DIY Solar Cooker

So last night I was just about to fold up and put away that good ol summer staple to prevent burning hot steering wheels - the silver windsheild shade - when I remembered seeing this website: http://solarcooking.org/plans/windshield-cooker.htm.

Aside from being a really wonderful organization that helps people in developing nations, the site has detailed plans to build a solar cooker out of the shade. Supposedly, it will get as hot as 350 degrees F, and cook your food almost just like a regular burner.


I first saw the plans years ago, and thought it was such an intriguing idea. My mom is forever buying me these things for my car, which usually end up lying aroud unused, just like the one I was about to put away last night. It would be soo cool to set it up in the garden and cook some veggies with nothing but the power of the sun. Especially now that I was the Solar Energy Garden Spirit in the Earth Celebrations Pageant, I've got to try it!

I resolved not to put it away and to try it on the next sunny day that I'm home. According to the FAQs on that site, you can do it even way up in Canada all but the three coldest months of the year, so I think I still have a little time to try this experiment.

Unfortunately it probably won't be this weekend, since rain is predicted until Monday. But in the meantime I'm at least posting this so I won't forget. Stay tuned for another post about the results!