Ready for winter

[Srgnt Billko]

Getting ready for the cold days of winter. Split about a cord of firewood today. Some mountain ash and some shag bark hickory. The pile didn't go down much and I'm tired already.

[Jim]

hey Srgnt got any alder trees around you or on your land? dried alder with the bark removed and then chipped makes for some good tasting smoked grilled meat. it is difficult to obtain around here since it is a cold weather climate type of a tree.

[Clark]

I've got to split some wood too, I cut down a few black walnut tree's this spring. My father who is a licensed contractor (home additions and such) had a fit, he mumbled something about it being the most expensive firewood I would ever burn?

Clark

[Srgnt Billko]

Alder doesn't sound familiar - and my #1 son smokes so he and his DEC buddy who have walked the property would have mentioned it I would guess.

[Srgnt Billko]

I know what he means but I've never seen one straight enough and large enough to get much out of in the way of boards. I'm going to cut one down too - maybe 25' high now. I tried for a couple years to find someone who would come, take it, and transplant it - but found no takers.

[Clark]

The black walnut I have here are straight, I have a customer that told me he made a bat out of black walnut and it was the best bat he has ever owned. I still have 5 or 6 on the property that are straight but only about 2'6" wide (about ten feet up) and as you know, more narrow all the way up. I'm told the walnuts are good to eat, but I've never tried one.

Clark...

[Steveo]

Save them for furniture with pine trim. :)

[do_see]

They're delicious but very messy to hull.

[Dave]

Time to get a private, or perhaps, a recruit....

My area, central TX, no need, at least me anyway. There's some that use local live oak for their fireplace in winter. Don't seem them ever splittin' or cuttin' it. Their chimney smoke is stifling to breathe on no wind/high humidity days, the whitetail deer don't seem to appreciate it either.

My use for live oak is BBQ. Have plenty of dead branches (lack of sun due to juniper ashe) to work with. In the past 2 years I've lived here, haven't cut any entire live oaks down.

Juniper ashe (cedar its called in these parts)? Still cutting down those outside the perimeter of the yard. Fire hazard. Burns like gasoline, wet or dry. Dave

[KC]

I've got a 5 yr. supply under cover. (Just can't see a down tree going to waste). Mostly oak & hickory with a half dozen other types thrown in the mix. My favorite has to be persimmon - burns slow, decent heat, & reasonable smell. Next favorite would be dogwood for the same reasons.

KC

[Clark]

I have heard the same thing, I think my father is still laughing at the fact I cut down four?(maybe five)of them. We have been burning some of the wood in the outdoor fire place, the wood gives off a really strong smokey smell. I can smell the smokey shirt I wore last night from 5 feet away.

I've got to find some of the walnuts I hear they are good.

Clark

[Srgnt Billko]

The nuts from my tree aren't good at all - nothing like walnuts bought in a store - plus they are a pain-in-the-ass to handle - they stain everything.

[Chas Hurst]

We put them in the (stone/dirt) driveway and let the car tires run the husks off. Black walnuts are not as easy to crack, or as tasty as English or paper walnuts that one finds in the market.