> Dear Mephibosheth: > > You have probably seen solar cookers. Here is a man that shows how you can > make an inexpensive, portable solar cooker out of a windshield reflector. > He explains it is helpful when you don't have fire or access to firewood. > Of course, there is no access to solar cookers if you cannot buy, but it > might be worth looking at for now. I will be investigating this. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtuE1SZtbLI > > This man has a weed video and one about how to make your own vinegar. Vigilant Watchman Addendum-- I just looked online to see how other people have made solar cookers. I don't want to buy one but just make one myself. They are very simple. I will see if I can use aluminum foil and cardboard or something similar. Another good point about a solar cooker is that you do not need electricity. Also, you can cook meals without having to constantly attend to a fire. Just set it up, and let it cook for a few hours. This is also a way of sterilizing water. Detractions that immediately come to mind are the need for sun (e.g. not overcast, raining, etc.) and shiny material that may not be readily available in nature. Solar coolers apparently may be used outdoors at night to refrigerate food. The reflective surface acts in the reverse way at night-- radiating energy outward into the night. I read that this method can lower the temperature water or other objects in the solar cooker by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit from the ambient air temperature. ********* Greetings and thanks for the link. I purchased a solar cooker (I haven't used it yet, waiting for spring) and the video link you sent me was very helpful. I've also wanted to make my own solar cooker, but the plans that I tried didn't work out for me. I need things that work and work fast. The one in the subject video is doable. I just have to make sure it is at the right angle. I have all the supplies needed. This spring and summer I plan to regularly use solar cooking. I think I also made some unfancy bread outside just with plain sun. I mixed flour and water and somehow put it in the sun and it cooked. It was doughy, but it was edible. I think that I had read that native Americans may have done that. When I was a child, I'd put wild mint leaves in a jar and let the sun heat it up and seep the leaves. Just sitting the leaves in a jar in the kitchen for a long time will cause their juices to come out (bruising first would probably help get them out better). I got on line to write you about fire so it is interesting that you wrote about solar cooking. I'll go on to your other emails. Mephibosheth > I just looked online to see how other people have made solar cookers. I > don't want to buy one but just make one myself. They are very simple. I > will see if I can use aluminum foil and cardboard or something similar. I know that you can do it. There is no need for you to buy one unless it was something you wanted in order to expand your outdoor kitchen. > Another good point about a solar cooker is that you do not need > electricity. Also, you can cook meals without having to constantly attend > to a fire. Just set it up, and let it cook for a few hours. This is also a > way of sterilizing water. Yes sir. All of these are very important. > Detractions that immediately come to mind are the need for sun (e.g. not > overcast, raining, etc.) and shiny material that may not be readily > available in nature. True. I figure that on those days when there is no sun, I eat raw or leftovers. In the old days (and in some countries today), rotten meat was buried in the ground for a month or so and eaten. Fish sauce is made from fish that has been rotting outside in the sun for about 2 years. In terms of the water, a cistern and a purification system of rocks, pebbles, sand, and whatever can be found can be used. Aboriginies collected the morning dews. > Solar coolers apparently may be used outdoors at night to refrigerate > food. The reflective surface acts in the reverse way at night-- radiating > energy outward into the night. I read that this method can lower the > temperature water or other objects in the solar cooker by as much as 20 > degrees Fahrenheit from the ambient air temperature. I've read that. This is a good reminder. I want to experiment with this. ********* Mephibosheth: Here is a link if you wish. The windshield reflector ($3) temperatures reach 350 degrees very quickly. People bake breads, vegetables, whole chickens and other meats with this. At night, if you place a jar of water in the center you can have a jar of ice in a few hours. http://www.solarcooking.org/plans/windshield-cooker.htm ******** Thank you. The idea with the stick is good because in my past experiments I think I had an issue with the wind.