Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, May 12. 2010

Burning Green: A Maggie's wood-buring tip for the era of global cooling


I have been through four cords of firewood in ye olde office this season, and fireplace season is not over yet. Chilly mornings, chilly evenings, in the low 30s (F). 38 degrees with a cold rain this morning. I do not live on Cape Cod (where I was a young lad for a while when my Dad was in the service), but one good thing about the Cape is that you can use a fire every night, even in August. Takes the damp chill off, or seems to.


My wood supply is down to fresh green wood felled by the Nor'easter a while ago. I cut and scavenged it. Mostly Maple of various types. I haven't even had time to split it yet. However, I figured out how to burn green wood effectively and pleasantly. All it takes is to throw a handful of charcoal briquettes into your starter fire. They get the heat up so that your green wood dries and burns at the same time. A nice, slow fire with plenty of wood-steam and an enjoyable hiss. You may have to freshen it with a new briquette or two now and then.


It works great. Sort-of. A hot wood stove will burn green wood just fine, but a fireplace is trickier. Once you have enough heat with a good bed of coals in there, green burns well.


What other blog would offer such a handy tip?

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 05:37 | Comments (11) | Trackbacks (0)

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Would like your thoughts on the Mossberg Mariner.12.
#1 apple pie on 2010-05-12 07:03 (Reply)
It's a "survival gun," not a hunting gun.
Might be a fun toy.
#1.1 Bird Dog on 2010-05-12 07:08 (Reply)
500/590 series in various guages are decent shotguns, but as BD says, more of a toy than anything. My neighbor has one - the six shot, 18.5" barrel version. Meh - it's a pump shot gun. If you're going to use it for personal protection or similar purpose, go with a .357 revolver - same number of shots, reloading (with a little practice) with a speed loader is faster, you have the same amount of ammo to fire at one time, smaller and easier to use.

I like the shotgun my son has in his patrol car - 930 SPX Tactical. One of the nicest 12 guage shot guns I've shot in a while.
#1.2 Tom Francis on 2010-05-12 10:31 (Reply)
A Mariner is fine. A good camp gun with a bit more anti-rust protection than normal. I have the Remington equivalent.

For home protection, it is whatever you feel most competent in handling when roused from a deep sleep at 3 in the morning. For me, that means a double action revolver and a good flashlight.
#1.3 Skookumchuk on 2010-05-12 14:42 (Reply)
Great tip BD as I walk over to turn the AC down to 74 degrees down here in Florida. (high today 88) Seems all the smart snowbirds left a week after Easter for cooler locales.
#2 grant1863 on 2010-05-12 07:49 (Reply)
Snowing here this AM in Black Hills six miles west of Rapid City. 32°F right now. We expect several inches. This, on top of 2.24in of rain that has fallen at my house since 10 May. It's been a reeeeal cool spring here. Global warming will kick in by Sunday when we're supposed to be in the seventies. cheers all. chuck
#3 dhmosquito on 2010-05-12 09:07 (Reply)
First time in the past ten years or so that we've used the wood stove this far into May - both in the morning to take the chill off the house and in the evening. Normally, we don't burn after the end of April. On the other hand, it cuts what is left down to I can stack it in a corner of the garage and have it nice and dry for kindling next year.

We went through a little more this year than we have in years past for some reason - about 2 3/4 cords of the 3 that I normally purchase. I usually have about 1/4 left for next year - this year, not much at all.
#4 Tom Francis on 2010-05-12 10:37 (Reply)
Good tip about the charcoal. A fireplace with green wood is tricky. We are also almost down to green wood at our place. Plus we need to cut down two, maybe three tall, skinny cedars and take some big limbs off a maple in the backyard. Then split them and put them in the shed for an eternity and a half. It would be nice to speed the process a bit.
#5 Skookumchuk on 2010-05-12 14:55 (Reply)
4 1/2 cords and counting here in the Willamette Valley, OR. I try and postpone using the insert until at least November but no luck this year. It isn't until January I start thinking I should be more judicious with the amount of wood I'm burning.

At the moment I have about 1/8 cord left of the maple and about 1/2 cord of unsplit fir. No green stuff left after last year.

I use the county juvenile department to drop off my wood these days. Price is a bit high but they always over deliver. I grab wood myself when the opportunity arises.
#6 Tralfaz on 2010-05-12 16:33 (Reply)
Dear Birddog,

I always enjoy your site, always learn something. (The two are usually one and the same.)

What I don't get is why, when I follow a link from you, I can never return. I always have to 'hike' back to my bookmarks and click your url to get back to Maggie's Farm. I've rarely experienced this elsewhere.

Not worth commenting, except I like your site and I don't like following hmm, nice, with darnit. All the best, Cat
#7 Cat Glass (Link) on 2010-05-12 20:09 (Reply)
No idea. Our links are designed to open new windows while maintaining our site open.
#7.1 Bird Dog on 2010-05-13 06:34 (Reply)

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