Cooking a Meal In Jars

Cooking meals in a solar cooker using jars makes meals easy.

Put your main dish in a pot, and put your side dishes in jars.  (I use quart jars.)

Using one fairly good sized cooker, you can cook a whole meal in only one cooker.  If you need two, put the main dish in one and the side dishes in the other.

Sorry that this is short, but things are busy today!  :) 

Helping Friends and Family in an Emergency

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit my hometown.  My family was without power for nearly 3 weeks.  They were lucky - some areas didn't get power for 2 months. 


This was before many price-gouging laws were in effect or enforced.  Ice was $10 a bag (nearly 10 times what a bag normally costs now, 20 years later, so you can imagine how jacked up the price was compared to 1989 prices).  Propane?  If you could find it (nearly impossible), it was outrageous.


Luckily, my dad has always been a camping enthusiast.  He had a gas grill, plenty of propane, and lots of camping equipment.  They had lights, hot food, hot showers and more.


Dad cooked for more than just his own family during that difficult time.  When the neighbors smelled food cooking when my Dad fired up the grill, they came over and he was happy to share.  For some neighbors, the hot meal they had that day at my Dad's house was the only hot meal they had had in days.


I feel like being able to use a solar cooker in an emergency is even better than a grill.  I won't run out of fuel!


Having a solar cooker during an emergency can not only help your family, but can help others in an emergency.  Having a hot, hearty meal can make a world of difference in a crisis situation.  


This is one reason why I am so passionate about spreading the word about solar cooking:  it can make a difference in people's lives, and can provide help for families in need.

Using jars to cook in a solar oven

One way to cook several things at once is to use glass jars with your solar oven/cooker.

This is an especially good method when heating up foods from your emergency kit (which should have canned goods that merely need to be heated, not cooked).

Here is a video showing how to do this:

Solar cooking doesn't have to be about making a complicated dish all the time.  It can also be about simply heating up foods that are already cooked, such as canned and prepackaged foods.

Using a Parabolic Solar Cooker

So far we have talked about solar ovens when discussing solar cooking.  Solar ovens are similar in method to slow cookers - low heat over several hours cooks your food.


Parabolic cookers are very different, as this video will show:




The parabolic cooker focuses the sun's rays and concentrates them on one focal point.  That focal point gets hot very quickly, so you have to be careful not to get burned.  (Sunglasses are recommended when using a parabolic cooker.)


There are two common methods for cooking over a parabolic cooker.  One uses a wire base to set a pot or pan on.  The other - more common - method is to use some type of grill over the cooker.  You set the pot or pan on the grill at the focal point and cook like you normally would - the temperatures are very close to what you have on a traditional grill or stovetop.


If you use recycled materials, this can be a very cost-effective way of creating a solar cooker, as well.  

Solar Cooking Recipes

Many traditional recipes for a slow cooker can be used in a solar cooker, since the principles are the same.


I'm compiling a cookbook, but I'll be posting recipes here on the blog from time to time. :)

Pork Roast and Apples

1 medium-sized pork roast
3 apples, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 sweet onion, chopped
salt, pepper


Combine all of the ingredients in your pot.  Put the meat in first, and you can cut the roast into smaller pieces if you want it to cook faster.


Set the pot in your solar cooker and cook until the apples and onions are soft and the meat juices run clear.


Simple!  :) 

Solar Cooker Designs

There are so many designs that you can use, but here are a few of my favorites because they are so simple and cheap to make:












Simple and inexpensive!


Enjoy!

Solar Cooking for Emergencies

A solar cooker should be one of the main components in your 72-Hour Emergency Kit.


Why?  


You need to remember the Rule of 3's for survival:


You can survive...

• 3 minutes without air
• 3 hours without shelter
• 3 days without water
• 3 weeks without food

A solar cooker can help with water and food.  It can cook food, of course, but also purify water.  Fresh, safe drinking water can be scarce in an emergency.

"How Long Does it Take to Cook with a Solar Oven?"

The short answer:  "It depends."


Let me explain.


It will depend on a number of factors:

1. What you are cooking
2. How bright the sun is
3. How well your cooker/oven is insulated
4. How large your reflective surfaces are

Among other things.

Notice I didn't say anything about what the outside temperature was.  Outside temperatures really have little effect on how well or how quickly food cooks.  The most important factor is how bright the sun is and how well you can collect the rays.  You can cook during the winter on sunny days.

Solar Cooking Basics

There are numerous solar ovens you can buy, and there are tons of solar cookers you can make; however, they all have some basic things in common:

1. There is a way to reflect the sun's rays into the cooker or onto the pot.
2. There is a dark surface to absorb the sun's rays - the inside of a box, or at least the pot itself.  Some models use black ceramic tiles to absorb and retain heat.
3. There is a way to seal in the heat - either with a glass/plastic cover, or with a plastic bag around the pot (like an oven cooking bag).

If you have these three things, the designs you create are almost endless.

(Parabolic cookers are a bit different, and not as easy to construct.  They focus the sun's rays on one spot and cook more quickly.)

What is Solar Cooking?

Solar cooking is simply using the power of the sun in order to cook your food - much in the same way as a slow cooker works.  


You can use a solar powered oven, a solar oven cooker, or a parabolic solar cooker.  There are solar cookers for sale and also ones that you can make yourself.


"Why should I learn about Solar Cooking?"


There are many reasons why you should learn about Solar cooking:

1. Good for your budget - not heating up your house when you cook saves money on cooling bills.
2. Good for the Earth - no gas or electricity needed.
3. Good for emergencies - you can feed your family even when the power or gas is out.
4. Good for meals - food tastes better!
5. Good for your time - just set your meal in the cooker and go about your day - just like a slow cooker!

For more information about solar cooking, please come to a class or keep checking here for more resources.