Three Unconventional Ways to Cook a Delicious Meal

Living in an RV and traveling from show to show, I did most of my cooking on a propane stove. However, this could get a bit expensive when cash was short. I could usually find free camping spots. Designing ways to cook took a bit of experimenting and adapting what I already knew. The first design shows the basics of what I build on site from materials at hand. I am using purchased bricks here, but I have done the same thing with field rocks, flag stone that someone left behind, and big logs. This field oven works beautifully for baking potatoes, smoking chicken, simple baking, and "stove top cooking". The rocket stove and the can cooker are adaptations of ideas I have seen elsewhere. Try these out and experiment a little. Be smart. Be safe. Just remember that you are playing with fire.

I purchased 20 paving bricks from Lowes at about $1.70 per brick. Three construction bricks were salvaged from the property. 30 fire bricks would have been better for these projects, but cost was a factor. Free bricks are available if you are patient. Dry stacking the bricks let me build these projects quickly and use the same bricks for multiple designs. All three were done in about 4 hours from beginning to end. Honestly, it took longer to get the fires going than to build the projects, mostly because I was working with damp wood.

camp stove

Based on my experience, this is the easier design to work with if your wood is less than ideal. It will take a little more wood than a rocket stove and works with larger pieces of wood. 2" to 3" wood is ideal for developing a bed of coals for cooking. The idea here is to develop a bed of coals and keep the heat concentrated in a smallish box. This design also helps protect your body from the heat while you are cooking. So the basics:

1) Clear the space of anything flammable and level the space.

2) If you have enough bricks, lay out the first course of bricks in a box.

3) For the second course, create a U on top of the first row with 6 bricks. Place the grate on this.

4) Stack at least 2 more courses on this to create an oven at least 4 layers high.

5) I used a ceramic toilet tank cover for a lid to this oven.

Build your fire and cook.

For more complete instructions with pictures, click the button below.

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Garlic

Ah, garlic. This ancient herb has been cultivated for at least 5000 years. Its actual origin has largely been lost to the mists of time as its wild ancestor no longer seems to exist in the wild. The earliest evidence of its use comes from the remains found in sites dating to the Neolithic era. This Neolithic evidence comes from ancient settlements in the Dead Sea region.

The Ancient records indicate that garlic was in wide spread use by 3000 BC by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, and Babylonians. By the middle ages, this powerful herb found its way though most of Europe and Asia. It was introduced into the Americas by the voyages of Columbus.

Garlic seems to be the herb of a thousand uses. It has earned mention in herbal volumes from the beginnings of these recordings. Cultures as diverse as Egypt, China, India, France, and Romania have found and recorded culinary, medicinal, and magical uses for garlic.

Garlic seems to have broad spectrum health benefits that range from heart health, to digestive health, to respiratory health. Garlic and honey is one of the remedies for coughs, colds, and flu. The ancient uses include the prevention of diseases and the treatment of minor wounds. Most of these health benefits are strongest in raw garlic, but adding a clove or two to cooking may promote good health.

Growing garlic in your garden or container is relatively easy as long as you can give it a chill period. In most temperate climates, it is best to plant garlic in the all, about three weeks before freezing weather sets in. It does have a chill hour requirement that varies by the variety before it will start growing. If your climate does not afford this, refrigerating the bulb for a few weeks should break its dormancy. Harvest garlic when its Tops start to dry down.

Garlic is highly medicinal, highly nutritious, and adds great flavor to savory vegetables, grains, and meats. It is generally pest free and I have not had problems with deer, groundhogs, and rabbits eating it. If you can find specialty growers, there are hundreds of varieties of garlic to choose from. For a mild flavor, Kilarney Red or elephant garlic are good choices. For fiery hot garlic, there are a number to choose from. Spanish Rojo is one of my favorites. To make beautiful and long lasting braids, choose one of the soft neck garlics. At the green stage, all parts of the garlic are edible but not always palatable.

After you harvest garlic at about mid summer, give it a light cleaning and let it cure in a warm, dark, and dry place until the tops are completely dry and the sheaths are papery. Choose your best bulbs to plant for the next year and store the rest in a cool but not cold place. I have stored some varieties of garlic for nearly a year. The handful in the photograph are from last year and have been sitting on the kitchen table all winter.

For an article that covers the energetic of garlic, click on the button below to go to my website.

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