DUTY ROSTER

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Description of Chores

 

Description of Chores

Note: Those people who will be there for the full two weeks may have fewer chores on the duty roster (we wish) because of the extra work involved.

Filling tikis: Camp tiki torches should be filled with fuel before dinner. You will fill only camp torches with camp oil. Everyone is responsible for filling their personal torches with their own fuel. If you don't know which is which, please ask William. Use the funnel and wear gloves. It's messy.

Making fires: Fire must be started 1/2-1 hour before the kitchener needs it to be ready to cook, so you will have to check with the kitchener for that day on exact time. This is very important--do not forget. Wood should be chopped prior to this, and may be done in the morning. There will be wood chopping and fire starting supplies available. Once made, you must stay to tend the fire. They don't stay perfect for cooking by themselves. Also the kitchener may have you do some grilling or stirring of things on the fire.
    Making a cooking fire is only slightly different than making a camp fire. You start the same way. Make either a pyramid or overlapping triangle of kindling. Put a couple of fire starters (sawdust permeated with paraffin) in the center with a piece of crumpled newspaper. Squirt a small amount of tiki torch fuel over the wood. Light it and get out of the way. Once the kindling is burning well, add larger pieces of wood. As those catch, add more wood until you have the size fire that you want.
    There are basically three types of cooking fires: 1) coals only--used for baking and roasting in the covered roaster and slow cooking over the grill; 2) coals with low flames--used for frying and grilling meat; and 3) coals with high flames--used for boiling, stir-frying, and sautéing.
    To achieve coals, allow the wood to burn down completely to glowing coals the same as you would with charcoal in the barbeque. If the coals are needed for more than 20 minutes (that's about how long they burn at even heat before going out), you will have to have a second fire going to produce new coals, which are then shoveled under the cooking food. For any kind of cooking in the roaster, you will probably need to do this. If the kitchener also needs a fire pit for cooking, you will need to make a separate fire for this as well. This is why we have two fire pits (in half oil drums). It takes about 30 minutes to get good coals going from the time you light the fire.
    Once you have coals, it is easy to add wood to get high or low flames. High flames (a hot fire) takes about 5-10 minutes after you have coals, and low flames (a medium fire) takes a little longer.
Garbage duty: Garbage should be taken out once a day sometime before dinner. Cans need only be taken to recycling areas when the bag is full.
Cleaning camp: Straightening camp in an ongoing job during the day, but should be done in the morning and again before dinner. This job also gives you the right to give any obvious slobs a hard time and you may attempt to extort weregild if the offenses are bad enough. Wipe down the tables in the dining tent before dinner.
Kitchen helper: Kitchen duty puts you at the command of the kitchener. Check with them on when you’ll be needed and for what duties.
Dishwashing: Dishwashing means washing the dishes used to prepare and serve feast, not people's personal dishes. You are under the instructions of the kitchener for this, and may be needed to help while feast is being prepared. Check with the kitchener for that day. You are also responsible for cleaning the kitchen area, propane stoves, work surfaces, etc. Use hot water for both washing and rinsing, and put a small amount of bleach in the rinse water. Please put up pots, utensils, serving equipment etc. in the correct places so others can find them later. Make it a point to ask where things go if you don't know. When in doubt, ask Roz.
Fill water barrel: Self-explanatory.