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Mouse Droppings: A Tale Of Cooking Gluten Free In My RV Kitchen

Mouse Droppings: A Tale Of Cooking Gluten Free In My RV Kitchen

Buying a used RV is a crap shoot. So far it does not look like we have any roof leaks(knock on Luan), but we think the hot water heater may have leaked at one point causing some crumbling wood along the front of the sink and under the entertainment center. The floors seem very solid so we hope that no real damage was done. Overall I think we got a solid camper at a fantastic price.

On this blog I will be talking alot about being gluten free while living fulltime in an RV. I have celiac disease an autoimmune disease that has no cure. A gluten free diet is the only solution to the problem until science advances and finds a real cure. I also stay away from corn as it causes me problems too. So cooking is always on my mind. Alan set me up a blog www.mygfgirlfriend.com where I post gluten free recipes, product reviews, and rants. I like blogging there but want to focus more of my efforts here since this will be my life.

I thought cooking in our RV kitchen would be a pain because of lack of counter space, small sinks, ect. I have cooked my first full meal here today and found ways already to manage and enjoy cooking in my new home.

Our first meal was tasty. We had spaghetti squash with tomatoes and onions and Bilinski organic Italian Sausages with Porcini Mushrooms (the sausages were sent to me by Bilinski for reviewing purposes). Clean up after the meal was going smoothly. We filled the big pan with soapy water and used it to wash all of the smaller stuff in. Rinsing was done outside with the hose so as not to fill our grey water tank up as fast.

I am a messy cook and despite my efforts to not spill anything on the stove top while cooking I did drop some onion and splatter some tomato. I took off the grill piece that covers the gas burners to wipe the stove top off. That is when I caught a glimpse of the inside of the stove top. You know that part of the stove that everyone forgets to clean, right; the part where you have to lift the lid and cringe at all of the spilled food you have been neglecting for weeks. I caught a glimpse of that part and spotted tiny dark brown pellets… mouse poopy!

I do not know if Alan has mentioned this in other posts or not. We first found mouse or squirell turdlets when we removed the bunks to install Alan’s office desk. I thought it was squirell doo because there were also remnants of chewed up acorn scattered around. I immediately grabbed a vacuum and cleaned up all of the doodies I could get to.

I did not expect to find these gross little balls of excrement in my stove! I had just finished eating a meal cooked on that stove. I had thought to clean all of the exposed surfaces before cooking because cross contamination from the previous owners crumbs or spills could make me incredibly sick. I felt kind of dumb for not thinking our RV stove would have a lift off lid to clean under as well.

I immediately grabbed gloves a vacuum and a mega sized tub of Clorox Wipes. First I vacuumed up all of the visible caca (Alan supplied that word, thanks baby) then I went to town on the stove with Clorox Wipes until I was satisfied that all of the previous owners spilled food and the rodent crap was as disinfected as possible without actually disassembling the stove.

Thankfully the oven escaped the feces bombing as far as I can tell. It still needs some cleaning before I use it in case it is contaminated with gluten. My next project will be to remove the built in knife block that is silicone caulked to the space behind the stove. That will allow me to clean that space properly, and I may be able to convert the space. The knife block is set up to hold knives . I am hoping to turn it into a space for holding all of my kitchen utensils. I need to see how it is put together first. That will be its own post though.

I am constantly learning new things about my new home and our new RV lifestyle. Some are exciting and others, like the mouse stool, could put a damper on your evening. Don’t sweat the small stuff even when it is tiny and brown. Smile, remember why you chose to be a nomad, and blog about it!

Alan Cook

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