# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  Cooking with Pine cones?

## Chicago Dan

Well actually using pine cones as tinder to start a fire.

Have you ever heard of this?

I met a friend of a friend who was from the Missouri who touted the virtues of starting charcoal with dry pine cones.

I have never tried this and sappy food concerns me. :Mad: 
If you have any experience with this I would welcome all suggestions.

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## Rick

Pine cones make great fire starters. Even better, dip them in wax. Dry pine cones don't have a tar or sappy residue like green wood might have. It's the moisture that produces it.

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## grundle

> Well actually using pine cones as tinder to start a fire.
> 
> Have you ever heard of this?
> 
> I met a friend of a friend who was from the Missouri who touted the virtues of starting charcoal with dry pine cones.
> 
> I have never tried this and sappy food concerns me.
> If you have any experience with this I would welcome all suggestions.



Its not so much the sappy foods you should worry about but the sappy jokes that are flying around here  :Big Grin:

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## Rick

Hey, I resemble that remark!!

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## grundle

Indeed you do  :Wink:

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## klkak

Now the (TDW) is a city girl from Detroit. When I took her home to meet the family she made a comment to my little sister about how big the acorns in the trees around the house were. My little sister with a little disgust in her tone informed my wife that they were not acorns but pine cones.

Some time I let you all know how my little sister told my wife how to tell the difference between a billy and a nanny goat.  :Big Grin:

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## crashdive123

Sounds like lil sis has a good head on her shoulders.

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## grundle

She should have taught your wife how to milk a bull  :Big Grin: 

Farm life can be so fun when the city folk' come around

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## Chicago Dan

> Pine cones make great fire starters. Even better, dip them in wax. Dry pine cones don't have a tar or sappy residue like green wood might have. It's the moisture that produces it.



Have you done this Rick?
I saw it done(w/o wax) 20 yrs ago but it just sliped my mind until recently.
Did you notice any change in taste of food?
Did you get any remaining residue? I would hate to have to clean out the BBQ of a sticky mess after doing this for the summer.

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## Rick

Dan - I misread your 1st post. You said charcoal. Sorry. 

I have started fires with cones in the wild, yes. Not waxed ones though.  

I would not used waxed cones in a grill. As for the pine cones, once the fire gets going and you let it burn down to coals for cooking the pine cones (or whatever you used for firestarter) is long burned up. Dry pine cones should leave no residue.

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## tacmedic

I've used waxed cones to start fires in grills before, and if you let the fire burn long enough the wax seems to burn away.  Once you let the fire burn down to coals sufficient for cooking you shouldn't have a problem with getting a waxy taste to the food.

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## bulrush

If you are concerned with your food tasting bad, simply cover the metal grill with tin foil to keep any bad smoke or fumes away from your food.

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## dilligaf2u2

I have a Siera Zip Stove. I cook with pine cones all the time. 20 or 30 pine cones and I have dinner and breakfast fuel at the ready. 

Don

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