| Outdoor cooking on the barbecue and smoker is now | | | | tree now free of disease is able to grow as fast as |
| becoming a serious leisure pastime. Certainly in England | | | | possible and this makes for a thicker plant that is also |
| where the weather is not altogether reliable, the | | | | better for wildlife. |
| advent of wonderful contraptions such as umbrellas | | | | Coppicing is carried out in cycles from one year to |
| and patio heaters has made outdoor cooking an | | | | many years depending on the species of tree and |
| extremely pleasurable recreation. In fact so much so | | | | what the wood is going to be used for. This means |
| that you'll see people lighting the barbecue in all | | | | that a variety of coppicing activity will be taking place in |
| weathers - a funny lot those English! | | | | a wood thereby ensuring the continuation of the |
| Speaking as one of that "funny lot", an extremely | | | | ecology and an ongoing supply of wood. |
| enthusiastic fan of outdoor cooking and now a creator | | | | Coppiced trees can survive for many centuries and |
| and purveyor of outdoor bbq recipes and free smoker | | | | perhaps one of the most astonishing facts about the |
| recipes I thought is was I did some research into the | | | | English countryside is that very often the oldest trees |
| subject of my chosen fuel of fun. | | | | are those that have been cut down the most! Add to |
| What concerns me is that I'm thoroughly enjoying | | | | this the fact that because it's sustainable there aren't |
| myself lighting fires, grilling fish and steaks and washing | | | | truckloads of charcoal pounding the roads, it really is a |
| it all down with a glass or two of the falling down | | | | local industry. |
| water and yet I must be damaging the environment, | | | | So now I can write my free smoker recipes for your |
| mustn't I? Charcoal comes from wood, so with all | | | | enjoyment safe in the knowledge that outdoor cooking |
| these barbecues there must be serious deforestation | | | | on the charcoal BBQ grill can remain my chosen |
| going on followed by greater transport costs to ship it | | | | method of relaxation and recreation. |
| from further afield and less trees to absorb the carbon | | | | Please note that this article is not a statement of |
| dioxide greenhouse gas. | | | | scientific fact; it's merely a way of absolving me of guilt |
| So in the spirit of my own education and learning I | | | | at lighting a fire. Of course we need to be careful |
| wanted to find out about how charcoal is made and | | | | whenever the earth's natural resources are consumed |
| as a result I've found out about the process of | | | | and I work on the principle that the cooking process |
| coppicing. | | | | itself is no more or less environmentally unfriendly that |
| Coppicing is the cutting of a tree or shrub to ground | | | | turning on the stove or the oven. Of course I maybe |
| level. Doing this stimulates the tree to sprout a number | | | | wrong but at least I feel happier knowing that I'm not |
| of new shoots and they grow very vigorously. | | | | contributing to serious deforestation. |
| Coppicing could be described as similar to pruning | | | | Not all charcoal is produced the way I have described |
| except that with coppicing all the wood is removed | | | | above so please be careful when buying charcoal to |
| and not just a few branches. By cutting the tree or | | | | check that it does indeed come from a sustainable |
| shrub to the ground, all dead, diseased and old wood | | | | source. |
| gets removed and that can be put to good use. The | | | | |