Solar Cooking

Kising'a has no electricity so all cooking must be done over wood fires. Women must spend a lot of time gathering wood and then work over a smokey fire, often with a small child on their back breathing the smoke. We are bringing a couple solar cookers to the village on this trip that are made right here in the Twin Cities at the Solar Oven Society. We used them to cook rice, potatoes, and carrots and they work great. They cook at lower temperatures (> 200F) and are kind of like a solar crock pot that does not have to be watched. They can also be used to pasteurize water and we are bringing 100 Water Pasteurization Indicators to tell when the water is safe. WAPI are a reusable tube with a wax plug that melts at 65 C (150 F) which is hot enough to kill all bacteria. Not having to heat to a full boil cuts the energy usage in half. We will be staying with our friends in Kising'a for four nights and will have fun using these things with them and learning how well they work and what they think of them. They treat us as special guests but hopefully this time they will let us help with the cooking.