Every year I like to set myself challenges. I usually have a new craft or skill
to work at each year, some area to expand my knowledge, a skill to polish
and a just for fun challenge. Having a focus for a year pushes me through
learning stages that are not so enjoyable.
A few years ago, I set myself ‘the baked potato challenge’. I have cooked
on open fires for many years. Mostly in good weather with wood that is
reasonably dry. Any challenge like this I give myself some rules.
These are the rules of this challenge:
First get the materials ready
1. Find and restore an old Dutch oven.
2. The Dutch oven used had no handle to hang it by so was always
placed directly on the flames or supported by wood or a grill.
3. Establish a fire kit with the following: ferro-rod, flint and steel with charcloth and a lighter for back up.
4. Allowed tinder: any natural material, cotton wool. No Vaseline,
firelighters, or shop bought oils. Only enough dry tinder that will fit
in a small tin.
5. If establishing a fire takes over an hour due to inclement weather,
then any method of fire lighting is permitted to take the opportunity
of maintaining a fire in poor conditions.
6. Fuel – only wood or plant material
7. No knife or saw to further prepare materials
8. Tarp permitted
9. Fire sites used – established fire sites on the ground, reusable
barbecue, manmade fire pits on the ground, metal fire pits off the
ground, fire pits on suitable ground dug and leave no trace, (i.e. not
on peat or tree roots etc).
The Challenge: Cook enough medium baked potatoes for 3 to 4 people in all weather
conditions throughout the year.
Medium potatoes as cooked potatoes are achievable within 2 hours in
most situations. If things go wrong potatoes are still quite edible if the outside gets too charred. They won’t kill you or give you food poisoning if it is undercooked, either - thankfully we never had undercooked potatoes!
The rules of this challenge came about as I wanted to learn about the
following aspects of using fire:
1. To feed myself, my two kids and sometimes a friend.
2. To light a fire in all conditions with minimal resources/fuel
3. To maintain a fire in all conditions,
4. noting how much wood was burnt in different conditions
5. if the fire needed to be a different size in different conditions for the
same results
6. using different fire lays and experiencing their benefits or challenges
in different conditions
7. Managing airflow
8. Noting the effect of the air temperature and wind chill
9. Noting different effects of different type of rain
10. Note the differing length of time in different conditions
In general cooking the potatoes took between an hour and a half and two
hours once the Dutch oven had been put on the heat.
When it was cold the fire needed to be bigger to create the same level of
heat that a smaller fire would in warmer conditions which meant more
fuel. In windy or very rainy conditions the flames needed to be more
around the pot with the base on embers.
Drying the logs around the existing fire was essential in some cases and
beneficial in others.I have not yet had the opportunity to test this challenge in snow. But I have completed this challenge in horizontal driving rain, storm force
winds, damp drizzle with flint and steel with char cloth, and many other
finer conditions with a variety of woods with various amounts that they
had been seasoned and with driftwood.
How has this challenge benefited me?
- I am much more able to judge how woods are going to burn
- To light a fire with very minimal resources
- To know where to seek small dry tinder
- Different fire lays and when best to use them
- How to control the heat of the fire so the potatoes come out with
very little charring if any
There are many things learned from this challenge beyond those few including a deeper understanding of skills, knowledge and material. It i the place where science becomes an art that it really instils a sense of self
reliance and trust in one’s own ability.
So, what are you waiting for? Go try the challenge or create your own one
and let us know what it is.
Happy learning!