PUT ANOTHER SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE, MATE! A guest post from Down Under

Wednesday,  9:00 AM. 70 degrees F, 69 at the lake front.  Wind N, calm.  There is heavy fog. The humidity is 68% and the barometer is trending up at 30.00".
   The following Guest Blog is published at  the request of Dannielle McAnn of The Greene Centre, a garden center and recycling business located in Melbourne, Australia.   Dannielle came across the Almanac on the web.  For more information and photos, go to http://www/firewood.com.au.  They have an interesting business and web site, unfortunately I was unable to upload their photos. The basic firewood information applies here as well as in Australia.
   I encourage Almanac readers to visit their web site at http://www.firewood.com.au.

THE GREEN CENTRE

 Melbourne, Australia

(03) 9331 5176Send Us An Email
2A Stadium Drive, Keilor Park VIC 3042

What You Should Know About Your Firewood
By Dannielle McAnn

When the winter months come around, as they do far too often around here, you want to have a pile of quality firewood ready to get burning in the fireplace. There is nothing like the natural and honest warmth of a good fireplace, and to get the best possible fire going you are going to need the best firewood.

There a are few types of firewood that are commonly used to start those winter fires, here is a quick rundown of the most popular options, and a few not so popular options with reasons why they are a bad idea to stick in the oven.

Oak is a very dense wood, it burns really hot and  seasons in a year, making it a pretty common option. I't a popular option for fireplaces because it’s easy to find and provides a good, dense heat to fill the whole house.

Maple is another popular option for firewood as it is also an efficient, hot burning wood that seasons often enough to make it available every year. The one downside with maple is that it can be quite difficult to split due to the density of the wood, so it’s a good idea to source it already split if you can.

Cherry is also recommended as a firewood, however it is not as common as the other two. It is not as hot as Oak or Maple, burning at a medium heat, but it does produce a nice sweet smelling aroma while burning and like the others, doesn’t produce much smoke.

  Another variety that's a great choice if available, is the hardwood, Redgum, like that found at Firewood. It’s native to Australia but can also be found in a lot of other parts in the world, including the States.

  Australian native hardwoods are usually large leafed trees that produce fruit or nuts. These hardwoods are best used in structural applications such as bearers, joists and roof beams. They are also perfect for flooring, decking and other outside applications due to their hard wearing nature.

Now for the no-nos. Don’t go near Pine, Elm or Chestnut; Pine is a messy burner and has a lot of sap, Elm is too dense to split and has a funny smell. Finally Chestnut produces a lot of sparks and smoke so you don’t really want to have it in the house. With a little insight, it’s easy to find the right firewood to keep you warm this winter.

Firewood, Inc. is an Australian company that sells Redgum firewood for private and commercial use, including wood fire ovens.

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   G'day, Danniele.  Put another shrimp on the barbie, mate, and we may come on Down Under for a chat!

READY FOR WINTER, BAYFIELD OR AUSTRALIA