Burning turf?

[kelly]

Hi,

I have a very old rayburn and I have heard people talk about burning turf? Is this as in 'grass turfs' or am I being really thick?

Thanks in advance
Kelly

[JulieSherris]

Hi Kelly, firstly, whereabouts are you?
The bogs that our turfs come from are plentiful over here (ireland) & usually when you buy your house, you have your own bog plot somewhere with full cutting rights for fuel.

I know that scotland has bogs for fuel as well, but in the general UK, it's not the done thing.

Now, in May or thereabouts, the guys move onto the bogs and start cutting - some do it by hand, but it's a lot quicker by machine... the turfs are then laid out & left to dry - then you go take a picnic & spend a day turrning them so that they dry on all sides.... you wait a while & go back to make little teepee stacks, again for drying... after another couple of weeks/months (weather permitting) of turning & stacking, they should then be completely dried & they can be brought into the barns for storage over winter & that's that until it all starts again next year!

So, yeah, it's blocks of 'mud' but it's peat mud - the decomposition of moss & heathers on the bogland. Smells gorgeous & burns well.... we have 2 bog plots, but the larger one needs too much work before it can be cut, so I think we'll be using it for other things - blueberries maybe, they like peaty boglands to grow in & cranberries too!

Does this answer your question?

[JulieSherris]

And here they are ready to go in the firebox..... and maybe I should give Stanley a good clean tomorrow