Charcoal Making Course

[Smokingwoodman]

Not a huge amount of notice and 6 Nations Rugby on but here is the details of a Charcoal making two day course in The New Forest on the weekend of 6th and 7th March.

I intend to to run a one day one on a Saturday a month or so later at my wood at Vernham Dean it will probably be less fluffy but at lot less than £80 ...

...The 'From Wood to Charcoal' course is running on the weekend of the
6-7th of March 10am - 4pm both Saturday and Sunday at the Treehouse
Study Centre in Beaulieu. The cost of the course is £80.00 if you are a
member of the Trust, non-member is £100.00. The cost includes a BBQ or
earth oven lunch, teas and coffee both days.
The course will cover:
- Collecting and preparing suitable wood
- Selecting and preparing a suitable site
- Loading and firing a kiln
- The burn - how to manage it for best results
- Closing the kiln down
- Emptying, grading, packing and marketing the finished product
Both a large commerical kiln and an oil drum will be used so that
participants have an opportunity to try both small scale and commerical
scale charcoal production.

If you are still interested in the course please could you call the
Countryside Education Trust to book a place on 01590 612401

[Smokingwoodman]

If anyone fancies an afternoon out, there will be a demonstration of a charcoal burner as part of an open afternoon at a local farm Near Andover, Hampshire on Sunday 11th April 2010.

I think we are going to fire the burner a couple of days before as a big metal burner and huge piles of smoke might not be v. interesting but if you want to learn how it's done and get buy some cheap charcoal (proceeds to ' Help for Heroes ') get in touch.

regards,

Paul

[Steve]

Paul, what time will this be happening?

I'm visiting my parents up North that weekend but I might be able to get back some time during the middle of the day.

[Smokingwoodman]

Hi Steve,

The Charcoal oven is at a farm a couple of miles from Stoke SP11 OLT at Binley. The farm opens it's gardens annually for charity between 2 and 5pm... they have about 400 people, viewing daffodisl and buying tea and cakes.

If it goes to plan we will fire the charcoal on Thursday 8th and then between those times on the Sunday will be digging the Charcoal out and talking to any of the people walking the wood about charcoal and smoking woods generally.

It's a bit of a test run so I'm not sure it's worth busting a gut blatting down from Oop North. The longer term plan is to do charcoal making with the BBQ Society either locally or at Toby's as part of another event.