Apparently this old hay box cooking method or "pumpkin bag" aka "wonderbag" has been around for a long time--but I just discovered it today! Wow. Someone said you can also use it to keep things cold when you go camping.

"For those of you who haven’t seen one before this is a Wonderbag. It is basically a slow cooker that doesn’t use any electric! The idea is that you start off your meal by cooking it on the stove top. So say I am making stew I would bring a large pot to the boil and let it cook for a good 10 minutes or so and then I transfer the pot (with the lid on) to inside the wonderbag, add the lid and pull the drawstring tightly. Then 8 hours later the stew is cooked. The idea is based on the old hay box cooking method. As an alternative to buying or making one you can wrap your pot in towels or blankets or duvets and put inside a cool box / bag or any box with a tight lid that won’t melt!"

"1 cup rice with 2 cups water ( less water than what you would usually use) plus salt to boil with lid on for about 5min

I bring to a rapid boil and let it boil for 3 min. Do not lift lid

Pop in wonder bag…ready in 40min - 1 hour" -Catherine Kelly

#nonelectric #slowcooking #food #homesteading