Off-Grid Cooking - Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker - Unboxing

We have two Sun Ovens and purchased both
from a local thrift store at different times.

We live off grid in the Rocky Mountains and I am always looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption, especially our propane consumption. Last year, we reduced our propane usage by 14%. It is time to fill up our tank again. Number One Husband has a call into the distributor of said propane. We can only guess at the price per gallon this year. I definitely think that it will be more than we paid last year, but we need 14% less this year. 

We have several options when it comes to cooking without propane. One of my favorite ways to cook is in our Solar Oven, however it requires the sun to shine. This isn't usually an issue living in one of the sunniest states in America. Unfortunately, we do have to battle high wind conditions. 

During the summer months, I can usually get a Sun Oven meal cooked before the wind and the rain begins if I start by 10 or 11 am. I have managed to cook several meals in the past week even though we have had wonderful afternoon thunderstorms. If there is no rain in the forecast, I can cook in the Sun Oven until 3 or 4 pm. I avoid windy days altogether. Forecasts can usually predict what time the winds will pick up and I plan accordingly. The Sun Oven can withstand 30 to 35 MPH winds, but if the wind is blowing on all four sides of the house, I just don't use it. The wind pretty much blows non-stop in the winter, and it is brutally cold, so we only use the Sun Oven in the spring, summer and fall months. 

I don't mind cooking inside in the colder months. The heat from cooking warms up the house nicely and keeps the heater from kicking on. The smell of homemade bread and a pot of soup cooking just makes me happy, but in the warmer months it is too hot to bake and simmering a pot of anything is just out of the question. 

This brings me to our next option and that is the Electric Pressure Cooker. My mom gave us three different sizes to us over the years, for which we are very grateful. I use my electric pressure cooker as much as possible if the sun is out or when we need to run the generator. I usually don't miss an opportunity to cook a pot of rice, beans, sauces or soups if there is room in my freezer to store it. I try and utilize our free power and our generated power as efficiently as possible. Thanks Mom!

Rabbit is up to no good! 

Then we have our grills, like the Cobb Grill that uses just a couple small of chunks of charcoal to roast a whole chicken or we can fire up our larger grill for batch cooking. We do have to rely on charcoal to use the grills and we cannot use then during fire bans. In other countries like Africa, a large portion of a family's income in rural areas goes into the cost of energy for cooking and heating water. 

Sabbath Preps

Thermos cooking is not efficient here at this altitude. Don't get me wrong, they will keep foods hot and drinks cold. There is just not enough mass to cook a meal unless it's oatmeal or something similar that cooks quickly. I use thermoses every week for the Sabbath for hot tea and hot water. We use a thermos when we travel or hike. A thermos will keep soup hot for several hours, but it will not cook rice at this altitude. In fact, I have to use my pressure cooker to cook rice and beans. The stovetop just doesn't cut it. The first time I tried to cook beans at this altitude, I ended up throwing them out after trying for three consecutive days to cook them.

This brings me to my newest tool to combat the use of propane: The Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker. 

I have wanted one for quite some time to add to my arsenal but was not willing to pay full price for one. I finally found a new unused one in an open box on Ebay. I made an offer, and it was accepted. I paid 1/4 of the price of retail including shipping. 

After researching thermal cookers, I decided that
this was the thermal cooker that I wanted. 

Thermal cooking is a very basic concept and
has been used for generations. There are several
kinds of thermal cookers. Hayboxes and quilts were
among the first of their kind and are still used today. 

It is made from high quality stainless steel. 

There is no need for additional cookware since both pots have heavy bottoms
 and can be used on the stovetop or in the Sun Oven to bring foods up to
temperature. I can also do the initial cook in the pressure cooker. 

Other cooking vessels like jars with lids
can also be used in this cooker. I would 
avoid cooking in plastic.

I have not decided what to cook first just yet, but I will be sharing my successes and failures. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

 

The Realities of Remote Off-Grid Living - Bulk Shopping and Off-Grid Cooking Methods...

I took some time last week to refill my kitchen canisters and restock the panty. Since we purchase most of our food in bulk, I have to re-package some of those items into smaller usable containers. Spices are one of those items that I refill. I usually purchase dried spices in one-pound packages and refill my spice bottles as needed. Have you ever seen the size of a one-pound package of parsley flakes? It's quite large and takes up a lot of space. I save all of my spice bottles from the store and re-use them over and over. 

Condiments are another item that I buy in bulk. I refill my regular sized bottles that are stored in the refrigerator. Mustard is a pain in the rear to refill. It does not flow through a funnel very well and it stains everything that it comes in contact with! It is also one of those condiments that I can't make at home. Note To Self: Refill BBQ Sauce

I make my own ketchup and refill a ketchup bottle that I have had for a dozen years now. Wow, I just looked up the price of ketchup and I am shocked. Ketchup now cost $7.36 for a family size bottle. I can make it for a lot less that that with just a few healthy ingredients. 

I save money by purchasing items in bulk and by making my own homemade mixes. Some things just have to be bought from the store like mayonnaise. I know that it can be made from scratch, but it is Number One Husband's favorite beverage, I mean condiment. He is one picky mayonnaise man! I don't like mayonnaise! I don't eat other people's food that contains mayonnaise, milk or eggs. It just grosses me out!  I don't eat the store crap either. You won't find me hanging out at around the potato or egg salad at a church potluck.

I must say that shopping in bulk is easier if you eat a whole foods-based diet. In fact, it is pretty basic and simple. Cooking takes more time than boiling a box of crap, but the result is a healthier lifestyle for my family. Using a pressure cooker reduces cooking times and aids in the retention of flavors and nutrients in foods. If time or electricity, in my case, is an issue, I recommend using a pressure cooker with a timer. 

 A crock pot is a great alternative for those who work outside the home or work from home. Just dump in the ingredients, set the timer and go. Whip up a salad and side of bread when you get home, and you have a meal that is ready to eat in short order. A Crock pot meal can be assembled in advance, frozen in a freezer bag, and cooked at a later date. I have crock pot envy. I cannot use a crock pot off grid; however, a pressure cooker is a great option for me. A pressure cooker cooks faster and is a more efficient way for me to cook. Pressure cooker meals can also be prepared in advance. I use the timer feature frequently for hot Sabbath meals.

I can assemble meals in advance and freeze them for the Sun Oven too. The Sun Oven is similar to cooking in a Crock Pot, except it requires the sun. Cooking plans can be foiled by the weather. It is my preferred method of cooking in nice weather. I have Hatch Chili Cumin Chicken along with Spanish Rice baking right now in my Sun Oven. 

There used to be a large price gap between bulk foods and their smaller versions, but it's not as big anymore due to inflation. We still save on most bulk purchases, but sometimes it is the opposite. I watch the unit pricing to determine the best value. Somethings do not need to be purchased in bulk. In fact, it can be a waste of money if it is not used up before the food spoils or expires.  

In our case, we figure in the cost of driving to the store and back because it is not cheap. The store is not right around the corner. It costs around $16 in gas for a round trip to the closest grocery store and is a 3-hour round trip. It's about $33 to go into the city and takes about 6 hours. We don't mess around either. We race to get in and out of the stores as fast as possible. 

Can you imagine having to spend 6 hours every week just to buy groceries? It would be like adding another workday to your work week without getting paid. We make the trip into the city about every three months, and we do a once-a-month grocery store haul from town. Sometimes we will make a bi-monthly trip for milk and produce if we need to. We really try to avoid extra trips just for a gallon of milk.

Let's break down the cost of running into town for a gallon of milk:

Organic Cream Top Milk   $10.14 (Tax included)

Cost of fuel                         $16.00

Total:                             $26.14

This is not feasible nor sustainable. Not to mention the 3 hours that it takes to make the trip. I know that some people do not understand why we choose to live where we do. I can assure you that we would give up milk and a lot more before we moved back into a town or city again. 

The average person in Colorado spends 51 minutes twice a day in traffic. Let's just say it's an hour when you factor in weather, crashes and road construction. Most people work 5 days a week and shop on Saturdays. Sunday is a day to get out and have fun and go to church. So, 7 days a week x 2 hours is 14 hours in a car plus a 40-hour work week or more. It's just not for us. 

I am always amazed by the people who chose city life, just as they are amazed by our choice to live out here. I have to point out that city dwellers hit the road and flock to the mountains every chance that they get. They stay in cabins, RV's or tents, just to come and stay and play in the mountains. Mountain folk do not flock to cities to get away every chance they get. I'm just saying...

Hatch Chili Cumin Chicken Rice Bowls cooked in the Sun Oven.

Stay safe out there,

Mrs. Smith

Energy Saving Cooking Methods On Or Off-Grid...

We had our propane tank filled the other day. Even though Number One negotiated a good price the bill was still over 1K. Ouch! Propane, natural gas and electricity are set to rise in price up to 40% in the coming months, so I put on my thinking cap to try to think of ways to reduce our propane usage. I started by taking a look at what uses the most propane every day that I could change or cut out altogether. 

I would like to only use solar power, but that really is not possible, because the sun does not always shine. The one thing that I do every day that I could change is brew tea differently. I usually brew my tea in a percolator on our propane stove every morning without fail. So, I changed the way I brew my tea. Now I steep my tea by using my electric kettle to heat the water. Sounds simple, right? Not so simple, because it draws too much power first thing in the morning and we live off-grid with solar power, so now I make my tea it in the late afternoon and store it in a thermos overnight. This works well, since I now have hot tea on demand in the morning without having to wait. 

It only takes 7 minutes to boil 1.7 liters or nearly a half-gallon of cold water. I can also use it to make Ramen noodles or other foods that can easily be cooked with boiling water like instant oats. 

My Sun Oven is a great tool to use to save propane, and I use it frequently, but I have not been using it as much as I could have. I have re-committed myself to use it as often as possible. 

It only requires one thing and that is the sun. Our solar system is powered by the sun also. If there is no sun, then there is no power for either system.

I can and have cooked many delicious foods in my Sun Oven.

However, the Sun Oven has other limitations. It can withstand winds up to 35 MPH. On this day it was blowing 50 MPH with gusts of 65 MPH causing a ground blizzard.

When the sun sets in the evening the Sun Oven no longer has power.

When the Sun is hidden behind clouds the Sun Oven stops heating.

There is no power for the Sun Oven before the sun rises either.

Thermos Cooking is another way to cook foods without propane. It does not require much power except for the initial heating up of the ingredients or boiling water. The wind has no effects on thermos cooking. I can use my electric kettle or my electric pressure cooker for heating the water or ingredients.

Thermos cooking is an option and I have used this technique, but there are limitations to the types of foods that can be cooked. For instance, bread cannot be cooked in a thermos. 

I have successfully cooked grains and pastas and soups in my thermos. The thermos is also great for keeping foods piping hot for long periods of time. It is pretty simple to use, I just put the boiling liquid and ingredients in the thermos early in the morning and it is ready to eat for dinner or if I'm preparing breakfast or lunch, I prepare the ingredients and put them in the thermos before I go to bed.

One of my favorite ways to cook is in my electric pressure cooker. It is fast and uses less power than a traditional stovetop. 

These are the ways that I cook living off-grid on a solar system without using propane. Our goal is to make our propane last two years without a fill-up. We can reduce our usage, but the fact is that the winter months are a determining factor. We can go a year easily, maybe a year in a half with normal consumption depending on the winter, but two years? We will see...

Mrs. Smith