Solar Cooking

A few weeks ago, we had a pumpkin that was starting to go moldy. (Lesson learned on better preservation for pumpkins than in freezing temperatures on the porch for Halloween before bringing them in the house.) Not wanting to waste the whole pumpkin, we decided to cut it up and take the majority of it that was good and prepare it for pies and cookies.

Needing to get this done on a very busy weekend, I pulled out our Global Sun Oven, cut it up into large pieces, placed them into a large roasting pan and put it in the oven before going to church. It was a cold (36 degrees) and partly cloudy day. After getting home from church three hours later, it was over 275 degrees and the whole oven cover was covered in condensation from the moisture the pumpkin was letting off as it cooked.

I let it go another hour to be sure it was done, but I needn't have done so. The pumpkin was perfectly cooked, if not a little overdone and was easily peeled and mashed.

My point is that if it had been an emergency, it would have been just as easy to cook a stew, make some biscuits, or cook some potatoes despite the cold weather. On warm spring days, I have gotten the oven up to over 400 degrees. As long as there is sun, it will cook or bake.

Having multiple methods with which you can cook is very important. I'll discuss other options later. Just rest assured that a solar oven makes the best baked potatoes. They're my favorites.

- Mark

Value is based on perception.