Operator Error!

by BC
(St. Louis, MO)

I decided to make Bean Soup in the solar oven today. First I boiled the beans for ten minutes on the stove, and then let them sit in the hot water for a few hours while running errands. This was a mistake. I should have gotten them going in the solar oven right away, because by the time I got home again and got them put out, it was already around 2 PM. They were in until 5 PM, which was not at all long enough. The beans were still too hard, and not enough of the liquid had been absorbed. The flavors also hadn’t had time enough to meld. Truthfully, the weather wasn’t very cooperative. Many puffy clouds moved across the sky all day, so the cooker was in the shade for up to 10 or 15 minutes at a time, and the temperature never got above 250 degrees F. I had to sideline this one for today and make chicken nuggets instead! But it should improve overnight in the fridge, and I can set it back out in the morning to finish all day. If the flavors are better, I will do this one differently next time!