I’m sketching another photobash, this time a scene of a solarpunk kitchen, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss an opportunity to include something cool.

My current plan is for this one to be a kind of summer kitchen (like old farmhouses around here used to have) which doubles as a three season porch. I think a lot of the elements could fit a normal kitchen, but some will compliment each other well with this design so it might be a good place to start (and it fits my theme of reexamining older ways of doing things for opportunities to reuse).

My current list of elements:

  • a Tamara Solar Kitchen -style oven cooker

  • A glass wall (and bit of roof) for growing plants and overwintering sensitive fruit trees

  • A solar hot water rig on the roof

  • Some sort of plan for compost (currently just a resealable bucket on a counter, but for those of you who know more about composting, I’m happy to build in your dream system)

  • A sitting area since people always hang out in the kitchen while you’re cooking anyways.

  • Maybe a parabolic grill set up outside, we’ll see if that feels redundant.

I feel like I’m missing a bunch of opportunities, so if you have any ideas, now’s a great time to add stuff

  • JacobCoffinWritesOP
    2·
    9 months ago

    A root cellar is a great fit for the design I’m thinking of - if we’re already building an addition for this summer kitchen, the space underneath is a great spot for a root cellar!

    I’d been wondering if an icebox is reaching back too far or too much of a stretch for modern audiences - I grew up listening to stories from my grandparents about harvesting ice in the winters (the winter crop) and storing it under sawdust (and getting in trouble for hiding in the ice house on hot days). I also got to help with an ice harvest recreation at a farm museum for a few years. I’m fond of the concept but wonder if easier technologies can be done ‘greenly’ enough that people wouldn’t see it as a worthwhile alternative (whether that’s PV panels and a battery powering a chest freezer (or chest fridge) or perhaps something like RoboGroMo’s idea to replace the propane heat component of an RV fridge with a solar concentrator. Like I’ve mentioned, I like reexamining older technologies to see if they’d be a good fit for a society with different priorities, modern technology to augment it, and possibly fewer resources overall. If it seems practical enough I’m happy to include it!

    I can see the emphasis on local food, and shorter distances enabling more frequent trips to a market (while at the same time preserving more food in alternative ways) though I’m not sure yet how to show it in the same scene. Thanks for your suggestions!