Wild smoke

[Tavurth]

I quit smoking about a year ago, and I'm quite happy in my current state as a non smoker, as I do not like nicotine.
Having recently read 'Life in the Far West', I remembered how nice it is to smoke a small pipe when sitting around a camp fire.

Mentioned in the book, was 'Kinnik-Kinnik', a Native American smoking mixture, comprised of a mixture of herbs and the tree dogwood.

Wikipedia.org

My question:

Does anyone here know of any European alternatives to tobacco?
Perhaps we might comprise a list of all herbs that are non toxic for pipe smoke?​

 

[Tavurth]

Hmm I can't seem to edit my posts...

Here is the amended Wikipedia link.

 

[Toddy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

There's a problem with your request; and it's a fairly biggish one.
Y'see in the past smoke was not considered a bad thing per se. It was used both medicinally, socially and for cleansing.
Many of the 'hearth herbs' used in the UK are insecticidal, they literally fumigated people, clothing, buildings, etc.,

Nowadays though we know that many (indeed most) of them are in some way contra-indicated.
Mugwort for instance. Lovely herb, beautiful white smoke, lovely scent to it, kills insects though and isn't supposed to do us much good despite it's use for thousands of years. Artemesia vulgaris is it's full name.

Catnip's another, so is the riverine sweet grass, feverfew, meadowsweet, yarrow….they all need care if you're going to use them more than a very occasional intake.
I have seen the autopsy results of the lungs of those who had smoke filled lives; they are all black with tar and soot, none are clean and healthy, and these are people who's lives predated modern processed tobacco.

Interesting topic though, and I'm sure there'll be smokers along who'll happily add to the thread.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Tavurth]

Catnip's another, so is the riverine sweet grass, feverfew, meadowsweet, yarrow….they all need care if you're going to use them more than a very occasional intake.

Thank you for the suggestions. I would agree that occasional intake is what I'm talking about. The problem: the word occasional goes rarely hand in hand with Nicotine.
A non addictive smoking substance is in my option less likely to do harm, simple because the amount consumed is drastically less. However if one were to smoke catnip as per tobacco, then the harm would likely come just as (if not more) quickly.

 

[Tavurth]

The list so far:

Mint
Sage
Ginkgo
Yarrow
Catnip
Mugwort
Mullein
Feverfew
Chamomile
Coltsfoot
Medowsweet
Raspberry
Passionflower
St. John's Wort
Riverine Sweet Grass
​

 

[feralpig]

Holland and Barrett sell a couple of different types of smoking mix. Better for a pipe than a roll up.
I tried them a few years ago, and didn't think much of them.
Evidently they must sell it, or it wouldn't be on the shelf, so someone must like it.

 

[Toddy]

The riverine sweet grass that I know of is this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierochloe_odorata

M

 

[Robson Valley]

Toddy, this is almost too funny. From where I sit, it's a quest for smoke woods for flavoring BBQ foods,
not some crap that you can shove up your nose!

Now, you Brits have apple trees all over the place. I'm told that the apple variety
has a great influence on the smoke flavor. Does this mean that I need
to BBQ in the UK for 6-8 weeks to do the definitive experiments?

 

[swotty]

Has the original post disappeared for this thread?

 

[bikething]

Has the original post disappeared for this thread?

it has for me

 

[Dave Budd]

I read this thread eariler this morning and wondered about the original post. It ms a lot more sense now that it is back

I have to say though, that I really don't like the idea of deliberately putting any smoke into my lungs! Even the loveliest smelling woods soon get to be nasty when a lungful is inhaled. I get enough smokey nasties in there from day to day activities and having seen what comes out of a smokers chest cavity after choosing to breath it in

 

[shack]

ooh another interesting thread, like the original post many years ago I used to smoke a pipe and do occasionally miss it, but more the smell and the tactile nature of the whole process, maybe something to add to fire to flavour the smoke, although most of the time I'm more than happy of just the woodsmoke and maybe a spot of whittling if my hands are fidgety.

 

[Toddy]

Robson Valley, we would use none of those plants for bbq smoke.

We do use oak (kippers, bloaters, herrings etc), and we do use apple, but we don't really do much 'smoking' otherwise. Occasionally cold smoked venison that ends up black and shiny on the outside, maybe a couple of ducks or geese from the same batch depending on what's been shot and tied up the stack too.

I don't buy 'smoke flavoured' foods for my husband, he doesn't like them, and there's no great abundance of them in our shops anyway. Bbq's are occasional weekend things in our climate.

Using things like the mugwort or the feverfew to smoke food just strikes us as wrong on so many levels.

Different country, different tastes, maybe.

M

 

[Goatboy]

Must admit to being partial to smoked food, kippers/smokies and bacon being some of the best. But I find that some of the artificial smoke flavourings make me ill - a very runny tummy.
On the OP's point the occasional smoke is nice, (though I know not healthy). The doctor I saw said that for the amount I smoke that though I would be better giving up it doesn't really do me that much harm. I enjoy it rather than feel addicted to it. If I don't have it I don't miss it. I used to smoke a pipe in the woods when I worked there and did try some naturally occurring herbage in my pipe. You can also buy tobacco like "Natural Spirit" which is an unadulterated tobacco, no nasties added and slightly less lethal as a result.
So saying I wouldn't encourage anyone to start as most folk do become addicted to it once started. I'm quite happy just enjoying the odd waft of smoke from the fire when I'm out and will often pop on something nice like juniper or wild sage when I'm out.

 

[Toddy]

Sometime we're going to organise a Scottish meet up and do some smoked venison, duck, goose, boar, salmon, etc.,
Build a smoker (it got used as a steamer for planks too in the workshop…same box shaped thingie, just tied up like a lum instead of lying on tressles ) and do it from scratch.
We have a source for staves from old oak whisky barrels, so that would do.
D'you think Andrew and George at Comriecroft would be up for it ?

I think you're wise about the pipe. An occasional pleasure and real unadulterated tobacco, etc., addiction is a nasty wee devil that buries deep in the core of the brain.

M

 

[Goatboy]

Sometime we're going to organise a Scottish meet up and do some smoked venison, duck, goose, boar, salmon, etc.,
Build a smoker (it got used as a steamer for planks too in the workshop…same box shaped thingie, just tied up like a lum instead of lying on tressles ) and do it from scratch.
We have a source for staves from old oak whisky barrels, so that would do.
D'you think Andrew and George at Comriecroft would be up for it ?

I think you're wise about the pipe. An occasional pleasure and real unadulterated tobacco, etc., addiction is a nasty wee devil that buries deep in the core of the brain.

M

I'd be up for a meet @ Comrie (as I'm sure would Belzebob)and those lovely folk at Comrie would be happy to accommodate I'm sure. I could have a wee word with the distillery in the village and see if I could get some freshish staves for the smoker! (Some whisky smoked meat and cheese would be braw).
Got some lovely home made gravlax from a friend in the village last night for my tea, had it with some nice oatcakes and then some of this years jam for afters on the remainder of the oatcakes.
Any ideas as to what time of year a Comrie meet would take place?

 

[Toddy]

Before the midgies ….though they're not bad up there anyway. It's a really lovely site

That's two things you mentioned that I never thought about with smoke….maybe it was RV's bbq mention smoked cheese is pretty good though himself's no fan of the smoked stuff, not even bacon.

M

 

[Cromm]

Kinnik kinnik ? I always thought that was buffalo poo ? Maybe just taste like it....

 

[bambodoggy]

I'm sure somebody on here told me years ago that you could use Coltsfoot as a tabacco substitute, never tried it though

 

[bb07]

Kinnik kinnik ? I always thought that was buffalo poo ? Maybe just taste like it....

Some info here: http://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00086

https://www.google.ca/search?q=kinn...muVMutMoL8yQT3qIGICQ&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQsAQ&dpr=1