Solar cooking tip, and dogpen hoophouse

I was able to pull out one of my single box solar ovens today and warm it up. It got up to 250 F. before I put food in, afterwards it stayed steadily at 210 F. Because so many solar cookers like to reuse and recycle items, hence, reusing cardboard boxes for solar cooking, I wanted to share also something I had that wasn't being used, a chainlink dog pen, and had my husband transform it into a great little makeshift greenhouse.

Now, as fruit and veggies begin to ripen, I can now just take them directly to the solar oven next to it.

Just wanted to share with you some of the things I do personally to reuse items that don't get used much around here.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• solar cooking
• green living
• reuse
• recycle
• greenhouse
• hoop house greenhouse
• dog pen

[rosemacaskie]

dear solar cooking nut . I wrote what i wanted to say before i read the comments and then i saw that you had commented on masonary stoves , I would like to make one but without being able to moblize a group of people to help it seems like a daunting job. it is really nice to read an answer, i suppose that with all your magasines you have read about larry hartweg too . yours rose.

[solarcookingnut]

I am thinking of buying a smaller woodstove to put in our bathroom, then put dry sand in the bottom, then line well with fire brick, then, stack bricks under it, and around it till level with the top of it. then begin stacking brick across the top. This should produce an oven that will radiate heat long after a fire goes out for at least a few hours.

[solarcookingnut]

Hi Rose,

I found the videos for Larry Hartweg. Though I have never heard of him, I do have alot of books that cover what he discusses about passive solar energy. I have collected alot of information over the years on it. Thank you for telling me about him, I will be watching more of his videos.

[rosemacaskie]

Dear solar coooking creative woman. When i tried to do solar cooking i had problems,apart from it being then winter, though this is Spain, the wind was pushing down the reflectors, I'm not in the country often to do much solar cooking. Can't you design some ways of backing up the reflectors? On greenouses, have you seen larry hartwegs, zero energy design abundant energy in harmony with nature. HE talks of water in barrels you of sand sand sounds good you didn't say much about it.

[solarcookingnut]

I was always a curious kid growing up, so solar cooking was something I thought I would really like. I spent several years studyingup on it before I had the time to actually do it. One way to deal with wind is find a sheltered spot, maybe by a building or cubbyhole. One man I seen used the bed of his pickup truck to put his oven against. using a building or car will help shield the oven. I think I have heard of him, will have to check him out.

[rosemacaskie]

Dear solar cooking nut, i wrote about masonary stoves oin your comments, the directions on the web i gave are for making them yourself. /I really like your bits on solar cooking you make it seem possible. 7It is a bit nutty using the pretty green house for wood and the dog house for plants.but i like the ideas for easy greenouse making .rose, madrid spain.

[solarcookingnut]

LOL, we build buildings for particular things and then later it seems it gets used for something else, lol the reason we used the old greenhouse for wood was we were buying wood that wasnt cured out yet, so this was a way to dry it out fast. I was also working and had no time to use the greenhouse anymore, so, wood drying became its job, LOL.

thank you for your comments! Hope you try out solar cooking!

[rosemacaskie]

I was thinking of making triangular shaped cushions behind the reflectors of the solar cookers to hold them up against the wind or, making triangles in wood to tie the triangles to. I had made a lot of reflectors and some boxes but when i got to the country i found out there were lots of details I had not got worked out, like I am not good at cutting glass, though I am getting better and there are no turkey bags here, so no solar cooking for me yet, just another step on the road.

[rosemacaskie]

Dear solar cooking nut , i went of for the weekend and when i came back i was sort of on a different track thinking about farming not cooking and i haven't answered your reply. I think covering a bought stove in brick is a great idea, only i am trying to think how to open the stove door. I like doing things the easy way first and then trying a harder way. If i start with the hard way i get to scared of failing to go on.

[solarcookingnut]

Hi! I have been wanting a masonry stove for years, but, other things kept getting in the way. the woodstove we use is pretty efficient and the wood is very very dry so not alot of smoke comes out of the pipe most of the time. I have alot of countryside and mother earth news magazines about masonry, cob and rocket stoves too. I would love to have a brick oven for baking breads too! So much to get into, not enough time or money, lol.