Grape balls of fire

These days most supermarket grapes are seedless - and that's a pity. The grape seed is a micro-feast of nutrients that, research suggests, fights heart disease and cancer. Oil from grape seeds is a sought-after ingredient in skincare and culinary products and, unlike traditional cooking oil, grape-seed oil does not splatter or smoke and contains no cholesterol. Western Cape entrepreneurs Tersia and Tommy Matthews of Enviro Log have put these nifty pips to another smart use by turning grape seeds into eco-friendly fire logs. I asked Tommy how these logs can green the nation's braais.

Fire logs from grape seeds? Unorthodox choice. What inspired you?

Tersia and I used to burn wood in winter, but we always ended up with wet wood, so we did some research and found that grape seeds are an awesome fuel because they're dry and have a high carbon content - both essential fire-making properties.

Where do you source the seeds and how do you make the logs?

In its original form, a grape seed contains about 7% oil, which the producer uses to make grape-seed oil. We use the remaining seed to make our logs. We source this waste from a factory in Somerset West and put it into a machine that uses pressure and temperature to mould it into logs. Unlike charcoal, which can create a chemical smell when you burn it, our logs contain no binding agents or chemicals. They're made from 100% natural grape seed.

A traditional braai is all about the smell of firewood, the romance of sputtering flames, the taste of the chop. Do you think a hot-blooded SA male is going to get excited about braaing his meat on grape-seed logs?

Not until the day his wood is so wet he can't light it. The SA Bureau of Standards tests we conducted put the moisture of an Enviro Log at 5.8%. If you cure a piece of wood in the sun for a year, the core of that wood will still have a 12% moisture content. As for taste, I can't taste the difference between braaing on grape-seed logs and normal wood.

What do the lit logs smell like? And how long before you can start braaiing?

It smells like musk. You can start braaiing within an hour of lighting your logs.

Traditional wood is cheap. How do your logs compare?

The recommended retail price for 5kg, which is enough to braai for four to six people, is R25. A small bag of Namibian hardwood also costs between R25 and R30, so we're in line and slightly cheaper. - For more information, visit www.envirolog.co.za.

TELL US: What would you prefer to braai your chops on - traditional firewood and charcoal or a greener alternative, such as grape-seed logs? E-mail walterst@sundaytimes.co.za

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