Cooking with Cramp(ball)

[Pignut]

This thread seems to fall between this section and the fire craft section so If it is in the wrong place mods feel free to do with it as you see fit!

Any way.........................

I am lucky enough to have access to loads of crampball fungi which if not used will simply be burnt/buried and had a batch at home that was passed its best so I thought I would have a go at using it to cook over!!

Here is the article I wrote for my web page! hope that you find it interesting!.....


Crampball Fungi is known for its ability to catch a spark very easily! And as such is prized by backwoods practitioners for lighting fires. (Smouldering Crampball is also a good insect repellent)

It burns so well that it can actually be used in place of charcoal! And in an efficient stove can be used to cook over (I have chosen to use a Nimbelwill stove for this demonstration

Cramp ball Fungi grows on both living and dead wood and seems to favour the Ash tree, and can often be found in quite large troops. It appears as a dark grey to black “Blob” on the trunks and branches,

It is hard to the touch and once broken open reveals silver/grey concentric rings

A modern fire steel is one of the easiest ways of getting this fungi to light as the sparks produced are very hot! However the fungi can be used to extend a coal from a bowdrill or similar

Keeping blade still and drawing the fire steel under it produces an accurate shower of sparks

In one strike the fungi begins to glow….

This glowing fungi is then added to the bottom of the stove with a handful of other non glowing fungi and a Billy of cold water added to the top of the stove

After 5 minuets (With no interference) the fungi are all burning well

After 12 minuets the water is gently boiling (Enough for a brew)

(The water is boiling more then it looks)

After 15 minuets the coals are still burning strongly. Strong enough to heat oil for frying or to simmer other foods!

Hope you find some of this useful (Even if it is to laugh at my poor photography)

 

[Galemys]

Very nice tutorial pignut, thanx!

Tom

 

[bloodline]

Another excellant article Pignut they certainly give off a terrific amount of heat dont they?

 

[bilko]

I thought the photography was good Pignut, especially the way you captured the sparks. I had no idea how to ignite crampballs and didn't realise they need NO preperartion.
Great article and another good to know for me. Also is it true that crampballs grow on the underside of fallen ash?, if so they would make excellent fuel it seems when other wood is wet from a downpour.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Great stuff Pignut,
I've never had enough to use it solo as a cooking medium, prefering to keep the percious fungi for lighting other fuels.
The pictures are pretty good I think.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Pignut]

I thought the photography was good Pignut, especially the way you captured the sparks. I had no idea how to ignite crampballs and didn't realise they need NO preperartion.
Great article and another good to know for me. Also is it true that crampballs grow on the underside of fallen ash?, if so they would make excellent fuel it seems when other wood is wet from a downpour.

They tend to grow in the open not underneath the wood!

However if picked straight of the tree during a downpoor and stored in your pack straight away they will still light as the outer shell seems to repel water

(Thanks all for your kind words!)

 

[Biddlesby]

Brilliant. This use is always quoted, but I've never picked up the courage to burn so much of it!

 

[Pignut]

Brilliant. This use is always quoted, but I've never picked up the courage to burn so much of it!

I would say if they are scarce in your area best leave them on the tree! Take only what you NEED the ones I have are going to be destroyed anyway so I am not harming anything by using them!

I would still prefere a wood fire in my stove! and perhaps one cramp ball smouldering to the side to keep the biting insects at bay!

 

[Pignut]

Another excellant article Pignut they certainly give off a terrific amount of heat dont they?

Very hot!! easily equal ot charcoal

 

[Woods Wanderer]

cramp balls arnt to common in the woods where i am but i made a small roof for my fire (before some gimp burnt the shelter down) and about 12 grew on the roof i notice your in lincolnshire do you or anyother lincs people fancy meeting sometime

 

[Pignut]

cramp balls arnt to common in the woods where i am but i made a small roof for my fire (before some gimp burnt the shelter down) and about 12 grew on the roof i notice your in lincolnshire do you or anyother lincs people fancy meeting sometime

always up for a wonder drop me a pm!

 

[Nightwalker]

Great tutorial pignut!

I noticed you said:

After 5 minuets (With no interference) the fungi are all burning well

Did you not need to give the first crampball a few initial blows? Or did it did it slowly spread and grow on its own? Thanks!

 

[Pignut]

Great tutorial pignut!

I noticed you said: Did you not need to give the first crampball a few initial blows? Or did it did it slowly spread and grow on its own? Thanks!

No It needed nothing! I literally lit it with a spark and away it went

 

[Lodian]

Probably what there not supposed to be for lol.
But i had a long walk the other night and it was bloody cold so lit one and used it as a hand warmer putting it out in a puddle when i arrived.

 

[gorilla]

pignut - if you have access to a decent supply, i would happily paypal you some cash to send me some - i have spent the last 2 weekends looking for these in the woods where i live with no luck. PM me if there's any chance
thanks mate!

 

[Freds Dad]

When i demonstrate using my fire drill to my scouts I always drop the hot ember on a cramp ball and hold it down with a twig. This then sets the cramp ball alight and you have more time to sort your fire out or put growing hot cramp ball under your tinder ball. Anyway, one of my scouts thought it would speed things up by crushing the cramp ball up and putting the dust in the hole of the hearth. this then dropped into the V and sped the process up. What gaulled me most is he is one of the more disruptive members of the troop....well there you go. He was well pleased with his efforts and his father informed me he spend the the next evening taking the p*** out of the old man because he could make fire by friction and he couldn't.

 

[-Switch-]

... Anyway, one of my scouts thought it would speed things up by crushing the cramp ball up and putting the dust in the hole of the hearth. this then dropped into the V and sped the process up...

I wonder if this would work with damp materials

Maybe the heat produced by the bow drill would dry the crampball enough for it to catch?

I'm thinking maybe jam a bit of crampball in the notch on the board and start drilling as normal. The heat produced may dry out the crampball then heat it up enough to start burning without the wood dust having to form an ember. The wood wouldn't have to be perfectly dry either as it would be heat you're after, not combustible dust...


Maybe worth trying out.

 

[bloodline]

Switch we could put some crushed up crampball in the hollow of the rock I use as a bearing block and see if the drill will ignite it. I will bring a few bits Sat to try.