Meet the Solavore Sport Solar Oven

...jor advantage. The downside is that they are finicky to use. I have a hard time getting them over the lip of the lid, and always feel like I’m in danger of abrading or even cracking the edge of the lid as I force them on and off. Each time I wrestle with them, I dream of a quick release system, or wish I could just use binder clips to clamp the lid to the body–but regular clips don’t work because of the particular shape of the lid/body interface....

Read…

Solar Oven Triumph: Fluffy Egg Strata

...idge too much, probably due to the Parmesan being salty. I’d use less next time, unless my cheeses were more mild.) • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Equipment: You need one lidded cooking dish for solar cooking. I made this recipe in one of the 9″ round enamel pots which come with the Solavore Sport oven. How-to: Start by greasing the pan with some butter. Next cover the the bottom of the pan with one layer of bread. Sprinkle half of the...

Read…

The Blue Bear

...myself, I suppose–but you know what I mean.) Still, fifty years is a long time, even for polyester fun fur, so Blue Bear is disintegrating. In the end, I suppose, time decides things for us this way. But I made things worse by washing him. His head and one arm came loose, revealing that he’d been stuffed with strange scraps and lumps of polyester wadding of different colors. His body material is so fragile at this point I can’t even consider tryi...

Read…

Keeping it Local

...naking), but I got to connect with some great folks. If you don’t have a time bank near you you can start one via timebanks.org. Now that I’ve switched to time banking, Goldman Sachs has kindly agreed to take all my extra Edendale Dinars....

Read…

Why I’m Growing Vegetables in a Straw Bale

...ough to feed all the inhabitants of a generously sized cult compound. This time around I’m trying an inorganic approach, substituting the blood meal I used last time for urea. I’m curious to see if I notice any difference other than price (urea is a lot cheaper). Should I try it again, I’m thinking of building some simple wooden boxes to hold the bales and keep them moist in our hot and dry summer season. My previous success with straw bale garden...

Read…