S is for Sun Oven

Tomorrow is Earth Day, so I'm breaking from my usual writing theme to talk about something topical.

Hubbles and I have been talking for years about getting solar panels put on the roof. We go around and around about whether it's cost effective, how long it will take for them to pay for themselves, whether the government is giving rebates for them at the moment and how much of a rebate we could get, whether we could even mount them in a place that would get enough sun to make it worth it, whether we should do it now or wait until we replace the roof shingles with a metal roof, and on, and on, and on.

We still don't have solar panels on our roof. Or anywhere else on our property, for that matter.

But there's one form of solar power that we agree on: solar powered cooking.

Enter my Sun Oven. It's about 1 1/2 feet deep x 2 feet wide x 1 foot high. It's all black inside and out, except for a glass lid. It has a foldable metal collar made of aluminum. It has a leg on the back so I can adjust the angle so that it's always tilted just right to make the most of the sun's height in the sky. And it gets hot fast - up to between 400F and 450F in 15-20 minutes, the same as our conventional oven.

So far this year, I've made steamed potatoes, chicken, rice, and pasta. In the past, I've cooked salmon, bread, roast beef, roast pork, birthday cake, stew, even boiled eggs. It keeps the food pretty moist, so it's not great if you're after crispy skin or anything like that, but for a pot roast or a casserole you can't beat it.

Our neighbours think we're pretty wacky. But then again, they all complain about how hot their houses get when they cook in the summer. Just sayin'.

What's the most extreme thing you've ever done for the sake of the environment?