Homemade Firestarters

[Lotus]

Michele....I feel your pain of not finding something you are in search of! Since moving to Nevada I've not located self-rising cornmeal, and have missed it so. Shared my dilemma with family and friends. Recently a package arrived from my BFF, and it was a 5 pound bag of self-rising cornmeal! Oh happy day!! Thanks so much to my BFF!! With that said, maybe someone going to the TN GTG might surprise you with wax!! Hey you gals out there, listen up to this sistah in need! I'll be there in spirit, but that's it! And I'll drink some of the spirits in spirit also!!

Lotus

[BirdbyBird]

dpf.....you're my kind of woman....I like the way you think. But then I haven't had an opportunity to have many campfires so I think I can afford the expense so far!

[mitch5252]

maybe someone going to the TN GTG might surprise you with wax!! Hey you gals out there, listen up to this sistah in need! I'll be there in spirit, but that's it! And I'll drink some of the spirits in spirit also!!

Lotus

Thank you so much for the thought, but I've given up on making those dang things. Try and find wax (I can't figure out what people do for canning anymore), and paper egg cartons (they're all styrofoam around here)...and heck, my Sisterhood friends cleaned out my dryer lint trap(along with a lecture about the necessity and safety of keeping it MUCH CLEANER!) and I don't have any lint! Yup, pre-made, shredded woody stuff is my firestarter of choice now! Someone over on rv.net had mentioned a propane weed burner...hmmmmm....

Besides, I was going to make a bunch (as pretty as possible) for the Ladies of the TN GTG...can't get it done in time now! Oh, well - the thought was there!

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[Lotus]

Oh well!! I got tickled as I stopped by the store this afternoon.....walked by the canning supplies to the other end of aisle, and a box of Gulf was was nearly jumped out and hit my head!! People here in NV must do a lot of canning or make a lot of fire starters!! Nope, I didn't buy it for you!!

Lotus

[VickieP]

I've avoided asking this because I don't want to seem as dumb as I really am! But we have canned all our lives, both water bath method and in a pressure canner and have never used wax for anything, please explain what you do with it?

[Sparkle]

It's usally used for jams. Melt some in a container sitting in boiling water and pour over the prepared jars. No need to process it furthur as the air cannot reach the jam. Also the jam being made with sugar it does not go bad as vegetables would.

[mitch5252]

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OHBOY - my neighbor found some at Kroger's in Murray, Kentucky!! She got me two pounds!

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[VickieP]

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OHBOY - my neighbor found some at Kroger's in Murray, Kentucky!! She got me two pounds!

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You know we need a pic when you make it, Mitch.

[VickieP]

It's usally used for jams. Melt some in a container sitting in boiling water and pour over the prepared jars. No need to process it furthur as the air cannot reach the jam. Also the jam being made with sugar it does not go bad as vegetables would.

I have made strawberry fig jam and peach fig jam, learned from my Momma and we've never used wax, learn something new every day, I guess.

[AlienRox]

My favorite FIRESTARTERS?

MR NEVADA in his skivvies with me straddling his thigh in a promo pix for my 50th Birthday...and lately?

Mr. MIKE, the fireman (Annual Busy 'B" Corn Roast) in is his slinky, shiney, sexy, silver suit - I had a flashback to a previous time... And like most experiences, it was the ole 'just toss a bag over his head'... and all is well with the world... These are a few of my favorite things....

[bluepinecones]

Vickie, you are probably too young to have learned the "old school" methods.
Anyway note below that wax is no longer recommended method:
"An Important Message for Homemade Jam & Jelly Makers
When making jams and jellies, instead of canning in a boiling water bath canner, some home cooks use wax or a layer of paraffin to seal filled sterilized jars. This was once a widely used and accepted sealing method . Until recently, directions for sealing jars of jam and jelly with paraffin were included with some brands of commercial fruit pectin. You might have cookbooks with directions for wax sealing.

Paraffin or wax does not always create a perfect seal and that can lead to mold growth. Though not desirable, it was not considered harmful, so people simply spooned it off and used the remaining product. Research now tells us that this mold may not be harmless. Mycotoxins, substances known to cause cancer in animals, have been found in jars of jelly with surface mold growth. Sealing with paraffin is no longer recommended to seal any home-canned foods, including jams, jellies, and other fruit spreads."
------University of Ill. Coop Extension Service

[snowball]

quote]I have made strawberry fig jam and peach fig jam, learned from my Momma and we've never used wax, learn something new every day, I guess

someday I'm going to learn how to do that quote thing right....
If you have always used a hot bath or pressure cooker you wouldn't have used wax was widely used but as stated above isn't recommended now although I didn't know why....
sheila

[mitch5252]

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Well, I just got done making 3 egg cartons of firestarters.
Now I remember why working with wax i such a PITA!
From now on, just the store bought version for me!
Okay, I'm off to clean up the mess...

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[VickieP]

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Well, I just got done making 3 egg cartons of firestarters.
Now I remember why working with wax i such a PITA!
From now on, just the store bought version for me!
Okay, I'm off to clean up the mess...

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Pics, we want pics!!!

[jaymesullivan]

I make fire starters too. My friend is a candle nut so she gives me lots of used wax and I use shreaded paper from the office rather than dryer lint,and used paper expresso cups as containers. (sometimes the used wax smells too strong but is just fine for outdoor fires)