Natural ways to boil & store water....?

[batosai117]

In light of the recent thread asking which 3 things you would carry, a pot or means of boiling was one of the top three contenders.

So, I figure if we can discuss how to boil and store water naturally, we would cut that part of the equation out and allow that fourth item Of course, this would be very nice to know regardless so that we can go practice making things. I know it all depends on your location and environment, so ideas/answers will vary.

What and how would you go about making a natural pot/bowl/container if you only had your knife and a means of starting a fire?

 

[6shooter]

Well, there was the bamboo pot thread a little while ago, but it's really only applicable in certain areas of the world. Around where I live, I'm not really sure what I'd use. I'd probably hope somebody left a bottle or can lying around as trash. Unless you could carve a bowl out of wood and get water to a boil without burning through the wood. I'm not sure if that'd work, and it'd be quite a bit of work.

 

[hitman302]

I have a leather hat that I wear in the woods mostly to keep sun off but in a pinch it would suffice for rock boiling water.
otherwise I have been wanting to try my hand at making burn out bowls. so if succesful that could work.

 

[mcjhrobinson]

rock and clay/mud molded? not very portable though

coconut shells

bamboo segments

gourds (might catch on fire)

thats all i can think of at the moment

 

[batosai117]

I do remember the bamboo thread, by mistwalker if I'm not mistaken We don't have that around here, but there is "Texas Cane" which is a very fragile looking version of bamboo.

For rock boiling, do you actually put the stones IN the water?

I first thought of a fire hardened bowl, but I wonder how it would hold up to the heat needed to boil water.

 

[cssims]

You can use a Gourd for storing water. Boiling I imagine would have to be done with rocks if you don't have a suitable container for direct boiling.

 

[mcjhrobinson]

For rock boiling, do you actually put the stones IN the water?

yes, but you need to look for non pourus rocks

 

[m48shooter]

u can also use leather/ hide hung directly over the fire, so long as it is wet the hide will not burn.... works in a paper cup as well.... the old school way to stew a large critter in it's own skin

 

[timogranzotti]

yes, but you need to look for non pourus rocks

Don't forget, for rock boiling, you want two changes of water.
One to quickly clean the rock and remove excess mineral, ash, exudates;
the second to drop the rock in and actually boil food in.

My experience with coal burned bowls for cooking is, many woods are more prone to splitting with fluxes of moisture and high temps, then rinsing and drying... The wood must be treated with either wax or animal fat, marrow, etc...

I make small tongs for the coals and have a large straw made from cow parsnip and a small made from elderberry. I use a mussel shell from the coast to scrape. It only requires some patience, observation and lung regulation...

Cutting of bamboo and leaving one node closed works.
Cutting lower stalk of Yucca and hollowing all but bottom was popular in southern California by the PaiPai peoples. Burls were most used for making bowls by the California Native peoples... Native peoples also began working the wood immediately, when green.

I've made great 'quick-bowls' by lining my warm fire pit with clay and then firing.... With clay, you have options though...

A hat works, sure.

But there is a difference in how long we want them to last. At first, I'd make one that will work short term; then one for long term. The quality of each will differ.

 

[DWK2]

I made a gourd bowl at Dirttime 2009 that looks like it would survive boiling by dropping hot rocks into the water. However, I spent so much time fooling around with the external decoration that I'm reluctant to give it a try and risk messing the thing up....

DancesWithKnives

 

[Chris_Norden]

u can also use leather/ hide hung directly over the fire, so long as it is wet the hide will not burn.... works in a paper cup as well.... the old school way to stew a large critter in it's own skin

I've read about this but I'm a little skeptical, do you have a link to where its done? Not trying to be an ass or anything, I know this is always touted as being true, but have never been able to find a reference to anyone who has actually done it. I'll be glad to be proven wrong as it seems like a good idea.

Chris

 

[luckykitty]

I have no link, but I can confirm the paper cup thing.
We did that in school - our chemistry teacher was pretty cool, so we could experiment with paper cups and the good old bunsen burner ... it works as long as there's water in it.

 

[Chris_Norden]

Yeah I've done the paper one, but I don't think animal hide is thin and permeable enough. I imagine the bottom would soon dry out and burn and crack. Maybe a certain tanning method or scraping real thin, but rawhide... I really doubt it. Maybe one day I'll experiment with it.

 

[August West]

I've read about this but I'm a little skeptical, do you have a link to where its done? Not trying to be an ass or anything, I know this is always touted as being true, but have never been able to find a reference to anyone who has actually done it. I'll be glad to be proven wrong as it seems like a good idea.

Chris

I have boiled water in a paper cup, so I am pretty sure leather would hold up fine, but have never done it. Chris

 

[cuphead]

theres a great video from hobbexp on youtube where he demonstrates making clay bowls and other crafts with the scouts, a method very feasible in summer, I'm sure if you find a rock with a depression in it that too can be placed over the fire to boil water, but in winter I'd opt for melting snow in a bandana and ringing the water out of it into my mouth every so often.

 

[paleojoe]

Don't forget, for rock boiling, you want two changes of water.
One to quickly clean the rock and remove excess mineral, ash, exudates;
the second to drop the rock in and actually boil food in.

My experience with coal burned bowls for cooking is, many woods are more prone to splitting with fluxes of moisture and high temps, then rinsing and drying... The wood must be treated with either wax or animal fat, marrow, etc...

I make small tongs for the coals and have a large straw made from cow parsnip and a small made from elderberry. I use a mussel shell from the coast to scrape. It only requires some patience, observation and lung regulation...

Cutting of bamboo and leaving one node closed works.
Cutting lower stalk of Yucca and hollowing all but bottom was popular in southern California by the PaiPai peoples. Burls were most used for making bowls by the California Native peoples... Native peoples also began working the wood immediately, when green.

I've made great 'quick-bowls' by lining my warm fire pit with clay and then firing.... With clay, you have options though...

A hat works, sure.

But there is a difference in how long we want them to last. At first, I'd make one that will work short term; then one for long term. The quality of each will differ.

Also, make sure the rocks aren't collected from wet conditions (riparian/ water ways) as moist rocks will split/explode. 'High and dry' is the expression.

Cups/bowls made from inner bark were common as well and work great. Easy to make when freshly harvested. Birch-bark bowls and cups are also very nice to look at...

Gourds and coconuts if you have them are also great. Need to be lined/treated as stated above. I've had water gourds get smelly/moldy...
I have tried lining with pitch, it works. I found it brittle and not as adhesive long term. Plus I usually mix in dry deer droppings with my pitch as the ground grass content gives better elasticity to my pitch/charcoal formula... So I opt to keep that from my mouth...
Oils, fats, marrows, beeswaxes, all work for treating....

As for rawhides/leathers, I would not cook them directly over the fire. Next to the fire maybe. Too much of a risk in ruining a good hide with flare-ups. To boil over a fire requires high heat. Rock boiling would work in leather...

Be careful of how the leather was tanned. If braintanned, your dealing with little tannins. If oak tanned, high tannins, and thus leaching and brown water. If chemical tanned, your risking leaching into your food and water...

Bowl burning is fun to do while the fire's going!

 

[R.A.T.]

Provided you can find them, turtle shells will work. Rub a layer of mud along the outside and stick 'em over the fire. We make turtle soup on the Amazon by stewing the turtle in its own shell.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Heat up a large rock in a fire, and then drip water onto it. The spot where the cold water hits the hot rock will cause it to "flake" off a chip from the surface. Keep doing this until you've made a bowl. Then after you let the fire die and the rock to slowly cool down you can boil water in it. Folks back in the stone age used that technique for making the eye for the handle in stone mace heads.

 

[batosai117]

Heat up a large rock in a fire, and then drip water onto it. The spot where the cold water hits the hot rock will cause it to "flake" off a chip from the surface. Keep doing this until you've made a bowl. Then after you let the fire die and the rock to slowly cool down you can boil water in it. Folks back in the stone age used that technique for making the eye for the handle in stone mace heads.

Wow, I had no idea

I will definitely have to try this at my next bar-b-que

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

the downsides: not easily controlled, and it takes a lot of patience.