Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Guys (and Ladies) ... We've been experimenting with a simple solar box cooker ... Just GREAT for inclusion in the back of the TD... Uses Sun power for cooking , no charcoal ,gas, propane to carry ...Light, Cheap , Healthy... and Oh so GREEN ...
for more info check out www.solarcooking.org

What if it's raining? Or if one gets hungry after the sunset?

I think it's a great supplement to what everyone does already.

Ilya

Just another "GREEN " alternative...who wants to camp out in the rain ???? hahahahahaha

I'm baking some bread right now(for sandwiches after sunset) ... try that on your habachi....

Anybody considered a solar heater? The kind with the plexiglass box that heats the air and a vent to let inside the trailer. There are some really groovy designs out there. I've never had trouble keeping the trailer warm, but I've considered some of these designs for my detached office bldg (its about 80 square feet).
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Simple solar heaters work , again as an alternative ...Or a solar water heater ....

Folks , since we're also using this larger TD for Hurricane evacuation , where we may be gone as long as a month or more (been there , done that), we're trying to be as self sufficient as possible ...last thing we need is to stand in long lines waiting for fuel /charcoal /propane ...solar is good for Pasteurizing water/milk too ...Stay in your TD a month , it will soon become obvious what you REALLY NEED !!!

The Geico caveman gave me this recipe for solar cooked mastadon:

Kill mastadon.

Leave in sun (1 week per ton).

Peel and eat.

Joseph

AArgh !!!! a little Tabasco might help the flavor...How about elephant ear on a bun ???
First day ... cooked chicken ...
Second day , baked bread ...
Today , making lentils and rice...
This stuff really works !!!! wonder why it's not more popular ...Hundreds of thousands of third world chefs are cooking with it ...???? perfect addition to the TD kitchen ...

GPW wrote:This stuff really works !!!! wonder why it's not more popular

Haven't seen the sun in over a week. I could be getting real hungry by now.
That stuff is great for places that see a lot of sun but that's one thing you can't count on around here.

GPW wrote:AArgh !!!! a little Tabasco might help the flavor...How about elephant ear on a bun ???

Sorry, we're out of them big buns. And I ain't about to start a whole new whale for one lousy sandwich...

Joseph

Tagged that website as a favorite GPW. Thanks. Which solar cooker are you using?

BL , using the minimum cooker right now ... oven bag instead of glass, cardboard boxes , Aluminum foil ,Elmers glued to the insides...couldn't be simpler...
I guess I'll have to make the TD model (on a tiny trailer) hahahaha
Seriously, I'm planning one of ply with f/glas duct board insulation , and angled glass to drain the moisture from cooking that accumulates on the flat bag/cover now..the cardboard one is a good proof of concept , but I think we can get better results with something more substantial/insulated...
On the other hand , the car window shade SC is temptingly simple ... perfect TD accessories

GPW wrote:AArgh !!!! a little Tabasco might help the flavor...

No Tabasco for me...

Joseph

Here's the design for my small solar house heater.

I have excluded the plexiglass cover for clarity. The cold air enters the bottom chamber through the holes and as it warms, it is drawn upwards, being slowed by the ramps. The ramps also allow for condensation which will drip downward and exit through the sides (not shown). The warm air exits through the top and into the building. There is a 'mail slot' type opening into the building. On a cold, but sunny day, this just might work. I'd like to make the ramps adjustable to slow the air travel, thereby allowing it more time to heat on cold days.

There are so many Solar applications that can be easily constructed for minimal cost that could be stored away in a TD (with all that other crap)for their use in favorable weather...The Solar cooking project has been a huge success... so far cooled solar chicken , Lentils , brown rice, and baked 2 loaves of bread ... no energy costs/pollution and all that with two cardboard boxes, some Aluminum foil ,an oven baking bag , Elmers glue , masking tape , and a coat hanger.. the size of an older microwave... LIGHT!!!

I thought I had already posted a reply to this thread....I must be getting senile! Oh well.

I am intrigued by the solar ovens. They definately appeal to my cheap side. Apart from that, I think I would enjoy doing some solar. I have a solar cookbook, but just haven't made time to put together an oven.

Similar to dutch oven cooking, it looks like a fun alternative to cooking in the kitchen. Living in the southwest and with the hot summer just around the corner, a solar oven makes perfect sense... let food cook outdoors and not heat up the kitchen. It like a sun-powered slow cooker.

While solar cooking will never solve our energy problem, it does look like another very small way of saving energy.

Joanne