The skin should come away relatively easily using a sharp knife.

Skinning pumpkin

Skinning pumpkin

Whilst the pumpkin is in the oven it gives you time to  peel and dice all the vegetables.

Dice all the veg

Dice all the veg

Finely chop the chilli and ginger adding them to a little oil in large cooking pot.

Ginger and spices

Ginger and spices

Add cumin, black pepper and a little salt for seasoning and allow these to soften.

Soften spices in the pan

Soften spices in the pan

When they have softened Add the chopped vegetables to the large, read very large pot.

Make sure you use a large pot

Make sure you use a large pot

Leave this on a low heat for a few hours until all vegetables are cooked. Stir regularly to avoid it sticking to the pot and burning. You may need to add a little water to the pot so vegetables don’t burn.

A few hours later

A few hours later

Taste and add spice if needed.

Warning, it will get spicier once cooked, so don’t overdo things at this stage. Also I found after freezing it , it can taste the chilli a lot more.

Once all the vegetables have cooked you will want to leave it cool before you blend it. We run it for about 20-30 seconds in our blender so its not too thick but it’s up to you. If you want it to be smoother then blend it for a longer period of time.

Once blended

Once blended

We then serve it into a series of pots to freeze. It keeps for a couple of months this way and we can then reheat it when we want it for shoots down at the wood.

Finished soup ready for freezing

Finished soup ready for freezing

Thanks for reading and hope you find it useful and tasty 🙂