I have specific memories of spending a lot of time canning using solar ovens at Lost Valley Educational Center back in the late '90's.


I suspect folks in the sunnier regions would be more apt to rely on this technology, though. It's pretty cloudy where I live.

so not really major here, but when I was home schooling my son we made a solar hot dog cooker out of an oatmeal canister and some tin foil. Worked like a dream... even here in the Pacific Northwest where it doesn't get all that hot very often... and there isn't too much sun most of the time.
I also remember making things in very small foil lined "ovens" in girl scouts years ago... none worked all that great, but then again we were impatient and experimenting.

I would love a link or two with what you found. I do a lot of outdoors stuff in the spring/summer/fall months and would love to have more info on solar cooking that was possibly portable.