I'm in the northeast as well and I've used a black plastic garbage bag as a "Solar Kiln". On a daily basis I would take out the bowl, invert the bag, replace the bowl and reseal the bag. Worked ok.

Give it a shot and if it works for you, build a bigger one.

The reason the garbage bag idea works is you are controlling how much moisture is being released. Once the air in the bag reaches a saturation point the wood will not release any more water. Then when you reverse the bag you remove the water and when the wood is placed back in the bag the process starts over again.

On a solar kiln with its air circulating you run the risk of having the water released from the wood to fast. This can cause the wood to split or become case harden. If the wood is case harden and you go to cut it on a table saw there is a risk that the wood will twist.

While solar kilns work there is more to it than building a hot box with its air being circulated. Where most solar kilns fail is having the wood dry to fast which can easily happen on a hot sunny day. You will need to come up with a way to control the amount a water being released.

Good Luck.