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This Survival Food May Make You Cry, But You’ll Want It Anyway
Survival Institute
Survival Institute

This Survival Food May Make You Cry, But You’ll Want It Anyway

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February 1, 2018

There are a few foods that seem more likely to make people cry. For my kids, it might be broccoli. For me, it’s probably beets. But everyone seems to cry with onions. Still, it’s a food that you should consider making a staple in your survival pantry.

Why? Well, the reasons go far beyond taste, though cuisines from all over the world love different types of onions. In fact, onions have a variety of practical purposes. For example, onions are useful in repelling insects. Yes, it’s true. That same strong scent that makes you tear up when cutting an onion in a kitchen also bothers bugs. Jhoanna Robinson writes,

Onions are good insect repellants. Just rubbing a slice of onion onto a specific body part can ensure that insects would stay away from that particular area. It is also useful for alleviating the pain that one gets from insect bites, especially bee stings.

Of course, being in the outdoors and, presumably, on the move to your bug out location or at your isolated bug out location, means that you’ll likely to find plenty of use for anything that can both make insects go away but can also soothe bee stings. In light of this knowledge, you’ll also be happy to know that onions can be used for an excellent pesticide. Again, from Robinson:

Insects are not a fan of onions, it is known. Therefore, onions can be a good ingredient in making an environmentally-friendly pesticide. Simply mix four onions, two cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of cayenne pepper, a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of soap flakes, and a quart of water in a blender, and then get ready for mosquito-free nights for you and bug-free days for your plants.

Another benefit is that onions can help calm bouts of vertigo, which may be especially useful if you are traveling in mountainous or higher elevation areas if you aren’t used to that elevation. Robinson notes:

Much more efficient than smelling salts, onions are an excellent natural therapeutic medicine for dizziness and headaches. The smell of a cut clove of onion is sure to minimize the reeling feeling in your head.

Yet another benefit is that onions can help to get rid of rust from knives. Simply rub an onion over the knife to clean the rust off.

And there are a number of other great benefits of using onions such as making dyes, removing splinters, and extending the shelf life of avocados (yes, really). In light of all of this, unless you have an allergy to onions, you may want to consider keeping this handy food with you.

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