And Distrust of the “Hippy” Method

By Khaliela Wright

I stood on my deck, cup of tea in hand, and gazed skyward: azure and not a cloud in sight. That was good sign, because I was supposed to be getting a lesson in solar cooking from Sharon Cousins later in the day.

Still, the forecast only called for a high of seventy-five degrees, reminiscent of the mild Junes of my childhood. I wondered if, despite the cloudless sky, it would be too cool to cook. When I arrived at Sharon’s house in Viola that afternoon, she quickly assured me that the temperature would have no effect on our cooking ability.

“Air temperature is irrelevant,” Sharon said. “I’ve cooked in January with snow on the ground. They even use solar cookers to purify water on Mount Everest.”

That convinced me.