Winter Fires

There is something universal about sitting around a cheerful fire during the Winter months, whether it’s a campfire or a fireplace in your home. The love of sitting by a warm fire seems to be in our DNA.

In former times, sitting around the fireplace was an important part of a family’s social life, both alone and when entertaining visitors.

Long before the days of radio or television, news, stories, family history and any other subjects of interest were shared during those hours spent gathered around the hearth.

On many occasions, sitting around the fire was a time spent playing the fiddle and singing old ballads and songs. Other fireside traditions included roasting chestnuts, peanuts, goobers and popping corn.

It is worth noting that the chestnuts that were roasted were the American Native Chestnuts, which were of superior quality when compared to the other varieties. By 1937, the last strands of the American Native Chestnuts had been wiped out by the chestnut blight.

One of my earliest memories of fireplace lore, was when my father taught me how to bank the fire before retiring for the night. Ashes were shoveled over the orange glowing embers until they were covered. The following morning, the ashes were raked away, exposing the hot coals to which firewood was added.

Almost instantly the fire would be rekindled into a cheerful blaze, ready for a new day.

Master Gardener, John Coykendall