A little over a year ago, I was living in a tiny village in Sub-Saharan Africa. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer with the specialized task of teaching locals how to conserve their natural resources, specifically trees.
A challenge unbeknownst to me before making the move to this region was something that most of us living in westernized cultures (for me, the United States) take for granted: cooking.
在缺乏电力的情况下,第三世界国家的人们是如何做饭的,而小型丙烷炉通常是负担不起的,而且经济上也无法获得。
Simple. Outdoor wood fires.
我们把它们称为“篝火”,我们把它们当作一种悠闲的活动来享受,烤棉花糖和热狗,举办社交聚会,在钻进睡袋或回到温暖的家之前保持温暖。
对于第三世界国家的人们来说,火是他们日常生活的必需品,他们的生活围绕着火来取暖和获取食物。
在塞内加尔,妇女负责做饭,这基本上意味着她们一整天都围着小火工作,用巨大的铸铁锅做饭,为全家人提供主食米饭。In Senegal, families are large, often consisting of 15 or more individuals living out of one compound.
这些食物花了好几个小时准备,在我眼里,这些女人是英雄。他们在炎热、麻木的环境中工作,而工人们则懒洋洋地等着食物送到他们手中。
To say there was a gender divide would be to underplay it.
These cooking fires used immense amounts of wood, were unhealthy with long-term exposure because of constant smoke inhalation and eye irritation, and took a very long time to prepare food.
Because of these reasons, Peace Corps Volunteers promoted the creation of mud stoves.
What Are Mud Stoves?
Mud stoves are a simple construction project that mostly consists of molding the mixture into place. Mud stoves utilize less wood, burn hotter faster, and ventilate smoke better. Not only do they burn fuel more efficiently and reduce health hazards, they’re also providing women with more time to do other things like go to school, study, or simply relax. It’s a win-win all the way around!
Related Post:How to Build a Rocket Stove: 7 Plans
Why Would Anyone Want to Make One in Their Backyard?
- It can be a fun family activity!
- It can be a good starter project if you’re interested in making a large-scale outdoor mud oven for pizza or bread making.
- If you like the idea of cooking outside and aren’t into grilling, this could be a great alternative.
- If you camp often in the same spot, this can be an easy way to set up a permanent cooking area.
- 它们建造起来很便宜(如果你有合适的材料,甚至可以免费)。
- They don’t require special skills to create.
- They can be aesthetically pleasing if you’re creative with it.
Okay, but HOW Do You Make Them?
First, you need to acquire eight materials. Seven of which, depending on where you’re located, can be found in your backyard.
1.Water
2.Clay. I used an old termite mound — however for stateside creations, any clay will work just fine.
If you’re having trouble finding natural clay, follow step one of thislink.
You can also purchase clay if you’re unable or disinterested in finding it naturally. It can be found at most craft stores (Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Walmart) and you may also order it online.
最后,当你开始混合原料时,你要确保粘土是干的,而且大部分是粉末状的。你不希望在你的混合物中有大的碎片。我拿了一个锤子打破大的干块,直到它是松散的粉末(这部分是有趣的)。
3. Dried organic debris (dead leaves, small dry twigs, even dried animal manure from cows or donkeys).
You’ll want to make sure you crush all dried matter into small pieces. Here’s a reference image to help you better understand.
And here is what they look like when they are crushed.
4.Two straight sticks, a decent length long, and just thick enough to wrap your hand around.
5.A cast iron pot that you’re okay with not using for about a week.
The size of the pot you want to use is directly indicative of the size of your mud stove. This pot will be molded into your stove which means the size of this pot will be the only size your mud stove can fit. My host family in Senegal wanted multiple mud stoves to account for their different-sized pots.
6.三块大小相近的岩石,高度大致相同,很容易保持平衡。岩石的大小与你的锅的大小和你想要的泥炉的高度直接吻合。如果你想要一个更高的炉子,因此需要一个更大的开口来容纳更多的木头,你就需要更大的石头。这里有个例子可以更好地解释。
7. Any moderately-sized, rounded object. This is what will be used to hold the shape of the opening for your fuel. The opening also determinesthe size of your pot, and the size of your rocks.
8.A small, straight, sturdy stick that is approximately the width you intend the opening for the fuel entrance to be.
Once You’ve Acquired Your Materials, You May Begin Mixing
A general rule of thumb is to mix 2-parts clay to 1-part dried material. There are no specific measurements needed. If you’re using a shovel, put two shovelfuls of clay and one shovelful of dried material.
When adding the water, there’s (again) no specific amount to add. Here’s the general rule of thumb for adding water: You want enough for your materials to mix and stick together, so that when you grab a fistful of the mixture, it doesn’t crumble apart when you squeeze it, but not so much that when you squeeze the mixture it oozes out of your hand.
It’s next to impossible to thoroughly mix your ingredients with anything other than your hands.
Make Sure You’re Wearing Clothes You’re Okay With Soiling
Hint: Kids are great to involve in this part of the process. It’s like playing with Play-Doh. In fact, a Play-Doh consistency is exactly what you want.
Once You Have Your Mixture, It’s Time to Start Molding
Step 1
选择你想要放置泥炉的位置。确保你考虑到你想烟出来的方向和你想在哪里添加燃料。燃料在炉子的前部。烟出来的方向是后面。
记住,这不是移动的。Where you make your mud stove is where it will always be.
Step 2
Set your rocks up in a triangle formation with the point of the triangle facing the back of the stove. Then make sure your pot fits and balances well on top of the rocks. You may have to do some adjusting to get this part right. Here’s an example.
Note: I did not have a cast-iron pot on hand for these photos, but a cast iron pot is essential.
Step 3
Place your rounded object where you want the wood added (this will be the front). Make sure it fits well between the front two rocks, isn’t so tall that it causes the pot to be unbalanced, and is large enough to fit a few pieces of wood.
Step 4
Start applying the mixture. Begin from the ground up, applying the mixture first to the base of the rocks (both on the outside of the rocks, and inside where the fuel will be burning). Ensure the mixture is being applied smoothly and evenly dispersed.
Step 5
Once you get about halfway up the rocks, take your two straight sticks, and place one on the left side between the front left rock and back rock, at about a 45-degreeangle facing outward (reference image below). Then do the same thing on the right side with your second stick.
This arrangement serves as ventilation holes for the smoke once the stove is dried and the sticks are removed.
It is important to occasionally rotate the sticks during the drying process so that they do not stick to the mixture.
同样重要的是要确保棍子是光滑的(至少从下到上),这样当你在炉子干燥后取出它们时,它们就不会卡在炉子上或弄裂炉子。
Step 6
继续将混合物涂抹在新放置的棍子上,直到你到达岩石的顶部。在这个阶段,把你的小直杆在燃料入口,并平衡它之间的两个前岩石。这有助于把它推入混合物中,让它更好地粘在一起。
Step 7
Apply the mixture over the small entrance stick until it is completely covered.Make sure at this stage, the clay is the same height all the way around the stove. The entrance stick serves as extra stabilization for the stove.
The area above the entrance is the most fragile and easily broken part of the stove because once the entrance object is removed, this section has nothing else to support it. That is why it’s important to make sure the stick you choose is moderately strong.
Step 8
Once you’re sure the clay is evenly dispersed around the top, the rocks have been completely covered, and the fuel entrance well outlined, place your pot on top of the rocks the way you’d like it to sit. Begin modeling the clay around the pot to create a small lip. This insulates the fuel chamber and ensures the pot fits well into the stove.
Step 9
在这个阶段,它是可选的添加一点bling到你的泥炉。你可以在泥炉的侧面压上装饰用的石头或小瓷砖。我见过有人把树叶的印痕印在炉子的侧面,等炉子干了再给它上漆。到你!
Step 10
Allow mixture to dry for approximately one week. During this time frame, occasionally rotate the smoke ventilation sticks as well as the pot and the object you have used to secure the fuel entrance. Doing this helps these items not to stick to the mold, and makes them easily removable once the mixture dries.
注意:在使用泥浆炉之前,让它完全干燥是非常重要的。Premature usage can cause cracking.
Step 11
Remove the smoke ventilation sticks and the item used to secure the entrance. That’s it. You can start cooking.
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