Better Than Fat Wood for Starting Wood Stove Fires

Fat wood really works well for starting fires, but is quite costly. Talk about sending your hard-earned money up in smoke! I've found that pine cones work just as well, if not better. Just two will start a fire without much tending, and cramming one into a reluctant fire will really set a fire under it (Ha!). The best part? They're free. If you don't happen to have a ready supply in your yard, pack up the kids and go to the nearest park, armed with empty grocery bags. Some years are better than others for this "crop", so when they are plentiful, dry them in the sun and store in a spare trash barrel until needed. Oh, and use disposable gloves for gathering them--it's very difficult to remove the pitch from your hands.