Let the Sunshine In!

Wow, it seems like forever since I have been able to post anything. I'm not sure what my excuse is. Life is just flying by with very little computer time in it for me these days. I have been trying to funnel what energy and free time I have (assuming those two things are both available simultaneously) into gardening. We are in that delightful time of year where we can have a bowlful of fresh salad greens whenever we want. Also, the chickens are laying an excess of yummy, golden-yolked eggs. Joe and I often comment that "we sure do eat good around here!"

I've been thinking a lot about food, and sunshine, lately. Joe and I have been without a refrigerator for 4 years now, but we've recently been experimenting with the use of a small 12V cooler to keep a few items cold, on sunny days. By early to mid-morning on sunny days our photovoltaic system (sounds so impressive, doesn't it?) is in "floating" mode, meaning the charge controller is letting the maximum amount of electricity into the batteries for recharging purposes, and any extra that is coming in from the panels is floating off into some electricity black hole, unless put to good use. When we see that red floating light come on, we switch on the cooler and take advantage of that extra electricity (this is also a good time for recharging other batteries - power tools, computer, electric lawn mower, etc. - and doing other electricity consuming tasks). The cooler pulls too much electricity to run it full time, so we only use it during periods of extra sunshine and turn it off once the sun goes away and it starts drawing from our battery bank. Hopefully by that time, the cool of the evening will help keep things stable until the next day.

It's not a foolproof method, but it has allowed us to keep making yogurt, keep a block of cheese around and store the occasional leftovers. I like systems that require some planning and adaptation, keeps you on your toes. Today, for instance, is very cloudy and rainy, so we won't turn the refrigerator on at all. So, we ate up all the rest of the yogurt for breakfast and took all of the remaining leftovers for lunch today. That only leaves some carrots, ketchup, a small chunk of Parmesan cheese and a small jar of yogurt starter in the "fridge". Carrots and ketchup don't really need refrigerating anyway, and there are several partially frozen water bottles in there that I brought home with me from work yesterday that will keep the yogurt and cheese cool. I'll be buying fresh soymilk during my grocery run today, and turning it into yogurt in the morning. Luckily, tomorrow is forecasted to be "mostly sunny", perfect for a fresh batch of yogurt.

At the same time that we are using the sunshine to cool our food, I'm often simultaneously using the sunshine to cook my food mere feet away in our solar oven. There is something so satisfying and beautiful in the irony of that. Even on days when I'm not forward thinking enough to actually plan out what I want for dinner before 10 a.m., I'll take advantage of the sun by putting some pots of water in the solar oven and having HOT water for dishes, or maybe a bath, by late afternoon. Thank goodness for sunshine! And on days like today when clouds cover the sky and no sun is to be seen, well I'm very grateful for that other natural resource - water - falling as rain, watering my garden, and "recharging" my rain barrels.