Pine cone fire starters are a good way to use natural ingredients and provide a reliable, sustained fire every time. They can be the ultimate recycled gift, using the bounty from around your yard.
We live in the woods, in a pine forest, which means that we have an abundance of natural ingredients for starting our wood cookstove and daily fire. Collecting and splitting kindling is just one of the chores we do each fall as we prepare the winter to arrive.
Long ago we found that making homemade fire starters using pine cones let us put the abundance of our property to good use. In addition, we’ve always made a point of saving our broken crayons and the waste wax from candles and there are always plenty of waste herbs leftover after making herbal remedies.
That means our fireplace pine cones are easy to make from ingredients we already have around the house.ย They cost only pennies to make.
Other materials to add to your fire starters
- Waste wax
- Broken crayons
- Candle ends
- Lavender flowers
- Mint leaves
- Dryer lint
- Pine cones or other conifer cones
- Pine needles
- Cotton fabric or char cloth
- Char from a previous fire
DIY Pine Cone Fire Starters
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 firestarters 1x
Description
Pine cone fire starters are a good way to use natural ingredients and provide a reliable, sustained fire every time. They can be the ultimate recycled gift, using the bounty from around your yard.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line the muffin tin with the 6 cupcake liners.
- Melt waste wax using a double boiler.
- Sprinkle the waste herbs into the bottom of each muffin tin.
- Add two small pine cones or one large pine cone to each cup cake liner.
- Pour the melted wax over the top of each pine cone to fill the cupcake liners to 1/3rd full.
Allow the pine cone fire starters to cool and harden.
After the wax is no longer warm, remove the cupcake liners from the muffin tin and store your pine cone fire starters in a basket or bowl by the fireplace.
Homemade Pine Cone Fire Starters
Yield: makes 4 to 6 fire starters
Supplies needed:
- 8 pine cones
- 1 cup waste beeswax or candle wax
- 1/4 cup waste herbs like lavender, rosemary, or lavender
- 4 to 6 cupcake liners
- a muffin tin
Directions:
- Line the muffin tin with the 6 cupcake liners.
- Melt waste wax using a double boiler.
- Sprinkle the waste herbs into the bottom of each muffin tin.
- Add two small pine cones or one large pine cone to each cupcake liner.
- Pour the melted wax over the top of each pine cone to fill the cupcake liners to 1/3rd full.
- Allow the pine cone fire starters to cool and harden.
After the wax is no longer warm, remove the cupcake liners from the muffin tin and store your pine cone fire starters in a basket or bowl by the fireplace.
To use, just light the pine cone and allow it to catch fire. Place it in your fireplace or woodstove and use it to catch the kindling and logs on fire.
To add scent to your pine cone fire starters, add 2 to 3 drops of cinnamon essential oil or peppermint essential oil to your fire starters, as you are pouring the melted wax into the cupcake liners.
BTU of 25 firewood species chart
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Other Articles in this Wood Stove Series
- 9 Ways to Use the Ashes From Your Woodstove Around the Homestead
- 12 Practical Reasons Why Cooking with Wood Makes Sense
- Wood Heater or Wood Cookstove: How to Choose
- Best Firewood for Your Wood Stove So You Don’t Need to Keep Feeding the Fire
- 10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Wood Cook-Stove
- Is Wood Heat Eco-Friendly and Sustainable?
- How to light a fire in a wood-stove without getting burned
- The Best Firewood Storage Ideas to Keep Your Firewood Dry
- 15 Ways to Stay Warm in Winter Without Turning Up the Heat
- Best Fire Starter – How to Make Char Cloth
- 13 Tips to Keep a Wood Cook Stove Functioning at Peak Efficiency
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