Hope everyone is having a great week! While out in the woods or even around the household fireplace, we often rely on man-made tinders to get a fire going. However, there are plenty of natural alternatives, such as birch bark and cattails.
One often overlooked option is the use of fungi for fire-lighting. Generally speaking, four main types of fungi are known for their ability to hold an ember and assist in fire-lighting:
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Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) |
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Horse Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius) |
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Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina) |
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King Alfred’s Cake / Cramp Ball (Daldinia concentrica) |
Depending on where you live, your natural resources will vary. In my region of rural Leicestershire, King Alfred’s Cakes are extremely common.
These fungi are easily identified as brown or black lumps growing mainly on dead and dying ash trees, though they can also be found on beech and sycamore. When split in half, their namesake becomes apparent, as they display concentric rings similar to those in a cut tree.
In their early stages, they are brown, often with a whitish sheen. When tapped, they feel very hard and dense. As they mature, they darken, spread their spores, and begin to dry out, becoming lighter in weight.
If you gather them fresh, they are best stored loosely in a paper bag. Avoid airtight containers, as they are still full of moisture at this stage and will quickly go moldy. When they release their spores, they can make quite a mess! Do not store them in your airing cupboard, as the spores are as black as soot and will get on everything!
Once dry, they can be used as tinder. Splitting or crumbling them allows them to catch a spark more effectively. Once a spark lands, they will smolder like charcoal, giving off a rather pleasant aroma. My top tip is to produce a few shavings from your ferro rod onto the surface of the cramp ball before striking it with sparks—this helps concentrate the ember where you need it and gets it going quickly. They generate a lot of heat, and often, a single one is enough to ignite a tinder bundle into flames.
As a tinder, they store fairly well but are prone to bugs and will degrade over time. As with all natural resources, only gather as much as you can use.
