I think I saw a brief note about this in the Jade Mountain catalog. They were exploring the idea of adding a small solar powered fan to see if that improved things, but I love the simplicity of the original design. My question is: should both pots be unglazed or can the inside pot have a food-safe glaze so you can store milk or other liquids directly in it without any other container?
By the way, my own family has recently informed me that they don't think we need a refrigerator any more and ought to unplug it because it uses so much electricity. I'm not sure how much power it consumes; twelve years ago it was considered and energy-efficient model, but even today's Energy Star refrigerators tend to use over a kilowatt hour a day. I have a bunch of frozen stuff for the upcoming holidays, but come the first of the year, most of the food in my refrigerator and freezer will be used up. I think my New year's resolution will be to unplug the refrigerator and see if we really miss it. It should be an interesting experiment. It will mean doing things differently, but I suspect we'll end up eating even better meals than we are having now because I'll do more cooking "from scratch" and will be more likely to grab food fresh out of the garden than not-so-fresh out of the fridge. Carol (and Abe) P.S. Another recipient of a Rolex Award is collecting some of the many little-used bicycles that are cluttering up the basements, sheds, and garages of the USA. He ships the bikes to developing nations, where they can really make an impact on raising the standard of living. -----Original Message----- From: kathryn marsh [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 6:12 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [ecopath] pot in pot earthern refrigerator This came past on the cob list and I thought people might be interested kathryn > >Here is a link to a wonderful idea, especially important to people off the >grid and in dry climates. >http://www.time.com/time/2001/inventions/basics/inpot.html >clip------------- > >In rural northern Nigeria, there are no refrigerators. Most people don't >even have electricity. So perishable food must be eaten immediately, or it >will go to waste. Mohammed Bah Abba, a local teacher, has developed an >ingenious solution: the Pot-in-Pot Preservation Cooling System. A small >earthenware pot is placed inside a larger one, and the space between the two >is filled with moist sand. The inner pot is filled with fruit, vegetables or >soft drinks; a wet cloth covers the whole thing. As water in the sand >evaporates through the surface of the outer pot, it carries heat, drawing it >away from the inner core. Eggplants stay fresh for 27 days, instead of the >usual three. Tomatoes and peppers last for up to three weeks. A recipient of >the Rolex Award for Enterprise, Abba, 37, who hails from a family of >potmakers, is using his $75,000 award to make the invention available >throughout Nigeria. He has already sold 12,000. > > end clip-------------- > >Arlie
