Working on a Cooking Article Last Weekend

[Tsalagidave]

A friend of mine owns a 19th century apple farm and it is the ideal location for my wife to work on her photography.  It was also a great opportunity to get some photos for an article I was working on.

The various steps in fire building: tinder of forest detritus and crushed dry blackberry vines. Kindling is of split alder and deadfall twigs. Fuel is Applewood deadfall.

There was a constant breeze with semi-damp tinder. I used a 2" squared char cloth with flint and steel to have a quick ignition. Matches don't work well in this kind of wind.  Breathing an ember into life is like making the right note on a musical instrument. You feel it and can even hear the sound of ignition.

My first tinder was dried wild blackberry vines. Adding Alder fragments, to build heat. Alder is lousy fuel but it burns fast and hot in thin slivers and is useful in lighting the slightly damp applewood. Now that the fire is started, it is time to add the real fuel. I was in an alder grove adjacent to a 19th century apple orchard. Applewood is one of the best fuel woods you can find.


The fire has brought the kettle to a boil. The coals are keeping it hot. Laying a pan or coffee pot on the coals will cook more slowly. Clearing a channel under the frypan and coffee pot increases oxygen flow and heat. Bacon now cooking.


Clearing a channel beneath the coals allows airflow and increases cooking heat. I did most of the shoot resting the pan on the coals to slow cook so I could step back for photos without burning the food.

[Tsalagidave]

Here are some other shots.

[Tsalagidave]

...and another

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[Kent Shootwell]

There’s some good details in that texts if you read closely, good job.

[Tsalagidave]

Thanks Kent,

I have more pictures on a UK-based historic site here https://shootists.websitetoolbox.com/post/pioneer-fire-making-9729034?pid=1304087697

-Dave