Cooking with EcoZoom Zoom Versa Stove [Review]

Are you looking for an eco-friendly cooking method, a way to cook food in an emergency, or when the power is out? I discovered the EcoZoom company when looking for all three. Actually, I was actually looking for another method to can produce (post to come later), but I am always on the search for eco-friendly cooking options and methods that can be used when the power is out or if there was an emergency/disaster. When I read that EcoZoom stoves take wood, dried biomass, or charcoal, I knew I had found what I was looking for. EcoZoom stoves are fuel-efficient and clean burning, allowing you to cook a complete meal using only a few sticks or charcoal briquettes.

EcoZoom Zoom Versa Lite Stove            $124.00

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Eco-friendly packaging	Takes a few tries to get the fire going
Fuel-efficient
Easy to use by anyone

I will let you read about the product on the EcoZoom website. My post will be focused on my experience cooking with the EcoZoom Zoom Versa Lite stove.

Let’s start off with the packaging. Why is packaging important? With the increased amount of items I order online, the recycle bin and the trash fill up quickly. I am disappointed when I receive a package from a "green" company and it is filled with styrofoam peanuts. Eco-friendly, recyclable, and even reusable packaging is very important to me. I was pleasantly surprised about the minimal use of packaging by EcoZoom and that I could recycle 99% of it. The only plastic was the tape on the outside box and plastic strips around the EcoZoom Stove box itself.

The stove weighs 18 pounds, but I had no trouble getting it out of the packaging and carrying it outside. I set the stove in the middle of the driveway. After doing research online, I figured out the steps to get a fire going. I knew that the EcoZoom stove would be perfect for our house because we have a lot of mature trees, which equates to lots of sticks of various sizes. I walked around the yard and picked up sticks for kindling and for keeping the fire going.

Here are the steps we took to get our fire started:

Open up both compartments (damper and main compartment).  Gather your cooking fuel (wood, dried biomass, or charcoal) and keep close. (I would also recommend a good sized box of matches)

Build kindling from dryer lint or newspaper and about 3-4 thin wooden sticks (about the thickness of a pencil). We started off with dryer lint, which burned out quickly. I then added the newspaper on the bottom and in the middle of the sticks. Newspaper worked like a charm.

Use a match, lighter, or flint to light the kindling, specifically focusing on lighting the dryer lint or newspaper. Of course, lighting 10 matches and putting them inside also helps with kindling and getting the fire started. LOL

      

Once the wood catches fire and sustains, you can begin cooking.

Dish 1: Fire Roasted Garlic. I bought this awesome little contraption made from cast iron to roast garlic heads. The garlic roaster fit perfectly on top of the 6-pronged cast iron stovetop. I cooked the garlic for about 60 minutes, recommended time.  I did keep the fire going pretty strong (flames touching the bottom of the garlic roaster). Doesn't the roasted garlic look delicious?!

Dish 2: Halibut with peppers and onions in a cast iron pan. About two tablespoons of coconut oil were added and once melted, the fish was put on top. The fire was pretty strong and the fish sizzled. The Halibut got a nice crust on it. Toward the end of the cooking time, I stopped adding more sticks to the fire.

   

Once you are done cooking, put out the fire by closing the damper and the main compartment.

Lessons learned and takeaways:

• Don’t add too much kindling.
• Keep an eye on the fire, move sticks inside and continue to add thicker sticks to sustain the fire.
• If you need more fire, add more sticks (these are probably the fundamentals of cooking over a fire, but this was my first time doing so).
• Yes, you can burn dried dung. Thank you neighborhood deer!
• It will take some time and more cooking endeavors to figure out the right size of the fire for the right temperature of the dish. 
• The cast iron cookware will get sooty, but it washes off with some soap. 
• You might be sooty and smoky smelling; take a shower!  :)

I must admit that I really enjoyed cooking with the EcoZoom Zoom Versa Lite stove. I wanted to keep cooking all night long. I look forward to the next time I cook with the Zoom Versa Lite stove.

Sitting in the driveway, watching the fire going, and periodically feeding sticks into the fire was very relaxing. The stove is efficient, eco-friendly, and compact. I would highly recommend this stove to anyone, even if you have never cooked over a fire before. It might take some trial and error to get the fire going, but it was easy to sustain the fire and cook a complete meal on the stove.

Disclosure: I received the sample from the company in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. I am under no pressure to return the product to the company or to write this review. This product review is based on my personal experiences. This review is objective and completely honest.

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Unjunk Your Junk Food by Avoiding Chemical Additives [Review]

Every time that I receive the Naturally Savvy newsletter, I am learning something new. Therefore, I was delighted to read and review the book, Unjunk Your Junk Food - Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks. Whether you are a greenie or looking to make a few eco-friendly changes in your life, this book is perfect for you! Unjunk Your Junk Food will help you understand labels and ingredients and make better and healthier food choices when you are grocery shopping.

Unjunk Your Junk Food                         $12.32 (sources)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Quick reference guide
Informative
Colorful and easy to understand

Unjunk Your Junk Food would be perfect for the person who does not know where to start. You can look up your favorite junk food and quickly find a healthier alternative. One of my favorite parts was the Worst Ingredients List. I loved the explanations of different "nasty" ingredients and fillers. I finally understood why some of the "nasty" ingredients are actually nasty. Another favorite part were the colorful pages in the middle that depict bad and good choices for snacks. For example, Oreos are greatly loved by my extended family, but the ingredients include High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Artificial Flavors (nasty stuff!). Unjunk Your Junk Food recommends buying County Choice Organics Sandwich Cremes Chocolate Cookies.

Instead of telling your spouse, family member, or friend that they are making bad food choices, hand them Unjunk Your Junk Food and tell them to read a few pages from the book. I was even surprised by some of the discoveries I made (and I eat very cleanly). If you are confused by the ingredients and claims on food labels, flip through a few pages of this book and you will immediately understand exactly what you should and should not eat. Your body and health will thank you for avoiding chemical additives. 

Disclosure: I received the sample from the company in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my personal experiences. This review is objective and completely honest.

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How to Eat an African Horned Melon (Kiwano)

Have you ever seen a Kiwano?

A Kiwano is also known as an African Horned Melon, which is part of the cucumber family.

Basic nutrition stats:

• 25 calories per melon
• 0g fat, sodium, and cholesterol
• 40% of your daily vitamin C RDI

I inherited three of these melons from my mom. I say that I inherited them because they were in my fridge for almost two weeks before I gathered enough courage to eat them. First, I realized I needed to find out how to eat the melon. Do you see those little bumps on the melon? They are a little sharp! Here are some easy instructions:

1. Cut the melon in half (along the equator).
   
   
   
2. Take the half that you cut and gentle squeeze to release the flesh and seeds.  (do not cut into quarters like the picture show, just in half)
   
   
   
3. Lick or suck up the flesh and seeds into your mouth. Do not attempt this in front of your extended family or someone you would like to date. The juices got all over my face!  I recommend using a spoon to scoop the flesh out.
   
   
   
4. You have two options:
• Eat the flesh and the seeds
• Hold the seed between your teeth and suck the flesh off it.  Spit the seed out.  I tried this method a few times; it was too much work. 

Overall Impression: This is definitely the most interesting piece of fruit I have ever eaten. The taste was very mild, not too sweet and not too tart. I read that a Kiwano is usually compared to a mix of cucumber, lemon, banana, and lime. Very interesting and very good combination! Although a little time consuming to eat, the fact that a Kiwano is only 25 calories and provides a very unique combination of flavors is a plus in my book!

>> Have you ever heard of or tried a Kiwano?  What did you think?

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