Open Season On the Sun

Yesterday I officially opened Solar Cooking Season 2009.

The conditions were (FINALLY) auspicious. I knew this because early in the morning I checked the weather report: Sunny All Day.  It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those.

So at 9 am I took my solar cooker off of the shelf in the garage where it has been hibernating all winter.  I took it outside, and put it on a little occasional table that has been demoted to patio-furniture duty.  I looked up in the sky, gazed directly at the sun (ha ha, just kidding), and pointed my solar cooker in a more-or-less easterly direction.

While my cooker was warming up I went inside to do some morning chores, and to prep dinner.  By 10 am, I was ready to put food in the oven.  The oven had warmed up to a nice 230 degrees.  Perfect!

By then the sun had moved a little, so I readjusted my solar cooker, and resumed my day.

I did go out and point it due south around noon, then westerly around 4 pm. Since I’m home, that’s no big deal.  But if I wasn’t going to be around to make these adjustments, I could have just pointed it due south to begin with, and left it alone all day.

When I went for a walk around 1 pm, I started to get a little worried.  It was still nice and sunny, but the wind was picking up, and some thin clouds were gathering.  Clouds block the sun, and wind can chill the solar cooker.  But when I got home I checked.  Still a steady 230 degrees.  Phew.

Around 5:30 I took dinner out.  My husband got home from work soon after.  Our solar cooked roast chicken was delicious.  And plenty of leftovers for Thursday’s Buffet-Night.  Here it is:

I followed a recipe from the cookbook pamphlet that came with my solar cooker.  It called for numerous herbs and spices, olive oil, and kosher salt.  Luckily, I had all the herbs except one (mint) which is too bad.  That would have been delicious.  But I am planning on growing some, so here’s to the future.