[Sca-cooks] Charcoal

[Ted Eisenstein]

>> I'm surprised no-one in the SCA has yet made their own. . .
>> >From what I hear, it's somewhat time-consuming but not
>> technically difficult.
>>
>> . . .or so I'm told. . .
>Gardens Illustrated for Feb. 2001 did a major
>article on traditional charcoal burning. It
>takes a special kiln and a forest of the right
>sort of trees. But if you've got cooperative
>neighbors, a couple hundred acres of woods to
>deplete, and EPA permission to smoke up the air
>you too can make charcoal. Large scale charcoal
>production for smeltering helped to deplete the
>hardwood forests of Michigan's UP faster than the
>demand for lumber for housing back in the mid 19th
>century.

That special kiln, forest of trees, and major pollution is
useful - for large-scale charcoal production.
What I'm suggesting here is a tree or so at most, and
a hole in the ground. . .
(quick: are we talking about a village's needs for a year,
or one cook's needs for occasional grilling?)

Alban