permaculture

["Naomi & Rick Coleman" <peds@tpg.com.au>]

Hi Sharon,

When we were teaching pc in Guatemala, we encountered women in communities
living in stick houses, burning fires inside (in the tropics) to cook their
beans. The men were carrying huge loads of firewood up steep mountainsides
to provide fuel for cooking.

We were trying to implement appropriate technology so we looked at the
resources available. There was plenty of clay and bamboo, so Rick designed a
slow cooking oven that has an internal wall of upright bamboo lengths (to
trap air for insulation) and is surrounded by clay. Its dimensions suited
the cooking pots used by the women. We  used tortilla pans as a lid covered
with banana leaves.

The women would cook their beans for half an hour on the fire, then put
coals in the bottom of the clay oven and place the pot inside, cover it and
leave it for about four to five hours. When they returned the beans were
cooked.

This reduces firewood consumption, frees both men and women to do different
tasks, reduces the heat and fire risk in the house, and takes the same
amount of time as traditional cooking methods.

I would stress though that it is important to determine the local resources
and use them. The clay ovens were a huge success in these rural communities
after we demonstrated that they worked with an end of course feast!

I have photos I can send if anyone is interested but I wont clog up the
system with them. One day they will be on our website.

Naomi

 -----Original Message-----
From: Sharon Gordon <gordonse@one.net>
To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Sunday, 29 October 2000 10:14
Subject: Wood for cooking


>I wanted to check and see what people are doing for wood for cooking
>and how they are conserving it.
>
>One of the best solutions I think is solar cooking which is the maximum
>conservation.  But at other times wood cooking is a helpful solution.
>
>For wood, I am familiar from pictures with the Lorena stove which is
>very wood conserving.  And I have also seen a drawing of a stove which
>looks to be made from a #10 can (about a foot high) which has holes at the
>bottom.  I understand
>that food can be cooked quickly using very small twigs.  I'd like to know
>more about this if anyone has any more information or experience.
>
>Haybox cookers or thermos cooking also are fuel conserving.
>
>What sort of things are you using for fuel?
>
>Sharon
>gordonse@one.net
>
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