bushcraft firemaking: horseshoe fungus (bracket fungi) as tinder

[decebal106]

Iti mai dau o idee, fa un video cum sa aprinzi iasca cu cremene de piatra. Bunica mea asa aprindea focul, avea o cremene si un "amnari" adica o bucata de fier. Nice video!

[bushcraftmyway]

@decebal106 folosesc des amnarul si cremenea, dar nu stiu cum s-a nimerit pina acum ca de fiecare data cind am filmat asta am folosit cirpa arsa, nu iasca... las' ca pina la urma se nimereste si iasca la filmare! :D

[JesterBushcraft]

Really enjoyed that video and will be looking for similar fungi in the UK... thank you

[bushcraftmyway]

@JesterBushcraft i'm sure they grow in uk... not sure about the region, thou.

[xMrjamjam]

@bushcraftmyway yes they do grow in the uk ive been going though my school woods and i have noticed that they only grow on hard wood

oak is the most common wood that ive seen them grow on

[Texasoutback]

That was very interesdting. I live in central Texas and have not seen this anywhere around. I will be on the lookout and lookforward to playing with it.

[bushcraftmyway]

@Texasoutback even if you don't find this exact fungi, i bet there are similar ones... find them and give them a try!

[Naturliebe]

Hi,

nice Video and great informations.

Thanks for showing.

All the best.

Greetings Tito

[bushcraftmyway]

@Naturliebe thank you, my friend! i'm glad that you enjoy my vids.

[kingcollie]

I have a question: Knowing the outside of the fungi is basically a hardened shell, could you use it as a spoon or small dish in the bush? or does it have poisonous components? I'm also not sure if there is a difference between Romanian Bracket Fungi and Canadian Bracket Fungi (I live in Ontario) Thank you for your time good sir, I love the video's, very helpful :o)

[bushcraftmyway]

@kingcollie i suppose that the (many kinds of) brackets are similar all around the world... i never heard about a toxic bracket (which, of course, does not exclude the possibility that such bracket exists). i suppose that you could make a quick one-time-use spoon or bowl from the outer layer (never tryed myself, thou...). however, unless you remove all the "tinder" layer, you will end up with a hairy spoon :D.

[kingcollie]

@bushcraftmyway That's great, thank you so much for your reply. You never want to take any chances as I am sure you know. Yes a hairy spoon would not be enjoyable at all haha. Now I'm on the hunt for some fungi brackets, Cheers!

[trevor6744]

you talk like a Finnish James Bond... just thought you should know.

[bushcraftmyway]

@trevor6744 my name is myway... bushcraftmyway! :D

[phreshayr]

Great demo. very well done.

[bushcraftmyway]

@phreshayr thank you!

[FirstLandingOnMedusa]

I've nothing to say, except thank you. Just wanted to show that yet another appreciates your work and your sharing of it.

[bushcraftmyway]

@FirstLandingOnMedusa wow, i really appreciate your comment... thank you!

[DLeRoyKing]

Very good demonstration, thanks. Take Care my friend. Dave

[bushcraftmyway]

@DLeRoyKing thank you for watching!

[csuman77]

I'm sorry for not looking at all the comments, but what area of the world is this horseshoe (bracket) fungus native to? Or is there different forms of this all over the world?

[bushcraftmyway]

@csuman77 it grows all around northern emisphere.

[tgantzer67]

Thank you! That stuff is all over by me and its good to know it will catch an ember. Never could figure out the "Tinder Fungus" name!

[bushcraftmyway]

@tgantzer67 i'm glad this was useful for you.

[5000btu]

quit your day job and make more videos!

[bushcraftmyway]

@5000btu hey, sometimes i wish i did... :D

[inisch]

very good video, thanks for sharing

take care

[bushcraftmyway]

@inisch thanks for watching!

[craftymaggot]

It is also very obvious how nice the carbon Opinel knife sparks your fire stick.

[bushcraftmyway]

@craftymaggot indeed, the opinel it is a very good firesteel striker, as it has a very sharp square spine.

[PatriotPrepper]

KEEP ON PREPPING

[bushcraftmyway]

@PatriotPrepper more knowlege = less gear (knowlege is harder to get, but it pays off)

[MooseHunter911]

Cool! this is really usefull, I have alot of these around in the forrest nearby. thanks for the friend invite aswell!

[bushcraftmyway]

@MooseHunter911 usefull indeed... thank you for accepting the invite!

[Adywqm]

Super.. nu stiam de metoda asta..

[bushcraftmyway]

@Adywqm multumesc! simplu si eficient...

[9ssgoku]

Great video. Can you do a vid on how to create a fire from absolute scratch? Like, without the firesteel and magnifying glass and stuff?

[bushcraftmyway]

@9ssgoku thank you! and yes, i'm preparing a fire-by-friction vid (bow and drill method - my way!).

[9ssgoku]

@bushcraftmyway Great! Looking forward to it! :)

[MrBudwv]

I do like it :). we have a lot these around here. We find them mostly on Black locust trees & birches.

[bushcraftmyway]

@MrBudwv it pays off to be aware of your surroundings - knowing what resources are available in a specific area can save your life.

[inquisitivewolf]

Very cool demo. Glad to see you didn't pass out with all of that blowing, since that probably would defeat the purpose of carrying fire to another location - though when you woke up, you would probably be quite toasty :).

[bushcraftmyway]

@inquisitivewolf yep, passing out is quite common among horseshoe fungus users... that's why, thousands of years ago, the woods were littered with passed-out cavemen and their smoldering fungi. :D

[inquisitivewolf]

@bushcraftmyway LOL! Wow, I didn’t know that. That would make them easy pickings for the Wooly Mammoths. Then again, evolution does come into play. I guess that’s why some of us have big lungs or maybe really, really, big mouths :-).

[bushcraftmyway]

@inquisitivewolf the passed-out cavemen were well-protected by the smoldering fungi, as the wooly mammoths (very much as the mosquitoes) were repelled by the smoke... therefore, we are still here today, while the wooly mammoths become extincted! (too bad, otherwise they might have evolved into fleecy mammoths, which would have been much lighter at similar insulating capacity).

[inquisitivewolf]

@bushcraftmyway So if I understand your excellent explanation, and I’m pretty sure I do, the smoldering fungi obviously and unequivocally caused the extinction of the Woolly Mammoth. This, I believe, is a revolutionary theory which has never been posited before. I now feel it is your duty to alert the Academy of Sciences forthwith. I would imagine that they most likely will want to rename either the fungus, or the Woolly Mammoth after you. Truly a great honor. Congratulations my friend :).

[steintanz]

Thanks a lot - another great tip and demonstration!

Tim

[bushcraftmyway]

@steintanz thank you!

[bushcraftseries]

the great idea ! i like video and we will try

[bushcraftmyway]

@bushcraftseries please do try! and meybe you can post a video response, too.

[bushcraftmyway]

@bushcraftmyway maybe... lol!

[uddoss]

great video..i like it a lot..i thought..i have to do something to the fungus before i can use it..this was all very new to me..thank you very much for sharing..

[bushcraftmyway]

@uddoss you can use it as it is (if it's dry enough, otherwise let it dry first).

[uddoss]

@bushcraftmyway thank you..to let it dry..is what common sense tells me..no..i read thimgs like..i have to pee on it..or cook it in salt water..etc..i like things i can use right away out off nature..there was a time..nature provided anything we used..bushcraft is for me..to have a very modern high tech knife..but everything else should come from nature :-)

[bushcraftmyway]

@uddoss yep, mother nature provides all we need... but we lost our ability to benefit from it!

[Waldhandwerk]

Cool demo! Thanks for showing. Have a good week, Sepp

[bushcraftmyway]

@Waldhandwerk thank you, my friend!

[Uriel1816]

Good review. Thank you for more valuable information to add to my tool box....:)

[bushcraftmyway]

@Uriel1816 i'm glad you like it!

that must be some toolbox... :D

[MiWilderness]

Excellent demonstration!

[bushcraftmyway]

@MiWilderness thank you!

[mazadan]

very good and an excellent video on this subject, as you say not many have done this type of vid. sadly here in the SE UK we have very few horseshoe fungi they are to be found more in scotland...............all the best my friend

[bushcraftmyway]

@mazadan your comment points out the importance of being aware of your surroundings: knowing what you don't have available can be as useful as knowing what you do have!

[cujomojo2007]

@mazadan Peter, if it's any use to you I have some processed Amadou I can spare. I won't have anymore fungi for a while, but if you wan't some I'm more than happy to harvest a few extra next time I'm out. Feel free to PM me.

[triphopchill]

frumos, eu am gasit una pe o creaga de stejar, am puso la uscat , am luat o bucatica din ea si i-am dat scantei din amnar, instat a inceput sa faca fum, foarte fain filmuletul

[bushcraftmyway]

@triphopchill da, sint de mai multe feluri si cresc pe tot felu' de copaci... in principiu, bune-s toate!

[briargoatkilla]

excellent. knowing how to carry an ember is possibly the most useful survival skill.

[bushcraftmyway]

@briargoatkilla one of the most usefull, for sure!

[jeroenbiggelaar]

what do you do for work

[bushcraftmyway]

@jeroenbiggelaar senior researcher (head of department at a national research institute)... seriously! :D

[SurvivalOberschwaben]

Very nice! I like it!

ATB Gabriel

[bushcraftmyway]

@SurvivalOberschwaben thank you!