Okra also known as Ladyfingers

The Asian tables at the farmers market have a variety of exotic foods. Okra is one of them. Pick them small about two inches in length otherwise they are a bit tough.

Toss in the 7" round pot and cook for one hour.

Meanwhile take one small red onion from the garden, one small garlic, one small bunch cilantro, and chop fine, chives and all.
Add one jalapeño chopped fine.
Add two tablespoons sunflower oil (Whole foods has an organic version) and one tablespoon vinegar.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix and serve.

Cooking okra in the solar over does not have the slime traditionally associated because the food is cooked without water.

Sweet Potato, White Corn, or Asparagus- Buy less more often

There is just too much this time of year at the farmers markets, and you have to be careful to buy only what you know you can finish. Since there are multiple markets on other days of the week this time of year, less is better than more. Running out of food is better than throwing it away- since a grocery is around the corner for most of us. Take a shopping list and a pencil.

Sweet Potato
Wash, toss in oven and cook for 90 minutes.
Cut in half and score the surface with a knife. Drizzle olive oil. Then dust with salt pepper and cayenne to taste.

Sweet White corn
This Brentwood corn is sweet enough to eat raw.
This corn should be eaten the same day so don't buy if you will need to store. The sugars go to starch in the refrigerator and it doesn't taste the same.
Husk, remove strings, toss in 5”round pot in oven for forty five minutes

Asparagus
Trim the hard portion of the stalk. Lay the stalks in the 5” pot and cook for fifty minutes. Mix two tablespoon olive oil, two tablespoons white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and pour on top when done and mix well.

Eggs and potatoes with broccoli or ham.

You can cook breakfast after the vernal equinox.

Hash two medium potatoes. Calderon Market has a good variety.
Fine chop half a yellow onion or a large spring onion.
Fine chop half a serano chili or sprinkle chili flakes to taste.
Add one tablespoons cooking oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix.
Cook in the oval roaster if you are starting early (7:30 AM) with the oven in the winter position for an hour. If you are starting later in the morning 8:30 or 9:00 place in oval roaster in the summer position. If cloudy or overcast use the reflector.

Meanwhile fine chop one small head broccoli or a fist full of ham.
Beat six eggs together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add one tablespoon cooking oil and beat in again. The San Mateo market has a dairy products and meats from Sonoma. This ishte best market on the Peninsula.

Remove the 5” roaster and clear the center by moving the potato/onion/chilli mix to the edge. Lay the broccoli or ham in the center and then pour the egg on top. Return to the solar oven for 50 minutes in the summer position. (If you use more eggs increase the cooking time.)

Remove when done,
Chop five to ten sprigs of cilantro fine and toss on top.
Using a flat edge spoon break up the omelete and mix together.
Serve as is or add shredded mozzarella cheese on top if desired.

Garlic Shitake with corn and tofu.

Adapted from Vegetarian by Linda Fraser, a set of recipes easily ported to a solar oven.

1 lb shitake from J&M.
Twist the mushroom stalk at the base to remove.

Mix together-
Chop the clear portion of the stalks.
Trim the kernels of the cob. Cut them off with the knife then use the back of the blade on scrape the cob and remove the part of the kernel that still remained. Brentwood corn made its first summer appearance this Sunday at the Belmont Market.
Chop two cloves garlic fine.
Chopped three spring onions.
Two tablespoons sesame oil.
One small block tofu cut into small cubes. I like Mori-nu organic tofu in a box available at Safeway and Wholefoods.
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Mix well and spoon into the caps. Place in the 5” oval roaster and cook for 90 minutes in the summer position.

Remove and drizzle sesame oil (two more tablespoons) and two tablespoons of soy sauce over the stuffed caps before serving.

Cooking in a solar oven exposes you to sun for brief periods of time which can be good. Since the solar sport is used without the reflector most of the year it doesn't have the intense concentrated reflections that the other ovens do which require sun shades.