Yes….I’m still hanging out here
in Payson! I think a lot of people are
wondering….”Gee…she has a mobile home --- why the heck isn’t she out traveling
around seeing lots of cool sites?” Well….everyone
has to remember, I’m not on a vacation.
My objective is “living for free” – no matter where that might be that’s
a decent (variable aspects to “decent”) spot.
This spot serves many purposes for me right now, so this is where I’m
living. I’m definitely not going to be
going any further south for awhile….it was a record breaker in Phoenix the
other day – 117*. Still lots of flash
flooding in the mountains. I’ll stay put
where I am, thank you very much! LOL! 30% humidity!
Eventho’, I’m not out in the “wilds”,
I’m still “boondocking”. The only
amenity I have here that I don’t have out in a forest is one extension cord
which lets me keep my small devices charged and a fan running to keep it a
little cooler….mostly for Nikko. Other
than that, it’s still very much “roughing it”.
Actually, I could do very well without the extension cord because my
house battery stays fully charged almost all the time with the aid of my solar
panel. But I’ll take the little bit of
electricity while I have it!
Speaking of “solar”…..have I got
a product review for you! Keep in mind….you
DO NOT have to be an RVer or camping enthusiast to get full use of this new
solar technology product! You can use it
at home, at the beach, in a city park for a picnic, on a boat, roughing it in a
cabin….anywhere you can see the sun!
GO-SUN SOLAR OVEN/COOKER
I’ve been looking at these for
a few months now and finally have one!
Coincidently, I went to high school with one of the developer’s father. Small world!
Anyway, I love this solar cooker!
It is VERY different than anything else out there….super efficient,
super convenient, and super light weight.
All you need is the sun to cook almost anything! “Solar” certainly isn’t a new concept, but
really, it seems it hasn’t “taken off” to the degree it could…in all kinds of
situations….at home, commercially, industrially. RVers and the most sun-rich geographic areas
know it very well, but it really needs to reach all levels of living, work and
play….everywhere! The Go-Sun can do that….everywhere!
Looks rather peculiar,
right? Well, it IS different. Nothing like those boxes with reflectors
sticking out around the sides. (I don’t really have room for one of those
anyway.) Originally developed for third-world countries, it is taking over the
solar cooking world. I have the Sport
Edition, but there are other models.
Okay – let’s get cookin’ with the Power
of the Sun!
The premise is loading the
tray up with raw foods, sliding it into the glass tube and adjusting the
reflectors to capture the most sunlight.
Simple! And no pots and pans to
cart around or clean! Inside the tube the temperature can get upwards of
600*. It doesn’t cook quite that hot
because the food itself keeps the temperature a little lower…but not much! The first thing I tried was sausage /peppers /onion
/pineapple skewers. Just sprinkled with
a little olive oil and pepper and in they went for about 35 minutes.
Result? Perfection!
Perfectly cooked and very moist and tender! All the moisture stays in the tube while it’s
cooking. Up next were similar chicken
skewers….white meat…. fork tender and juicy!
I also made up a tray of potatoes and
peppers, baked apples and heated up a tray full of leftovers - all perfect!
Baking you might ask? Yep!
It can bake! I’ve made lemon
poppy seed cake. I kept the end of the
tube open just a hair to let a little extra steam escape…seems that made sense
for baking. For the cake, I simply
poured the batter right into the tube….about 1/3 full – maybe slightly more….it
baked up in about 25 minutes…then I just cut it into little tea cakes. It was light as a feather and not dry at
all. And, it came right out of the tube
which I have lined with a very thin oven mat that I cut to size. No
clean up!
Since that was a success, I
thought I would try actual “bread”. Just
in case it didn’t work, I didn’t want to go to all the hassle and mess of
making bread dough totally from scratch, so I bought an herb bread “mix”…just
add the yeast packet and water to the flour mixture. Easy!
I made little rolls and had enough left over for a small loaf. It baked up beautifully! Crispy on the outside and soft and moist
inside.
I roasted up some garlic heads
(cut in half) and some mini-peppers and made little bruschettas out of that mix
and the little bread rollnd rounds. Heated them
in the Go-Sun. Everything made with the Power of the Sun! No hot oven, no charcoal, no propane….just
the sun!
The Go-Sun even works when the
sun isn’t at it’s brightest….the cooking just takes a little longer. You can even use this when there’s snow on
the ground. Just take it out on one of
those bright, sunny days….even if it’s 32*.
As long as it’s in the sun, you can cook! Any ice fishermen out there? Cook your lunch right next to your fishin’
hole! In fact, just clean your fish and
put it right in the Go-Sun! You never
have to go back to your cabin!
I will be experimenting with
everything I can think of in the Go-Sun!
I’ve yet to try fish, but I know it will be perfect! I’ll keep updating you on my experiments. I think you will want one, too! Here’s the link if you’re interested right
now! Initially, it may seem a little
pricey, but the sheer convenience and efficiency….and don’t forget the
important ecological factor….makes the payback a quick one! And there’s a
two-year “no matter what happens” warranty!
You will be helping these young entrepreneurs, their dedicated efforts
in third-world countries, the environment, and have great meals on top of
it! What could be better? And your kids will be wide-eyed at what the
sun can do! Might be a good idea for a school science project!
INGENUITY
!
Now….a second very high tech
innovation to tell you about! Well….not
really….it’s called “making something out of nothing”! I purchased a little Smokey Joe Weber table
top grill at the Time-Out thrift store for $4.00 – and it included a bag of
charcoal! It was virtually new…maybe
used once. New, they are about $30-35. My very tiny mini grill was on its last legs
and wasn’t great to begin with. I
decided I would try making a “smoker” out of this Weber grill. I really miss my big smoker, but my friends
back home are getting good use out of it!
I found a piece of paver here
at the house that miraculously fit perfectly inside the grill to divide it into
two sections. I filled one side up with charcoal, lit and heated up as usual…then
added some soaked wood chips. I had
seasoned the salmon with some “rub” and let it sit in the refrig for several
hours…then brought it back to room temperature.
I placed the salmon over the empty side of the grill. I added a small tin of water to regulate the
temperature. LOW AND SLOW is the rule
for smoking. Ideally, you want to keep
the temperature anywhere from about 230-250*.
I slipped a probe thermometer into a vent hole in the lid…being careful
that it wasn’t touching anything. Put
the lid on and just waited! The vent
holes MUST be over the meat. That way,
the smoke is pulled over to that side of the grill to encircle the salmon. After about 45 minutes, I had perfectly
cooked, moist smoked salmon. The temperature stayed within the desired range.
Could be the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had!
I made two meals out of it – one hot and the other cold…. smoked salmon
on Ritz crackers!
Yesterday, I tried
boneless/skinless chicken thighs using the same method. Delicious!
That’s not BBQ sauce – that’s the smoked color with a little of the
rub. So moist and flavorful!
My homemade “smoker” is a
success! From here on, no matter where I’m
parked, most of my cooking will be in the Go-Sun and in the smoker/grill. I see very few reasons to use up my propane
for cooking!
So, you see….you don’t always have
to be parked somewhere “exotic” and remote to enjoy the “living free” lifestyle
and experiment with “off grid” cooking, etc.
Actually, this is a good way for those of you who are considering a
lengthy boondocking stay in an RV to get your feet wet with the virtues of
solar and ‘roughing it’….driveway living, but with only your off grid supplies!
I’m still doing Zentangle art….but
on a much larger scale. I’m not too
interested in doing the small 3.5 x 3.5” pieces so much – I’ve migrated to 9”x12”
pieces! In fact, I entered a contest
that my good friend, “GG” told me about - $1000 first prize/$500 second
place. Here’s the piece I entered:
I think they announce the
winners around the end of September. Even
if it’s not a winner, it’s still a fun and very relaxing activity. I don’t plan
on giving it up anytime soon. It has
taken over reading!
That’s it for now….the BIG
rodeo is this coming weekend here in Payson.
I hope to get there!
Have a great week,
everyone! Let’s all think about moving
more toward solar living…even if it’s just a little solar charger for your
phone. Every little bit helps keep our
environment clean and productive…and it’s a great learning experience for the
little ones to carry into their future…use the “Power of the Sun”!
Thank you for shopping via my Amazon link !
