[MR] Food safe firewood and dishes

[David Rizzico]

One wood that you need to be very careful with is Black Walnut.  NEVER EVER 
throw the sawdust where it may be injested by animals.  It is toxic.  Black 
walnut produces a natural herbacide.

Godfried

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sharon Gordon" <gordonse at one.net>
To: "SCA Atlantia List" <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 10:51 AM
Subject: [MR] Food safe firewood and dishes


> Some friends and I were trying to figure out which woods are safe to use
> around food and in general safe to burn.  And also which woods were safe 
> to
> make wooden dishes out of.
>
> Toxic woods and plants: Do not use:
> Cascara--imparts bad taste to food, bark is harsh purgative
> Datura plants
> Fake wood logs--due to unknown content
> Hemlock
> Jimson weed
> Oleander
> Poison ivy
>
> We had some questions over:
> Elderberry--one person had been told the wood was toxic
> Pine--food safe ???but better not to use due to its resinous properties 
> and
> the flavor it would add???
>
> Woods that may impart a funny taste/unsure of safety:
> Willow-medicinal taste
>
> Woods that may impart a funny taste, but safe to use:
>
> Woods that are good to use due to adding flavor to food:
> Apple
> Cedar
>
> Woods that are good to use for food but probably shouldn't be used in the
> SCA as we thought they were of North American origin:
> Hickory
> Mesquite
> Pecan
>
> Woods that are good to use for cooking wood with a fairly neutral flavor:
> Oak
> Maple
>
> Good for wooden dishes:
> Maple
>
> Good for wine barrels:
> Oak
>
> Good for cutting boards:
> Maple
>
> Good for buckets or crates that vegetables and fruit might be transported 
> in
> from the garden or stored in:
>
> Good for baskets that vegetables and fruit might be transported in
> from the garden or served whole in:
> Corn husks (but of North American origin)
> Willow
>
> Treat wood surfaces with this for food safety:
> (How was this done pre 1600?)
> Mineral oil--won't go rancid
>
> What can be added to this?  Anyone know of a site that has a chart of food
> safe and unsafe wood?  Please let us know if you feel we have erred in
> putting something in a particular category.
>
> Sharon
> gordonse at one.net
>
>
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