This is not my image, it was found floating around on the internet and on several Pinterest boards so If it is yours let me know and I will properly name it.
One of the things I really have to get used to, and probably the most difficult things for me, to be honest, was to go from a nice big kitchen with all the toys for making bread and homemade meals all the time to a tiny stove and oven that runs on a limited amount of propane with really no space or water to cook well. So these last few weeks I’ve been eating a combination of junk foods and quick cold foods and the occasional home cooked meal at a friend’s place. I’ve been too tired and overwhelmed to try to exert more effort than that. I wouldn’t call it laziness, no, but I’ve been in a frozen state, as I mentioned in the previous post, as I get used to this new minimalist mostly off grid existence.
Well this won’t do at all. I’m going to have to pick myself up and learn how to make healthy meals again. I’m going to have to put in some effort to get back on track. This isn’t easy for a middle-aged, perimenopausal, semi-disabled (more on that in another post perhaps), single woman to do but it must be done if I want to save as much $$$ as possible from my little job and to upgrade my life here.
As I find trying to cook in Tiny Trailer uncomfortable and not easy, not to mention it sets the little fire alarm off every time, it heats up this place like a big oven. In winter that wouldn’t be so bad at all but currently, with the days getting warm, it gets hot enough in here. The logical step would be to cook outside.
I did grab with me the old Colman propane camp stove figuring that I might need something like that if I was to be homeless living out of the truck. Luckily, I didn’t have to be homeless. But I do have it out in one of the sheds on the property. I can use that for basic boiling and cooking. Still, I run into the same space problems. Not a whole lot of room to cook- can’t use a Dutch oven, cast iron, or bake with it. That I know of anyway. I’ve only ever used a camp stove to boil water pretty much. So you see, I’ve some learning to do.
So I scrolled online while I was recovering from a bout of gut rebellion, and got some ideas for campfire cooking- of using wood outdoors with make shift grills and kitchens. I also saw rocket stoves. And one even comes with a pizza oven attachment that goes on top. I can imagine it could be used to make small bread, too. That set up is over $200! It would use minimal wood though, which would be a plus.
And that lead me down a rabbit hole of different set ups and possibilities. And of course I’d need some kind of outdoor kitchen or bench to work on as I prepped food. And some kind of covering because it rains here an awful lot…..and all that of course needs a stock pile of wood and a place to store that wood…..
And all that extra stuff will have to wait. I’ve a very limited income and I want to pad the bank account first. Because I just never know what might befall my circumstances next. But I can use a very basic set up— a campfire with a little grill over it. And for now, that will have to do. I did order a couple books on cooking over fire. Probably pretty basic stuff. But I wasn’t allowed to join the scouts growing up and most of the camping I’ve done was backpacking when I was younger and I preferred just to boil water for meals. I can start with this- and work my way up. I think this will be my first goal to work towards.
Climate Wary Homesteader 