edible notables
SUN OVENS
Ditch the grill and stove; try a solar cooker.
WRITTEN BY MELISSA SIIG
PHOTO COURTESY BILL ROCKETT
Every square meter of the earth’s surface, when exposed to direct sunlight, receives about 1,000 watts (1 kilowatt) of energy from it. So why not harness that energy for cooking?
| Al Muir is ready to start cooking at the annual Blackhawk Solar Cook-Off in Taylorsville, Calif. |
That’s what attracted Bill Rockett to solar ovens more than 20 years ago. Rockett, who owns Blackhawk Solar Electric in Quincy, Calif., discovered solar cooking through a friend who held an annual solar oven cook-off in New Mexico. Wanting to replicate his friend’s festival, Rockett founded the Blackhawk Solar Cook-Off in 1990. The two-day event, held at the Taylorsville Campground in Plumas County July 13 – 14, is now in its 22nd year and has grown from 100 to more than 1,000 participants. The festival includes live music from local bands such as Guitar Woody & the Boilers, craft and food booths, and, of course, lots of solar cooking.
The ovens, which look like a cross between the silver metallic ultraviolet reflectors popular with sunbathers in the 1950s and a mini-satellite, cost about $250 or can be made by hand.
“They use no other energy than from the sun, and have the fastest payback of any solar device,” Rockett says.
Solar ovens take one and a half times longer to cook than conventional ovens and heat up to 250 degrees, making them more like solar Crock-Pots, Rockett says. In addition, solar ovens are mobile (they weigh less than 25 pounds), so they are perfect for camping and picnics.
Rockett uses his solar oven to cook beans, rice, fruit cobblers and crisps, meat, whole roast chicken, ribs, bread, and even lasagna.
“Solar cooking is pretty amazing,” he says.
Melissa Siig is a freelance writer based in Tahoe City, Calif. She has never used a solar oven but would be happy to sample anything cooked in one.
Resources
Blackhawk Solar Cook-Off
Taylorsville Campground, Plumas County
Friday, July 13 – Saturday, July 14
Tickets are $15 per person, plus $14 per night for campers
For details, contact Bill or Mel Rockett at 530-283-1396 or visit www.Plumasarts.org/events/solar.html
Solar Cookers International: www.Solarcookers.org or www.Solarcooking.org
Sun Oven International: www.Sunoven.com
Blackhawk Solar Electric sells solar ovens for $149, which includes a free cooking pot. For details, call 530-283-1396
RECIPE
Fresh Sun-Oven Peach Cobbler
(recipe courtesy of Melody Rockett)
Filling
2 pints fresh peaches
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pastry Dough
1½ cups all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar 2½ tablespoons cold butter
1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat Solar Oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease and sugar 9-inch pie plate. Toss all filling ingredients together gently in small bowl and distribute evenly in pie plate. Set aside in cool place.
In bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix together remaining teaspoon of sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add lemon zest. Make a well in center of flour mixture; pour in buttermilk. Stir just to combine with fork. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll it into rough 9-inch circle. Carefully lift it and place it on top of peaches.
Using your fingers, rough dough by pinching and lifting it. Prick pastry all over with fork tines. Sprinkle with reserved cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 1 hour or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.
