Seniors at the Frank P. Giannini, M.D., Senior Citizens Center got a free lesson in survival Friday.
Dorothy Shumans, an activity assistant working with seniors through Pennyrile Allied Community Services’ (PACS) Senior Community Service Employment Program, recently showed a group of seniors the basics of solar cooking, harnessing the power of the sun to make meals.
Shumans and the center are attempting to organize a class on solar cooking, one open to the entire community.
The skill, she said, is a handy one to know.
“When I was a missionary in Haiti, this is how I cooked all the time,” she said.
“I just think that we need to be planning for emergencies,” she said. “We need to learn how to do this, because it works, and it doesn’t cost anything.”
The only materials required for a simple solar oven are cardboard, aluminum foil and glue.
Shumans put a covered pan of chicken and vegetables, wrapped in a plastic baking bag, in the solar oven outside the senior center at about 8:15 a.m. Friday.
Three hours later, the sun had heated the food to a temperature of 225 degrees, verified by a cooking thermometer — well above the 165-degree minimum recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Curious senior center patrons lined up for a taste of the finished dish and found it to their liking; some came back for more.
Should another disaster similar to last year’s ice storm occur, the solar ovens can prove vital, she said.
If gas and electric service is knocked out, solar ovens offer a way to keep hot food on the table.
“It doesn’t matter if you have snow on the ground or anything,” Shumans said.
“As long as you have sun, you can cook.”
The cooking time will depend on the volume of food being prepared, she noted.
The oven used for Friday’s demonstration was a simple model.
A more stable model, made from wood, can achieve cooking temperatures of 400 degrees. “I’ve baked a turkey in them,” Shumans said.
Patterns are available for both models and will be offered when a class is scheduled at the center.
Persons interested in participating can contact the center at (270) 365-7446.
