Sassafras Wood

[711mhw]

If any of you guys smoke your own meat, excelent results. Also try cooking a steal over it, (in an open fire) mixing in a little birch and apple mmm mmm good !

 

[ScotO]

Sassafras contains an oil called safrole, which was the original flavoring in root beer. It is extracted from the root of the tree when the tree is dormant (winter). The reason they stopped using safrole as a flavoring in root beer is it has been found to be carcinogenic. We used to make sassafras tea from the roots up at camp but since I found out its not good for you, we no longer make it. The green leaves, when crumpled up in your hand, smell like lemons. I love the smell and taste of sassafras but I won't use it anymore.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

However, if you find some straight ones, you can also use those for fence posts.

On the farm in Bella Coola, we would split western red cedar for fence posts. It would last about the same time, 10 - 15 years. We never had the money to treat them at the level where the post would enter the ground so it would rot at this point.

Right. And others also used locust. Mostly many years ago they used whatever they had but were able to pick out the best of what they had. It served its purpose and that is what counts. I've even used sassafras for the wife's clothes line (solar clothes drier).

 

[ryanm527]

My dad gave me a several pieces of sassafras from a down tree in his yard and it was the easiest, straightest splitting wood I've ever encountered. I wasn't very impressed with it beyond that in any regard.