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Solar Cooking and Drying

  • 1.  Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 02-18-2021 09:36 AM
    I look forward to any news from ASES members regarding the use of solar cookers and dryers. I suggest this thread focus on this use of solar thermal as opposed to heating buildings or generating electricity from thermal solar. I also highly recommend participation in the Solar Cookers World Network group on FaceBook, which is the largest social media forum focused on solar cooking at over 5000 members from around the world. Many innovations in solar cooking get their first airing on the SCWNet.  The Solar Cookers World Network
    Facebook remove preview
    The Solar Cookers World Network
    This is a group about solar cooking and related simple technologies such as heat-retention cooking, food drying, water pasteurization, and thermal storage, etc. Please note that we have a companion...
    View this on Facebook >



    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger, Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 2.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 02-19-2021 04:14 PM
    Please see solarcookers.org the established organization promoting solar cookers worldwide.  They have a wiki page that displays and discusses myriad solar cooker designs.  https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Solar_Cooking_Wiki_(Home)

    ------------------------------
    Michael Mora
    Owner
    SOLectric Electric
    energyman@solectric.com
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 02-20-2021 02:44 PM
    Thanks for promoting Solar Cookers International and their wiki, I just joined their External Outreach committee, fortuitous timing given the creation of this forum! As part of a solar cooking video podcast series, I interviewed the originator or SCI's wiki, as well as SCI's other main wiki moderator--Tom Sponheim and Paul Hedrick: https://youtu.be/vEwHzqSiZF0  I urge any ASES members who've even "dabbled" in solar cooker designs, to post their sketches, photos, videos, and narratives on the SCI wiki. Also if you are interested in being interviewed for my next season of podcast videos, reply privately. If you are east of the Mississippi, I'll be roaming around on a road trip of video visits in June. If west, I'll be back on the road in October.

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 02-22-2021 05:03 PM
    Thank you for the information! I can't wait to look into it more.

    ------------------------------
    [Adam] [Vicksman]
    [Membership & Database Analyst Intern,]
    [American Solar Energy Society]
    [avicksman@ases.org]
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 02-26-2021 09:25 AM
    Edited by Luther Krueger 02-26-2021 11:59 AM
    My humble contribution to the cause is to capture the current history of solar cooking inventors, promoters, advocates across North America. At least until the pandemic breaks, I'll be hitting the 48 states on two road trips a year. My first complete season can be found in this Vimeo Showcase: 
    https://vimeo.com/showcase/7876771 
    I have about a dozen lined up for each side of the country, central and east coast states in June and returning to the west in October. Anyone even at the shallow end of the solar cooking pool in terms of participation, by all means drop me an email, I can likely fit in a quick Covid-safe visit!


    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Award Winner
    Posted 02-27-2021 02:19 PM
    Luther, good goal, solar cooking and drying is very effective. My wife from Santa Clara Pueblo, always cooks her beans with our solar oven. As part of New Mexico Solar Energy Association, we have a large Villager Oven. One xmas, we cooked our entire dinner in it from turkey to potatoes, pie, chile and our sons birthday cake. It never rose above freezing outside. New Mexico cultures have a strong history of sun drying food. This book, " How to sun dry your food" by the Self Reliance Foundation, documents the ways and recipes for drying food used in NM. There is also a how to set of plans and cut list for a solar dryer I designed in 1982. The book is out of print but I do have the plans and we are willing to share.



    ------------------------------
    Mark Chalom
    Builder/Architect
    Solar Design & Analysis
    solarch@rt66.com
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 05-09-2022 10:34 AM
    Hi Mark,
    I am very interested in the plans. Please could you send them to me via email: ambafarmersvoice@gmail.com
    Thanks

    ------------------------------
    Isaac Zama
    ambafarmersvoice@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 05-10-2022 10:37 AM
    Hi Mark,
    I am also interested in buying a copy of your plans. 
    Thanks,
    Pat McArdle
    solarwind1@mac.com

    ------------------------------
    Patricia McArdle
    Global Advisor
    Solar Cookers International
    solarwind1@mac.com
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Award Winner
    Posted 05-11-2022 11:02 AM

    Hello Patricia and Isaac, thank you for your interest in the plans for the solar dryer. Its a nice unit I designed long ago. It was the bases of a book on building this unit. Sadly there are no more books available but Ill check again.
    I am now finishing up a college class and need to complete my ASES papers. Things will ease up next week. At that time, I can get the plans scanned for you and send along. The book has a lot of photos and notes. So if you are building this unit and need some help, let me know and I can send some details. 

    What I would like in return is how you plan to share this, if you build, I would like a few pictures. And credit for the design. I get back with you soon, Mark Chalom



    ------------------------------
    Mark Chalom
    Builder/Architect/ Educator
    Solar Design & Analysis
    Santa Fe NM
    chalomm@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 05-11-2022 02:10 PM
    Thank you so much Mark. Good luck with your paper, and look forward to it when you get the chance. 
    Isaac





  • 11.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 05-20-2021 11:01 PM
    Hi Luther,

    Sounds like a great project.

    No history of solar cooking would be complete without including Dick Wareham from Wisconsin. He started SunStove and was quite active with solar cooking, especially in South Africa. Sadly he passed away in 2004.

    Good luck on your journey and please stop by the ASES conference in Boulder the first week of August if you can work it into your schedule.

    ------------------------------
    Robert Foster
    Assistant Professor
    New Mexico State University, College of Engineering
    Las Cruces NM
    rfoster@ases.org
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 05-21-2021 04:28 AM
    Agreed! I actually visited his son, David Wareham, in Milwaukee ten years ago, had lunch and recorded an interview with him. At the time I was thinking of writing an article or even a book about solar cooking, and I was impressed with Richard Wareham's work. I only have the audio with David and it's marginal but I uploaded it to Youtube to have it "auto-captioned"--YT's not too bad for that, though I am in the middle of editing some of the garbled words. Ultimately I'll make the interview public there as part of my podcast series, the only visual is the SunStove which I have in my collection. But maybe those with an interest in the many histories of solar cookers will learn something from it as I did.

    I crashed the party of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association members' "Sun Fun" zoom call last night and I might add a surgical strike trip  to ABQ for a webinar with them on solar cooking, if it's the general range of dats as the ASES conference, you might see me in Boulder! More likely though I'll pass through NM in October in the middle of my 3rd season of podcast visits. But I'll post the podcasts here as I get them edited when I get back from my June visits with 20+ solar cookers out east, and again for out west in October... I hope to drop in on David Wareham again, video this time and better sound. Regrettably the manager of the South Africa office of SunStove closed up shop about a year ago, I'm eager to find out if David is working on bring it back on board.

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-02-2021 03:02 PM
    Season 2 of my solar cooking video series is in the editing room!  Here is a sneak preview of all episodes recorded during our trip from Houston to New York, Kentucky to Cambridge, and many other locations east of the Mississippi River: https://youtu.be/0nOvxgMnrK0

    And if you missed Season 1, here is the link to all episodes for the series which is ongoing, on YouTube--BTW I'd love it if you'd subscribe!--

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdb_Ho2BW4n0VwNHKAvOQ2gMlFaR5koAt

    Season 3 will bring us out west again, where we already have over 30 solar cooking folks signed up! Subscribe to my YT channel and/or look for individual episodes for all my videos to premiere on facebook.com/groups/scwnet

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-05-2021 10:56 AM
    I love this! Thanks so much for sending the links.  I just ordered a new GoSun Fusion after using my GoSun Sport for a few years.  Looking forward to having more room in the oven and cooking in all types of weather.  Can't wait to watch your videos.
    Thanks! Dara

    ------------------------------
    Dara Bortman
    Exact Solar and ASES BOD
    Yardley PA
    dara@exactsolar.com
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-05-2021 11:54 AM
    Hope you enjoy the videos--everyone I've visited has been so generous with their time and creative with their use of solar energy, I'm sure you'll find a few projects in them that you'll want to try out. Although I can't play favorites, Craig Bergland's episode I saved for the season finale last fall, as he does things with solar thermal and PV that boggle the mind. I'll be back out to Reno again in October, to do a follow-up with loose ends we weren't able to get to in the 6 hours we visited...

    I know you'll like the Fusion, a good amount of space and a hybrid to boot. Watch for my episode with Patrick Sherwin of GoSun to get some of the inside dope on his wild ride from concept to putting the company and it's variety of cookers together.

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-05-2021 11:50 AM
    I hope there are solar cookers on the National Solar Tour so if you can encourage any homeowners with solar cookers to be on the NST ASES National Solar Tour | Experience Solar in Your Community , that would be super - esp. if any have one of the cookers built into the south wall of their home.

    ------------------------------
    Debra Coleman
    Architect
    Sun Plans
    debra28@sunplans.com
    https://www.sunplans.com
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-05-2021 12:00 PM
    I'll have my Fusion at my Solar Site for the NST!!


    Dara Bortman
    (267) 544-9228
    www.ExactSolar.com

    Take a look at our excellent customer reviews on solarreviews.com.  We are proud to have earned an Angie's List Super Service award for 7 of the years from 2013-2020, to have earned a spot on SolarPowerWorld's Top Solar Contractors of North America list for 2014 through 2020, and to have been named one of Inc. magazine's top 5000 fastest growing companies in America 2017, 2018, 2019, & 2020!







  • 18.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-05-2021 12:11 PM
    Ah, we aim to please :) I actually have a Through-The-Wall-Oven built into the south wall of my garage, it will reach 300oF/150oC. Since I collect cookers and prefer to cook outside, I don't use it as much as I could but when I'm in the "studio half" of the garage, and it's sunny enough here in the "Variety Weather Belt" (aka Minnesota/Midwest) I'll throw something in around 10am to slow cook for supper. We also have the SunDish, created by Milind Kulkarni of India, mounted outside Jo's 2nd floor office window, also south facing. It's a great slow cooker and also a proof-of-concept that even apartment dwellers with an equator-facing window can solar cook!
    Inspired by Barbara Kerr of Snowflake Arizona!


    Re: the Tour, I have had the form up for a couple hours, as my Museum (our humble back yard solar deck) collection needs some airing out... The problem is I'd planned to head out for my 3rd season of videos out West on October 1. So I've tentatively plugged the week before, on a Saturday, to host a virtual Solar Brunch, much like the brunches we host with totally solar cooked food. Also I might try a few of my video interviews as live-streamed for the rough cut and then edit for posterity on my YT channel... Stay tuned!

    But I'll post the Tour link to the largest solar cooking facebook group, facebook.com/groups/scwnet  I am a co-moderator for the SCWNet and it is growing rapidly, with almost constant discussion from the basics to unique solar cooking designs.

    I'll post again here when I have more nailed-down details of my own participation in the tour!

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Silver
    Contributor
    Posted 02-27-2021 04:26 AM
      |   view attached
    We used to build our own solar cookers and used them nearly every day to cook meals while we were doing construction of our Earthship in Ohio.  In fact we did a project with the local elementary school and all the 5th graders built solar cookers (150 of them) and he held a solar cooker party in the parking lot one day.  We put together a little booklet on how to build your own cooker (only costs a couple of dollars to build one).  Happy to share it - I have attached it to this post.

    ------------------------------
    Jay Warmke
    Owner
    Blue Rock Station LLC
    jay@bluerockstation.com
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)



  • 20.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 02-27-2021 07:10 AM
    Great book, if you have a moment to check out the SCI's wiki (solarcooking.org will get you there), I'd urge you to post the book there. The great thing with the wiki is that it is quickly filling a lot of the gaps in solar cooking history--when I started my podcast series I was worried I'd only have a couple trips and cover most who'd done more than dabble, but I'm planning at least 5 seasons' worth in the next 2 years--and more after I retire then...

    I have a cooker design, half-baked (so to speak) that works well, needs some design improvements, but I post it there for others to riff on (https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/SunPortal). One small way to, if not exactly have an earthship here in inner city Minneapolis, at least an "earth dinghy"? :) Also sending you an email shortly!

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Silver
    Contributor
    Posted 02-27-2021 11:05 AM
    One of the first things regarding "solar" that I ever built, was a solar cooker. We used to go out in the parks, set it up and cook ourselves lunch. No matter where we went, a crowd would gather with a 100 questions.... those were the early days....

    ------------------------------
    william fitch
    Owner
    www.WeAreSolar.com
    fcfcfc@ptd.net
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 02-27-2021 11:41 AM
    Solar cookers are great conversation starters! Do you still cook solar? Jo and I keep a collapsible compact parabolic (SunPlicity.fr) in our car and will break it out at rest stops for lunch on long road trips, and at campgrounds when we're staying for a day, plus our rellies' back yards when we're visiting.

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Silver
    Contributor
    Posted 02-27-2021 01:35 PM
    Have not done any solar cooking since the early days...

    ------------------------------
    william fitch
    Owner
    www.WeAreSolar.com
    fcfcfc@ptd.net
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 03-24-2021 09:24 AM
    The bi-annual solar cooking conference, Consolfood, recently held an online webinar on a simple panel cooker with a lot of power for cooking, baking, water pasteurization. The cooker "Light Oven" was designed by Hartmut Ehmler, who also covers ways to promote solar cooking in your community. The webinar was recorded and all are welcome to view it:  https://educast.fccn.pt/vod/clips/22z6yivxs1/streaming.html?locale=pt

    A future webinar will feature a request for solar cookers worldwide to put together a 90 second video on baking bread in any solar cooker that they may use. The videos will be stored in a Playlist on my Youtube Channel--I welcome subscribers who will be notified when those bread videos are compiled and when I start posting my second season of visits with solar cooking enthusiasts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4GQvBjZFZoDTp49zfWT9g

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 25.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 03-24-2021 09:56 AM
    This is very cool, Luther! Thank you for sharing! Do you have anything you would like ASES to share on social media about this event/webinar and how others can participate? 

    Please let me know and @Luis Ramon will be able to share the info online!​

    ------------------------------
    Carly Cipolla
    Director of Operations
    American Solar Energy Society
    http://ases.org
    ------------------------------



  • 26.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 03-24-2021 11:07 AM
    I'll post the details when the bread video request is made by Consolfood, but anyone can view past CSF webinars at: http://www.consolfood.org/ . And the main force behind Consolfood is Celestino Ruivo, Professor at Instituto Superior de Engenharia in Faro, Portugal. Celestino can be reached at cruivo@ualg.pt and plans are in the works for an online conference in 2022--I'll also post when they start to accept paper submissions! I attended last year in January, just before the pandemic was declared and moderated a discussion about how to promote solar cooking in one's own community. Lastly, Celestino will also surely post details about the next conference and subsequent webinars on the largest FB group that covers solar cooking -- I'd encourage everyone with an inkling to try solar cooking to sign up -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/scwnet  I'm one of the moderators for that FB and we make sure it stays focused on solar cooking and drying.

    Hope that works! Feel free to edit the above to fit!

    ___________________________________

    Luther Krueger   612-290-9450
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    Minneapolis MN   44.94N 93.28W  el 270m / 886ft  

    Learn all you need to know about solar cooking: https://www.solarcookers.org/
    Check your home's "walkability score" at http://www.walkscore.com/

    "Fooling some of the people all of the time, since 1959!"






  • 27.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 05-10-2021 11:49 AM
    Watch this space! For more Solar Cooking podcast video interviews :)  I have 20+ solar cooking designers, promoters and users in the eastern US lined up for my next podcast season in June. New episodes will start airing in July. And 30 more have signed on for a video visit out west in October!

    For my Youtube channel playlist link to: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdb_Ho2BW4n0VwNHKAvOQ2gMlFaR5koAt
    I urge anyone with a yen for solar cooking to subscribe, as I am getting a great response from active solar cooking promoters and designers.

    One new addition to the playlist is an audio interview I had 11 years ago with David Wareham, son of the SunStove designer and promoter Richard Wareham. I am editing the close captions which are necessary due to the noisy cafe environment. The first 15 minutes should be good, but the remaining 1/2 hour might still have some weird transliterations. And I hope to replace it with a video interview with David soon! I also added a visit with the Solar Oven Partners director Marj Evans de Carpio and volunteer Gene Bethke, they have some great ideas about promoting solar cooking and assuring those adopting the practices keep it going in their communities.

    Lastly I posted earlier about the Consolfood group assembling a set of bread-making videos. We've gotten a good set of submissions and I'll post the updated link when they are public, meantime keep your eyes peeled for any new solar cooking webinars on consolfood.org

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 28.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 05-11-2021 09:37 AM
    Kudos to Luther Kruger for his ceaseless efforts to make the world a better place by spreading awareness of solar cooking via his you tube channel, Facebook and his Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.  
    I invite anyone interested in solar cooking to also check out my you tube channel: solarwindmama. It includes videos on solar cooking in Africa, Afghanistan, on the Navajo reservation, on the beach in Oceanside, California and much, much more.
    Author, Farishta, a novel about Afghanistan
    Videographer renewable energy
    Member Global Advisory Council,  Solar Cookers International
    Board of Advisors, Solar Household Energy


    ------------------------------
    Patricia McArdle
    Global Advisor
    Solar Cookers International
    solarwind1@mac.com
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-08-2021 01:48 PM
    Solar Cooking in the Cluth: Season 2, Episode 1 is now posted on my YT channel: https://youtu.be/qrGCbsYsB0Y 
    Steve Harrigan has constructed a hybrid solar cooker the likes of which I have not seen elsewhere. Most hybrid cookers are solar box or tube cookers, with an electric heating element built in as a backup. Steve's cooker can be used where there is no grid nor PV or batteries to be had.

    Upcoming episodes: The backstory of GoSun... Two friends who build one great solar cooker, helped others promote solar cooking in Peru... Several episodes with educators with a variety of ways to teach physics through solar cooking... How solar cooking meets all 17 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals... The case for hybrid cookers...for phase change/heat storage materials cookers...for solar cooked popcorn, roasted coffee, and just plain rice & beans...for recognized standards testing of solar cookers... and much, much more!

    Also in previous posts I made mention of the Consolfood's bread-making webinar, this snuck up on me quicker than I was ready to prepare here but it was recorded, and here is the playlist which as a member of the CSF's webinar team, I set up in Youtube also. It is divided into two parts, one set of very quick videos and another with longer, more elaborate processes.
    Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdb_Ho2BW4n1BX1NctOe1uFcH1Am7A8j1
    Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01sk9YjcKrk&list=PLdb_Ho2BW4n1QsTQlAAokUfg5XLss8byb
    Link to consolfood.org for past webinars and if you're game for a virtual presentation on solar cooking for their conference in 2022, check out their call for abstracts!

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 30.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Award Winner
    Posted 07-14-2021 03:22 PM
    Hi Luther, here is some good New Mexico cooking. No chocolate chip cookies for us.


    ------------------------------
    Mark Chalom
    Builder/Architect
    Solar Design & Analysis
    chalomm@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 31.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-14-2021 06:42 PM
    Thanks Mark! Is that the Villager I heard of at the last online meet-up with the NM group? Looks like it's in great shape :)

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 32.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Award Winner
    Posted 07-15-2021 09:27 AM
    Luther, yes that is the old NMSEA villager.  My wife and I would take it to native gatherings and cook healthy traditional foods. It was given to a stem school and is now laying on the ground trashed. Sadly NMSEA has not taken me up on the offer to fix it up. What is promoted now is just PV with electric cooking. Most New Mexicans cannot afford PV or induction stoves.

    ------------------------------
    Mark Chalom
    Builder/Architect
    Solar Design & Analysis
    chalomm@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 33.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Chapter Leader
    Posted 07-16-2021 09:45 AM
    induction hot plates 50-100 $ at lowes walmart homedespot online not the 2000$ of builtins

    Sent from my iPhone




  • 34.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-28-2021 10:55 AM
    Tillreda induction hot plate at IKEA, $44.95. Works great!  Also, they have several induction cooktops and an induction range with convection oven (Tvarsaker, stainless steel) for $1099.

    ------------------------------
    Roger Davenport
    Oceanside CA
    solarguy@cal.berkeley.edu
    ------------------------------



  • 35.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 08-13-2021 12:02 PM
    Season 2 Episode 4 in my Solar Cooking video series: Wyldon Fishman of ASES and Solar Cookers International briefly covers how solar cooking meets all seventeen of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. https://youtu.be/KEJNHB9KEcI

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 36.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 09-01-2021 03:05 PM
    Here's my latest Solar Cooking Video Series episode, with David Chalker:  https://youtu.be/O-dftV8CcjY

    "If there's no sun, there's no fun, there's no food," David is fond of saying, and his perpetual quality improvement work on SunBD's hybrid cookers demonstrates the value that a strategically inserted heating element adds to a sturdy box cooker. While on the trail of the story behind the SunFocus and Ugli hybrid cookers, we also hear some sage advice from a designer and producer who listens to the "wisdom of the crowd" of his customers.

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 37.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 09-02-2021 10:32 AM
    Hello,
    I apologize for not adding to the solar cooker question. I can remind people that many cars, esp the wide angles windshields of hatchback cars, provide a good deal of solar warming, i.e. drying, if the car is placed in the sun and facing a good direction.. I've used my car for drying apple slices (some varieties work better than others) and making fruit leathers.

    Solar produce dryers are available commercially (Lehmans) that can be placed in southern windows. October is especially a good time when humidity has come down, plenty of ripe produce is available, and fewer insects.

    I also put items in the car from the basement with all the recent rain.

    If you have solar panels, then slow cookers are an indirect way to make apple butters with the lid removed, to let the steam out.
    Christine Feinthel






  • 38.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 09-03-2021 09:48 AM
    No apologies necessary! Of all the items to "repurpose" for a green use, it's kind of poetic justice to cook and dry foods in a car :) I've thought of designing a cooker that would have it's own window, but with a felt/wool cushion that would conform and lightly seal against any window inside the car, to take advantage of the glazing already in place and keeping the food "indoors". I'd have the extra pane to reduce the risk of thermal shock to the car window itself. Might try it on a road trip soon!

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 39.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 09-15-2021 10:05 AM
    S2 Episode 9 from the Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking: Mary and Jennifer share their many strategies for outreach, education, and networking to expand the use of solar cooking, at home and abroad. Their Solar Education Project is a model for any organization hoping to spread the word. And you can help (shameless plug) spread the word too by subscribing to my YouTube channel, where I have over three dozen new video guests scheduled for October and November! https://youtu.be/bJGDRhjRIKw

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 40.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 11-05-2021 04:55 PM
    I just finished a 37 day solar cooking video tour of the western states, with 30+ new episodes for my series: https://www.youtube.com/c/BigBlueSunMuseumofSolarCooking

    I'm not monetizing the channel, but would love it if all on the ASES list would subscribe.

    Generally it'll take me a week to edit each episode, and I have 6 from Season 2 still in the "editing booth." But you can see the first season and most of the 2nd season at the above link. I look forward to attending the conference next year in Albuquerque, where I recorded 2 episodes, plus one in Cerrillos and one in Santa Fe! When I'm back in June I have another dozen in the region I'd like to interview, and welcome any suggestions from ASES for people I should track down and shoot--with my production pack of phone cams, of course :)


    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 41.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Chapter Leader
    Posted 07-13-2022 11:46 AM





  • 42.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 07-14-2022 10:04 AM
    Looking for someone to complete a solar system install in the Winchester, VA area.







  • 43.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 12-23-2021 10:15 AM
    I've posted my latest video for the Museum's historical archiving project :)  If you haven't heard of Sun Buckets yet, well you have now: Link to https://youtu.be/5vWFjsG_dwQ and find out how a "collaboration of collaborations" has resulted in a viable phase-change-material cooking system that is already being promoted in Kenya, India, Haiti, and several other countries. Look for Part 2 regarding this team January 2022! 


    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 44.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Posted 12-23-2021 03:32 PM
    I did check on solar cooking International and solar cooking in Africa in general. There was some criticism of solar cooking that it was taking too long, even in sun drenched countries such as Kenya.
    One young person won an award for her application of solar energy to use for communal clothes ironing (solar panel on a bicycle..). Since many cars are themselves solar "heaters", would putting a solar cooking device in a parked car, increase the heating temperature and decrease cooking time?. The lower, slower numbers of solar cookers would work well for making yogurt and cheeses???

    Christine Feinthel





  • 45.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 12-23-2021 05:20 PM
    The first efforts years ago focused on simple, inexpensive panel cookers (the CookIt being the most popular model to copy) which was always challenged to compete with fossil fuel or wood fire cooking. Gradually as better box and parabolic cookers became more prevalent, they got the attention of many in-country groups--box cookers for baking, parabolics for high-heat wok/frying uses. Also many community-sized cookers have been developed like the Scheffler and the Sun Oven Villager. The Sun Buckets seems more like a family volume cooker given the length the bucket holds the heat. I think many restaurants in regions with a lot of sun, could use these for cooking entrees after many open which is sometimes not until 4pm. 

    Some have tried cooking in cars, but they would still require the same heat-isolating traps, insulation, and possibly extra reflectors to bring the temperature up to what most commercial box cookers would reach on their own set out in the sun (300oF/150oC). Adding reflectors would be hazardous however, as most vehicle interiors are made of the kinds of plastics that melt at the very low end of the cooking temperature spectrum, and would off-gas bad stuff.  That said, I've thought of fabricating a dashboard cooker that would snug into the windshield, which would act as the first of two thermal panes, and the box would conform to the shape of the dash, with enough insulation to make for cooking in the 200-250oF/95-120oC range, and being insulated from the interior of the car, would forestall any overheating of upholstery etc., and with the 2nd inside pane, reduce the risk of cracking the windshield due to thermal shock.

    Re cheeses--Juana Maria Hernandez Jarquin in Chiapas Mexico has worked with the local cheese makers who specialize in a traditional dried cheese, to use solar rather than power-plant-electric to dry them. The Consolfoods Conference's unofficial historian Michael Bonke interviewed Juana, who is a solar engineer with a wide range of projects, for the 2018 conference in Portugal--you can hear her talk about solar dried cheese here:  https://www.sunpod.de/tag/juana-maria-hernandez-jarquin/

    I recommend anyone with an interest in solar cooking bookmark Michael's SunPod audio blog--and of course, subscribe to my YT channel :)


    ___________________________________

    Luther Krueger   612-290-9450
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    Minneapolis MN   44.94N 93.28W  el 270m / 886ft  

    Learn all you need to know about solar cooking 
    and subscribe to my YouTube solar cooking video series!
    Check your home's "walkability score" !
     

    "Fooling some of the people all of the time, since 1959!"






  • 46.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Silver
    Contributor
    Posted 12-23-2021 07:24 PM
    I can speak to solar cookers from personal experience.  We used to use them nearly every day when building our Earthship (passive solar home made mostly of old tires) during the summers.  We would load up the lunchtime meal - face it towards the sun - move it occasionally as the sun drifted and have a nice hot meal at midday. 

    This was in Ohio - so I would certainly think they work quite well in hotter and sunnier climates.  We even would make out own cookers with cardboard boxes, aluminum foil and newspaper insulation.  One time we had the 5th graders at our local elementary construct nearly 100 solar cookers and had a nacho party out in the parking lot. 

    A great tool, not only in remote locations but also as a source of cooking heat during a natural disaster - as you can make one out of easily salvaged materials (a box, a broken window, and reflective metal).

    ------------------------------
    Jay Warmke
    Owner
    Blue Rock Station LLC
    jay@bluerockstation.com
    ------------------------------



  • 47.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 04-09-2022 01:01 PM
    Recently the host state for the ASES Conference, New Mexico, has had several of its solar cooking practitioners' stories posted on the Solar Cookers World Network on FaceBook. From my growing cache of solar cooking interviews, check out:
         *Just published* Rose Marie Kern: Author and solar cooker promoter for decades - https://youtu.be/ZzXpe1mAvlo
         The Ampersand Project: Amanda & Andy Bramble have an "off-the-grid-and-pipes" self-sustaining ranch between Albuquerque and Santa Fe - https://youtu.be/YjkT4bd34Ds
         The New Mexico Solar Energy Association: Andrew Stone led the charge to restore a classic Sun Oven Villager - https://youtu.be/NBBpXlBKESg
    And 47 more solar cooking luminaries (60 by the end of May) appear on my eminently subscribeable (at least for solarphiles) channel: Big Blue Sun Museum
         Subscribe by April 12 to get the premiere of my visit with Santa Fe's and long-time NMSEA members Mark Chalom and Betty Tsosie! And during the conference's Solar Fiesta, look for me in orbit around the NMSEA Villager, with its own planets and minor planets, aka, other family-sized solar cookers :)


    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 48.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 04-11-2022 01:46 PM
    Luther expounded:
    Recently the host state for the ASES Conference, New Mexico

    "Recently" as in this coming June 21-24th! Still time to early bird register maybe - I guarantee visitors to the Land of Enchantment will not be disappointed. "Energy Transition with Economic Justice" <-- doesn't the sun fall upon us all equally?

    https://ases.org/conference will also have our solar elders and their longitudinal insight into techniques developed here in NM in the '50s, '60's, '70's etc! Did you know our hero NM architect John Gaw Meem designed passive solar houses in the '50's?

    When we think of solar cooking, we sometimes overlook solar water distillation. I really enjoy drinking solar distilled water from one of ASES President Robert Foster's SolAqua distillation units 

    For NMSEA's 50th anniversary, our Solar Fiesta will be 9am - 3pm June 24th - the Friday of the ASES conference, right in front of the same building on the Cornell Mall in front of the Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico

    We look forward to your "Mark & Betty" video, Luther!

    Andrew Stone
    Commercial Solar Lending











  • 49.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 04-11-2022 01:53 PM
    My episode with Mark and Betty just posted, it was a delightful visit! Mark Chalom & Betty Tsosie: Reaffirming Generations of Solar Wisdom
    YouTube remove preview
    Mark Chalom & Betty Tsosie: Reaffirming Generations of Solar Wisdom
    Mark and Betty live out the solar life in their passive solar home, with solar panels, and solar cookers. Lessons re-learned, wisdom imparted, and delicious ...
    View this on YouTube >
    I

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    kruegerian@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 50.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Award Winner
    Posted 07-21-2022 03:03 PM
    Beware! Reflectors work in mysterious ways. This did not take long. Mark Chalom


    ------------------------------
    Mark Chalom
    Builder/Architect/ Educator
    Solar Design & Analysis
    Santa Fe NM
    chalomm@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 51.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-21-2022 03:32 PM
    I hear ya!... This piece of 2x4 got scorched by a tipped over parabolic, a rainstorm wind blew my otherwise tethered SK-14 over. Fortunately the fence it was attached to was soaked from the rain, otherwise I'd've had a flaming wall to contend with :( Even the sun oven reflectors, when 2 or 3 gang up and reflect in trapezoids on a nearby tarp, will melt a comet-shaped trail across 'em... Energy demands respect! :)

    DireWarning.jpg

    ___________________________________

    Luther Krueger   612-290-9450
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
    Minneapolis MN   44.94N 93.28W  el 270m / 886ft  

    Learn all you need to know about solar cooking 
    and subscribe to my YouTube solar cooking video series!
    Check your home's "walkability score" !
     

    "Fooling some of the people all of the time, since 1959!"






  • 52.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    Silver
    Contributor
    Posted 07-22-2022 01:37 PM
    Yes, one should never underestimate the power of the sun even if only 2 sun. 3 or 4 sun can start to do some real unintended damage.

    ------------------------------
    william fitch
    Owner
    www.WeAreSolar.com
    fcfcfc@ptd.net
    ------------------------------



  • 53.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 07-22-2022 09:19 PM
    Yes be careful with concentrating solar! We had some old motorola concentrator fresnel lens units (PV) stored on the ground in our yard at the NMSU Southwest Region Solar Experiment station. One fall morning conditions were just right that the reflected sunlight caught some dried out weeds that had grown up around them on fire. We got a call from the university fire department. Fortunately, the units were not located near any structures so just lost a few weeds.

    ------------------------------
    Robert Foster
    Assistant Professor
    New Mexico State University, College of Engineering
    Las Cruces NM
    rfoster@ases.org
    ------------------------------



  • 54.  RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

    ASES Life Member
    Posted 12-29-2022 08:13 AM
    My latest posted interview is with Ed Pejack, one of the prime movers who created Solar Box Cookers International, shortly after renamed Solar Cookers International. Ed is one who put is action where his mouth was, promoting solar cooking to people in regions with receding forests, undrinkable water, and indoor smokey cooking traditions. And he has some novel--to those new to solar cooking--tech ideas to share. Ed Pejack: Solar Beginnings

    ------------------------------
    Luther Krueger
    Curator Maximo
    Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, Minneapolis
    [EmailAddress]
    ------------------------------