Reusing Charcoal, Milk Carton Bird Feeder, and Other Country Lore

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ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
The milk carton bird feeder created by Connie Toops of Ocean Springs, MS looks something like this.

The following housekeeping tips and other items of country lore were submitted by readers. 


Reusing Charcoal

Many readers wrote us in response to Donald and Cindy McBride’s item about recycling charcoal. Apparently there are a number of ways to get the most out of your briquettes. For instance, Lafayette, Indiana’s John Jordan (among others) suggested using tongs to transfer the hot coals to a metal bucket with a tight-fitting metal lid. The embers will suffocate in a short time, saving you the hassle of dousing and drying the coals.

Lima, Ohioan H.W. Oats added another twist: He uses two metal pails, fills one of them with dry sand, and then pours a two-inch layer of the gritty substance into the empty pail before putting in the hot coals. Next, H.W. dumps the remaining sand into the first bucket, suffocating the smoldering briquettes. When he’s ready to barbecue again, Chef Oats simply pours the contents of the first pail through a piece of 1/4 “mesh screen into the second …and ends up with nice dry coals and clean sand!

  • Published on Sep 1, 1981
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