This is going to be a long post but I'll let the pictures do the talking!
On this blog I'll concentrate on the charcoal making and on my other blog I'll talk about the axe side of things.
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| Setting up camp in heavy snow was interesting! |
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| A snowy tent |
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| It didn't dampen our spirits though! |
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| Starting to pack in the wood for the charcoal burn |
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| The compost toilet - almost looks picturesque |
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| The barrel full for the charcoal burn, tightly packed in |
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| Tipping the barrel over the fire (that's why the wood is tightly packed into the barrel) |
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| Some time to roast some chestnuts |
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| Watching for the smoke to change |
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| Stopping the burn with soil |
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| The charcoal the next day cooled and ready to bag up |
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| The group next to a "cord" of wood we'd set up |
A great weekend learning some new skills and practising old ones.
It was also a great opportunity to camp in conditions where I normally wouldn't bother! I wasn't cold once so I must have dressed right.
The snow made the course more interesting if anything, hunting for fire wood became harder as was keeping the fire going. I also learnt a little more about making charcoal, it was a completely different way to how my brother and I were making it in a 45 gallon drum a few years ago and it reinforced the knowledge I already had about it.
I love weekends like this! If anyone is interested I really recommend their course - http://www.survivalschool.co.uk/.
An enjoyable and informative post Kev. I had know idea that charcoal could be done in that way.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's pretty simple but I think it's alot of practice.
DeleteVery interesting and this looks very doable for a home setup!
ReplyDeleteIt's doable but returns are quite low. for every 6kgs of wood you might get 1kg of charcoal but it's another step towards self reliance!
DeleteYou had my attention from the very start of the post. Have never known how this was done and now I do (not that I can see me using the knowledge in the foreseeable future!). Going over to your other blog now to check out the axe sharpening!
ReplyDeleteI didn't write much about the sharpening but if you want me to do a post on it I will just ask!
DeleteNow that looks an interesting weekend to go on, and fun too! Off over to see out the axe sharpening went.
ReplyDeleteCheers Vera, it was interesting, the trouble is it makes me want to do more courses like this!
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