Re: [gardeners] bread, homemade
Bargyla Rateaver (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 08 Aug 2001 19:59:56 +0100
No, not that long. I was very much interested in solar ovens, years ago
when they first came out, partly because I thought they might help
people in Madagascar, where I grew up--but by the time a manufactured
product from US reached there, the natives could not afford them.
I also used to get very hot summers here, altho the last 3 and this
current summer have changed from the blistering heat of yore. I then
really thought of getting one, but now the wild animals down below my
yard are so destructive, it would never work. Even if I had a flat roof,
some animal would find a way up, I bet.
What I did get was a hanging dryer, of several shelves in vertical
series, totally enclosed in net, but I keep it in the kitchen, because
some animal would wreck it in one night. I have 2 big cherimoya trees,
and finally THIS year I see ONE fruit is still hanging on--hopefully a
few days more??? I got 3 tangelos from one tree-that's all. I managed to
get a few figs out of the dozens on the2 trees, mostly still green, by
taking a few half ripe, just before some wild animal would steal it, and
have kept them on the kitchen windowsill, hoping to get a few bites
before the season ends. Not really ripe enough to dry, tho. The tree is
just loaded---without animal troubles I could keep a whole year supply,
if dried properly.
A solar dryer would be fine if I had some way to make a big METAL screen
box to hold it. I don't have a friend who could make that.
flylo@txcyber.com wrote:
> Bargyla, I don't know the answer to that one! Maybe a
> solar oven? Maybe flat bread? (Chapatti?)
> You're right though. A bread machine usually is (electric)
> switched on for 2 - 3 hours, the kneading time, the rising
> time, and the baking time. It would probably be as costly
> as a traditional oven used for an hour. At least it doesn't
> heat up the house while it's working, though.
> Actually, I have a friend who is so impressed with her
> solar oven, (sun something or other brand), she's going
> into business selling them. I was wondering if anyone
> uses one, and actually to what benefit they'd be. It seems
> like it takes 'days and days' to cook a meal in one, even
> in our Tx summer heat.
--
Bargyla Rateaver
http://home.earthlink.net/~brateaver