Summertime and the cooking is easy with the sun! Come to the 5th Annual Solar Cook-Off & Expo at the Bisbee Farmers Market on Saturday, June 16 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and find out how to cook with free and abundant solar power.

"Everyone in southern Arizona should get a solar oven," says Valerie McCaffrey, founder of the event and a solar chef for the last 28 years. "I saw someone baking chocolate chip cookies in the sun at the U of A in 1979 when I was going to school there. My husband and I were so impressed by it that we built our first solar oven during spring break and have been using the sun to cook our food ever since," she explained.

"It's much more practical and economical than buying a BBQ. The fuel is free and you can go away and let the sun do all the work like an outdoor crock pot," she added. "It is also a wonderful way to cook around the pool and great for gardeners as you don't have to run inside to stir the pot and your whole yard smells wonderful."

Solar cooking makes even more sense in these days of rising energy costs. Solar ovens reach temperatures over 400 degrees so just about anything can be cooked in them. It also saves on electricity as the food is cooked outdoors so the house doesn't heat up.

At the cook-off solar chefs are invited to show off their cooking skills and compete for "solar" prizes. Judging will take place at noon with a potluck for participants afterwards. McCaffrey will offer free solar cooking classes with demonstrations of solar banana bread and a green chile cheese casserole at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Solar cookbooks with plans for building your own oven and solar hot plate will be for sale as well as commercial sun ovens.

Find out what else the sun can do for you including provide electricity, heat water for home and pool, home and food cooling and water pumping. The Southwest's largest source for sustainable solar energy solutions, The Solar Store of Tucson, will have an information booth and demonstrate solar powered appliances. Representatives from Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative will have information about its SunWatts Program.

The Bisbee Farmers Market is located in Vista Park in the Warren historical residential area. Directions: from the traffic circle, take Bisbee Road to the south end of Vista Park across from the ball park. Lost of fresh locally raised produce including sweet corn, peaches, blackberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, sweet onions and summer squash will be for sale as well as grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone free lamb, beef, pork, chicken and eggs. The market also offers home-style baked goods, honey, jams and pickles, plants and a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts.

Tasty food for breakfast and lunch is available from the market's Bistro with shady outdoor eating areas for relaxing and listening to live music by jazz and swing singer Nancy Weaver.