While walking the property during our chores we noticed pretty pine cones laying around. I had read somewhere that they make great kindling for starting a fire. Since the home we are staying in is heated by burning wood only I decided that I wanted to learn how well they really work. We grabbed the egg collecting baskets they have around and went hunting.
We discovered several shapes and sizes of pine cones.
I learned that the biggest pine cones with lots of space between the scales (you know, the spiky things that make up the cone) are the best for starting a fire. It could be used in place of paper or wood shavings.
The teeny tiny ones you see in the basket are great at any point in the process. They light easily and burn for a while, especially considering their small size.
The long skinny pine cones that have the scales closed up on one another are great once you have a bit of flame. You could use these the way you use narrow branches to get the bigger pieces going.
We also had the idea (from a magazine) thay we could gather these pine cones, tie several together with a pretty natural string (rafia?) and give as gifts or sell.
Come back tomorrow to see photos of a beautiful tree we found while pine cone hunting.
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