make cinnamon

[vual]

So here is a idea it spawned from trying to collect local ingredients for a root bear concoction.

I know this has not been done but it seems possible, traditonaly "Cinnamon" is harvested by cutting down a 3yr old Cinnamomum spp. Evergreen, the stump will eventually reshoot and then the outer bark is collected from these young shoots and scraped, etc... to result in the lovely spice Cinnamon.

Now i know Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) is a evergreen and i know its a Cinnamomum, and its also very similar to the traditional Indonesian trees used for cinnamon.

Now i know Camphor is used in cooking and has been use in cooking since the 13th century.

So if one was to have a large camphor laurel stump in there back yard and they attempted to make cinnamon do you think it would be safe and taste just like the real thing ??

I am always trying to harvest foods from nature and if i could harvest a source of cinnamon it would be fantastic.

I dont think anyone has tried this or has even considered it but i think it will work, i am aware theres only one way to find out so i will keep y'all posted on my progress, any additional ideas/information?

-vual

[shortly]

I'd say its a safe bet camphor laurel would taste like crap, they are related and they do look similar but they certainly don't smell the same.

Better to plant either a cinnamomum zeylanicum or a cassia cinnamon and infect your camphor laurel stump with a nice oyster mushroom . mmmmmmmmoyster mushrooms

just my 2c worth

[mr me]

I agree with shortly, Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) is not what you are after. Cinnamomum verum or Saigon cinnamon would be other suggestions.

[Teotzlcoatl]

Or just get all fuct up on Camphor and not use it in root beer.

[Auxin]

hahaha, that ^ from someone that only wants to use Proven Safe intoxicants

"The plant is poisonous in large quantities[4]. Large doses can cause respiratory failure in children[268]. See the report below on medicinal uses for more information."

"It has occasionally been used internally in the treatment of hysteria, but in modern day herbalism it is mainly used as the essential oil and internal use is not advised[254]. "

"Some caution is advised, excessive use causes vomiting, palpitations, convulsions and death[238]."

from pfaf

"Camphor is of old an important aromatic, although it has never much been used for cooking. Yet in China, camphor has been used in the past for flavouring frozen desserts, and even now it is sometimes part of smoking mixtures, giving rise to specialties like tea and camphor wood smoked duck (zhang cha ya zi [樟茶鸭子]). There are two different products commonly named "camphor": The better-known Chinese or Japanese camphor (from Cinnamomum camphora, Lauraceae) is composed of 2-bornanone and generally considered much inferior to the much more pricey Sumatra camphor or camphor of Baros (from Dryobalanops aromatica, Dipterocarpaceae/Malvales/Dilleniidae) which is mostly composed of borneol."

from http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/

[coin]

camphor (crude) is used in some indian religious festival desserts. only a pinch is used for 6-8 servings, otherwise it's overpowering/awful/toxic

i too would love a cinnamon source...bark or leaves

Edited August 7, 2010 by coin