A pot of garbanzo beans fresh from the solar oven

Solar cooking (harnessing the heat of the sun to cook food in a solar or sun oven) is a triple treat for me because it enables me to conserve energy, enjoy the outdoors more and cook delicious food all at once!  If you haven’t yet tried solar cooking (or have never even heard of it) read on for tips on why and how to get started.

Aside from the obvious benefits; saving energy and therefore money, solar cooking has many other added incentives.  It enables you to:

1) save time by letting food cook while you do something else

2) cook and pasteurize water wherever you are (on the beach, at the park, camping)

3) cook with less water and fat since the sun cooking method draws out the natural liquids (and flavors!) of foods,

4) feel empowered and keep cooking should you have brownouts or blackouts

5) be kinder to the environment, and

6) have fun in the sun!

My sun oven collecting rays

Perhaps the easiest way to get started is to purchase a solar oven from a sun oven manufacturer.  Some of the most well known manufacturers and sun oven proponents are The Solar Oven Society and Solar Cookers International.  They offer different models, all very affordable, and they use some of their profits in humanitarian efforts bringing solar cooking to developing countries where need is great.  Without the need to cook over a fire, women are freed up from traveling miles to gather firewood and they no longer suffer from respiratory issues related to cooking over a fire in closed in spaces such as huts of caves.  126 countries and counting have benefited.

If you’re excited about trying solar cooking, but don’t want to purchase a ready made oven there are ways to make them out of simple supplies that you may be able to find around your house such as cardboard, tin foil, glue and document clips.  A thorough discussion on various sun ovens that can be built at home, along with diagrams and instructions can be found in the book Cooking with Sunshine which is also a rich source of recipes.

Speaking of recipes, the ones that you can make in a sun oven include recipes for meat dishes (yep, with practice omnivores can make everything from a quick fish fillet to a slow cooked pulled pork), breads, cakes, cookies and all sorts of vegetable and grain dishes.  Virtually anything you can imagine cooking in your oven and many things you cook on your stove top (rice pilaf, sauteed green beans, thai curry) can be cooked in a sun oven.

That being said, my suggestion once you’ve made or purchased an oven, is to start with a simple pot of beans.  Beans are a long, slow cooking food and as such lend themselves well to solar cooking, particularly if you want to cook for several hours without checking up on them.  Try following these tips and you’ll be amazed at the outcome.

1) Soak your chosen bean (garbanzo, black, pinto, navy) overnight in cold water.

A thermometer in your sun oven is crucial

2) In the morning set your sun oven out to preheat (facing directly into the sun).

3) Meanwhile, rinse the beans with cold water and add them to a preferably black enamel or clear glass pot (white and metal reflect heat away).

4) Add enough water so that there’s about an inch of water over the top.  If you’d like, add some sea salt and a digestion enhancer such as a piece kombu, a bay leaf, or cumin.

5) When your sun oven has reached 150 degrees, place your pot of beans into the preheated sun oven to cook . Let cook for several hours and, if

possible, go out every half hour to an hour to rotate your oven  to face the moving sun, thereby helping your beans to cooking faster and more efficiently.  If you are not going to be home for several hours, position your oven at the best possible angle for catching the most sun, particularly at zenith. (You just want to ensure that your beans stay at 150 degrees or above until you are able to remove them).

6) Remove your pot of beans when it appears done, which is usually accomplished in about 2-3 hours in a commercial sun oven, and more like 4-5 in a home built sun oven.

7) Guestimate, have fun, and enjoy cooking with sunshine!

I have always loved these delicious treats but thought they were too involved, expensive or decadent to try, but this time I got resourceful.  First off, I did not have a double boiler which is the suggested tool used for melting chocolate.  So I went down to the Goodwill and was able to find two saucepans for $1; they didn’t match but they could easily stack.  I went to the co-op and picked up some fresh organic berries that were on sale, along with some unbleached wax paper (all for $8) and decided not to purchase any chocolate since I had remembered I had a solid dark chocolate Easter bunny my mom had sent me that I had never eaten.

Back in my kitchen I washed all the berries and laid them on a dish towel to dry.  I also laid out a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet on the counter next to the stove.  Next, I filled the bottom quarter of one of the saucepans with water and turned the heat on to medium.  I placed the other saucepan on top of it and began cutting the chocolate into smallish chunks and placing them into the top saucepan.  In no time the chocolate began to melt and I had the gooey pleasure of dunking each of the berries into the fondue until they were sufficiently covered with chocolate, and then delicately placing them on the wax paper.  Once all the berries had been dunked and set on the wax paper, I put them in the fridge to chill.  Easy!

Though they seem so indulgent there is really just about one Hershey’s kiss worth of chocolate on each berry and just one or two berries is enough to satisfy your sweet tooth (particularly if you use good dark chocolate).  I had so much fun making these seasonal, delicious treats that I had to share.

Hope you find new ways to create, indulge and enjoy this summer.

All the best,

Jenica

My intention for this blog is for it to be a source of information and inspiration, so check back often for a dose of good energy and food for thought.  We’ll cover topics including but not limited to yoga, meditation, flower essences, reiki, spirituality, seasonal cycles, holistic health for people and animals, supplements, healthy eating, recipes and cooking, nature, gardening, conservation and more. If you’d like to be reminded when I post a blog, just subscribe in the upper right hand corner.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Summer Solstice.  The longest day of the year is an opportunity to give thanks to the Sun and all the warmth and sustenance it provides us with.

I also want to wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day and to thank fathers everywhere for the role they have in our lives.

Today is a fitting day for celebration in many ways.  As you enjoy family, friends, food, fun, music, nature, or any combination of these, think of the joy these simple pleasures give you.

The power of joy and gratitude is immense; powerful enough to move mountains (and create balance).  So enjoy your day to the fullest!